Temp question...

[Sunshine Wine]

I had read on here that it is better to keep the wine at a cooler temperature, but just read that in the 70's in better for allowing degassing... Right now I have racked off most sediment and have it in the garage at about 50 degrees. Should I actually bring it in? This will be the first 3 month waiting time...

 

[1d10t]

It will pretty much degas to the warmest temperature it was at. In priming beer bottles we take temperature into account to adjust the priming sugar amount. That said, if this is "the first 3 month waiting time" then what's the rush. The garage will warm up at some point?

 

[Scooter68]

A lot depends on where you are in the process. During the fermentation the desired temp for Red wines are higher temps 70's to 80's and whites are femented at the lower or lowest possible temps (60's or lower if the yeast will work.) to preserve their more delicate elements.

During Aging a lot depends on what you are trying or need to do at that time. Degassing is better at warmer temps but I wouldn't let it get over the mid-70s at most. When you are trying to get it to clear cooler temps are better and some folks even take their wine down to freezing or near freezing temps to get precipitates to drop out.

So it comes back to the type of wine and what you are trying to get done. Right now my wine aging area (A basement) is in the upper 50s and all the wines in there are about 4-6 months along in the aging process. By May June I'm hoping that they will all have cleared and dropped all sediment/precipitates and be ready to bottle during summer time when those basement temps are around 70. Since I age all my wines at least 7-12 months I've never had a need to de-gas any on them.

Except for wines reluctant to clear on their own (Peach is always the tough one for me) ... I let everything de-gas and clear on it's own trying to avoid using any fining or clearing agents, or wire whips unless absolutely necessary. I have Chitsol and Bentonite as my backup additives.

So there is no One size fits all perfect temperature to use.

 

[mainshipfred]

Very nice and accurate explanation Scooter.

 

[Sunshine Wine]

I am using dark muscadine juice. I had it in the house for the first 3 weeks around 70ish, when I first started. Racked and put in garage for about a week and a half at around 50ish, then racked again and returned to garage. Has been about a month since I began, on December 8. Seems pretty clear to me. Very dark. Some avid wine drinkers taste tested for me and said it was pretty good, a bit on the dry side, but had a good flavor. I want to backsweeten it some, but will wait to do that. I just wondered if it should be cooler or warmer at this point....

 

[crabjoe]

I am using dark muscadine juice. I had it in the house for the first 3 weeks around 70ish, when I first started. Racked and put in garage for about a week and a half at around 50ish, then racked again and returned to garage. Has been about a month since I began, on December 8. Seems pretty clear to me. Very dark. Some avid wine drinkers taste tested for me and said it was pretty good, a bit on the dry side, but had a good flavor. I want to backsweeten it some, but will wait to do that. I just wondered if it should be cooler or warmer at this point....

What should be cooler or warmer? Did I miss something?

 

[Johnd]

I am using dark muscadine juice. I had it in the house for the first 3 weeks around 70ish, when I first started. Racked and put in garage for about a week and a half at around 50ish, then racked again and returned to garage. Has been about a month since I began, on December 8. Seems pretty clear to me. Very dark. Some avid wine drinkers taste tested for me and said it was pretty good, a bit on the dry side, but had a good flavor. I want to backsweeten it some, but will wait to do that. I just wondered if it should be cooler or warmer at this point....

Once fermentation is over and your wine is just sitting to degas and clear, mid 70’s will speed both along. Once finished and bottled, 55 - 60 is a good temp for storage.

 

[Scooter68]

Sounds good right now to just let it age. JohnD is a good source for such things so I'd follow his suggestions.

 

[Sunshine Wine]

What should be cooler or warmer? Did I miss something?

The storage temperature while aging.