Run Away fermentation

[mrcivic]

Hi Guys, This is my first year making wine. I'm attempting to ferment 12 gallons of gewurztraminer. I did an initial test of the juice I got Brix 23 and TA 0.7% must temp. is 23 degrees celsius. I then proceeded to add a 50ppm dose of potassium metabisulfite and added a yeast starter solution 1 hour later. Everything went well.

day2: Brix dropped to 21 must temp. is 23 degrees celsius
day3: brix dropped to 8! must temp shot up to 26 degrees celsuis.

A Loss of 12 degrees in one day! I tried my best to cool it down but the damage is done. has this ever happened to anyone? if so how did the wine end up tasting at the end?

 

[Wine Maker]

I've had some large drops (8 or more) in brixs overnight, never 12 which does seem like a lot. I assume you rechecked the brix. The remaining brix may take one or two more days, which would give you a 4 or 5 day fermentation. This should be fine for a white wine. If it were a red wine then 4 days is not enough to give a deep color. I think you should be fine. What type of yeast did you use? Did you use any type of yeast nutrient?

 

[mrcivic]

I've had some large drops (8 or more) in brixs overnight, never 12 which does seem like a lot. I assume you rechecked the brix. The remaining brix may take one or two more days, which would give you a 4 or 5 day fermentation. This should be fine for a white wine. If it were a red wine then 4 days is not enough to give a deep color. I think you should be fine. What type of yeast did you use? Did you use any type of yeast nutrient?

Hi Winemaker, thanks for the info! I used Yeast Strain W0207 specifically created for spicy white wines. I did not use any type of yeast nutrient.. I guess this is a very aggressive strain.