Purpose of Secondary Fermentation

[QuiQuog]

What is the main function of the secondary fermentation? The reason I'm asking is that I'm wondering what to do at this point in my batch. I started a Wine Expert Zin with grape skins kit on 3/11 and it seems to be progressing faster than I would like. Let me give you the quick and dirty.

3/11, I started the kit wit an SG of 1.094. I had a brew belt on and it reached 85f before I got it off. It settled into a temp of 72f.

3/16, it reached SG 1.00 and I racked it into a 6 gal carboy.

3/21, today, SG is .998, the SG that I'm supposed to rack into the smaller carboy and fine.

The instructions say to leave it in for 10 days and then check. It doesn't say anything about checking halfway through, and racking early if the SG is .998. So, what is the purpose of the secondary ferment besides getting the SG down? Is it to let the excess gross lees drop some more before fining the smaller particles?

I suppose the real question is, should I let it sit another 5 days, or go ahead and rack it this weekend? I have the time, but in 5 days I may not and it will sit until next weekend.

 

[cmason1957]

When given a choice between hydrometer reading and time, I always take the choice that will give the wine the most time at each stage. So I would wait for the days to be up. There are important processes going on during "secondary" fermentation that take time.

But I should also say, I follow an extended time period of kit making. 5 days in primary, 10-15 days in secondary. Then 45 days, 90 days, 180 days rackings and think about bottling

 

[Julie]

Your wine is not going thru a "secondary" fermentation. The only time a wine goes thru a secondary fermentation is thru MLF. When you rack from primary to secondary that is not called secondary fermentation. I know there are a lot out there who think this and I believe kit instructions also say this. When your must starts to ferment, it does not stop and then start again. Once it starts it just rolls along until it is finished, except for those instances when you have a stuck fermentation.

 

[QuiQuog]

Maybe it's just semantics, but regardless, there's a reason for it and I was just wondering what it was. I read through Jack Kellers website regarding the basic steps, and he says that leaving it on some lees in the secondary can help develop the flavor.

 

[QuiQuog]

I hit reply before I meant to:
Anyway, long story short, I'll leave it in the secondary until next weekend. I did have a taste to see how it was progressing. It was tart, slightly astringent, and yeasty, with a bite due to the CO2, and had some berry undertones. Overall, it tasted bad. But not unexpected at this point, so we're off to a good start.

I'm going to start the ferment in my skeeter pee this weekend. Right now it's just highly sweet lemonade. I'm actually more excited about this one since it will be done so much sooner. A couple months as opposed to a couple of years.

 

[Boatboy24]

"Secondary" for kit makers is really more about the second container, rather than another stage of fermenting. The idea being that once things slow down a little, the insurance of being in a container with and airlock is worthwhile.

Just to confuse things a little, you may here those making wine from fresh grapes refer to Malolactic fermentation as "secondary". And Malo is something you do NOT want to do on a kit.

 

[Turock]

Yes, but Keller means FINE lees. Not the bulky lees which, if you allow the wine to rest for a long period on them, can cause H2S issues. Get the wine off the gross lees and allow it to bulk age on the fine dusting of lees.

Racking wine off a vat and into the secondary, or carboy, is done because once you lose the positive pressure of the CO2, you need to protect the wine from O2.

 

[heatherd]

What is the main function of the secondary fermentation? The reason I'm asking is that I'm wondering what to do at this point in my batch. I started a Wine Expert Zin with grape skins kit on 3/11 and it seems to be progressing faster than I would like. Let me give you the quick and dirty.

3/11, I started the kit wit an SG of 1.094. I had a brew belt on and it reached 85f before I got it off. It settled into a temp of 72f.

3/16, it reached SG 1.00 and I racked it into a 6 gal carboy.

3/21, today, SG is .998, the SG that I'm supposed to rack into the smaller carboy and fine.

The instructions say to leave it in for 10 days and then check. It doesn't say anything about checking halfway through, and racking early if the SG is .998. So, what is the purpose of the secondary ferment besides getting the SG down? Is it to let the excess gross lees drop some more before fining the smaller particles?

I suppose the real question is, should I let it sit another 5 days, or go ahead and rack it this weekend? I have the time, but in 5 days I may not and it will sit until next weekend.

Quiquog,

First welcome to the forum!

There is excellent advice here, and folks are giving you some pointers on terminology. It took some time, when I started, to get that stuff right.

The thing that is important with a kit is the hydrometer reading. The times are a minimum. So if you get to a target specific gravity earlier than the instructions, it is good to give it at least the minimum time as well. Luckily, wine is a procrastinator's hobby, and taking more time is a virtue.

Wine kits tell you that you can have wine in eight weeks. Then many have small print about aging on the box or in the instructions.

You have purchased a VERY nice kit with skins, so I want to mention that taking extra time with it will let you get your money's worth.

This is what folks mean about an "extended schedule" where they give additional time to each step, and give the wine a year from start to drinking. Or more.

Maybe you already know, but i didn't know when I started making wine that I would be making next year's wine. The first year was tough! Many people make high-end kits to age and also some things like dragon's blood or skeeter pee (recipes on the forum) that are cost-effective, and designed to be made and consumed in a few weeks, to drink in the meantime.

Heather

 

[QuiQuog]

I like that you called it a procrastinators hobby, but I think I have it outmatched. I made my first two wines in 2012 and have put off making more until after they were already gone. Part of the reason is that I became disillusioned with the hobby after tasting my first batch and let it "rot" in my basement for over a year. I was pleasantly surprised when I grabbed a bottle for cooking and enjoyed it up until just a few months ago.

I did start a batch of skeeter this weekend to have something right away. I plan on starting another cheaper and quicker wine for this winter, maybe an Island Mist but I'm open for suggestions. Then yet another, probably a cab, that will age a year+ to be ready for the next holiday season.

My fermenter is going to be getting a good workout over the next month, then it will just be a batch here and there to replenish my wine rack.

 

[QuiQuog]

Yes, but Keller means FINE lees. Not the bulky lees which, if you allow the wine to rest for a long period on them, can cause H2S issues. Get the wine off the gross lees and allow it to bulk age on the fine dusting of lees.

Racking wine off a vat and into the secondary, or carboy, is done because once you lose the positive pressure of the CO2, you need to protect the wine from O2.

I'm not actually at the bulk aging stage yet, although the fermenting is almost, if not completely stopped at this point, it's still in a fermenting stage.

Maybe someone could help differentiate fine from gross lees. I refer to Jack Kellers website quite a lot because he goes into great detail on seemingly small things.

In the basic steps listed there, he refers to gross lees as the pulp of the fruit. He says to strain the pulp (gross lees) and allow the yeast into the secondary container. I know it's a deferent process than kit making, but the ingredients at this point are essentially the same, more so in kits with the skins.

Maybe it's all moot anyway since I've decided to let it sit until next weekend.

 

[Julie]

The gross lees is that lees that are in your primary fermenter. Once your wine has fermented to dry and you rack to a carboy, that which drops is now considered your fine lees