Temperature???

[mtbryda203]

I want to move my wine from my dining room down to my basement and set up shop down there. My wife is starting to get mad, that I am taking over the dining room! I took a temp reading and it’s roughly about 50f degrees give or take down there. The temp is 32f outside. I run a dehumidifier down in the basement all the time. The kits I am making say that the suggest 70-75 degrees! So my question is...... how would my wine do in the basement? What are the plus and minus of storing/ making the wine at this temp?

 

[Boatboy24]

You may be better off fermenting upstairs, then transferring down for clearing, bulk aging, and storage.

Another option is a brew belt, or heating pad. But 50 degrees may be a bit much to overcome. Others have used keg tubs filled with water with an aquarium heater. Then put the fermenter/carboy in the water and keep it aroun 70.

 

[TonyP]

You've asked two questions and, as Boatboy24 suggests, your answer has two components. In short, storing wine generally requires different conditions than making wine; the primary difference being that fermentation temperature should be based on your yeast's needs. Most yeasts like temperatures in the 70's and that's what you should strive for - certainly 65F is generally the minimum target for many kits.

Storing wine is a different issue as yeast is no longer involved. Seek storage temperatures of 55-60F. Perhaps there's an area near a heating unit that could be used during the initial week or so: fermentation.

 

[mtbryda203]

You may be better off fermenting upstairs, then transferring down for clearing, bulk aging, and storage.

Another option is a brew belt, or heating pad. But 50 degrees may be a bit much to overcome. Others have used keg tubs filled with water with an aquarium heater. Then put the fermenter/carboy in the water and keep it aroun 70.

I think that I will ferment upstairs where it is about 70 degrees them once fermenting is done move it down stairs till it starts to warm up

 

[mtbryda203]

You've asked two questions and, as Boatboy24 suggests, your answer has two components. In short, storing wine generally requires different conditions than making wine; the primary difference being that fermentation temperature should be based on your yeast's needs. Most yeasts like temperatures in the 70's and that's what you should strive for - certainly 65F is generally the minimum target for many kits.

Storing wine is a different issue as yeast is no longer involved. Seek storage temperatures of 55-60F. Perhaps there's an area near a heating unit that could be used during the initial week or so: fermentation.

There is no heating unit. We are all electric/ pellet stove. I think doing the fermenting upstairs and the moving the rest of the process down stairs

 

[jimmyjames23]

Buy a brew belt or submersible fish tank heater. I vote brew belt.
Problem solved.

 

[Polarhug]

Sounds like a really great place to long term age your wines though, so there's a plus!

 

[jimmyjames23]

I wouldn't be moving your wine up and down if you're using glass demijohns. I've read some real horror stories regarding broken glass.
http://brewing.lustreking.com/articles/brokencarboys.html

 

[mtbryda203]

I wouldn't be moving your wine up and down if you're using glass demijohns. I've read some real horror stories regarding broken glass.
http://brewing.lustreking.com/articles/brokencarboys.html

Plastic!!! I dont feel safe having animals and soon to be baby

 

[TonyP]

Plastic!!! I dont feel safe having animals and soon to be baby

If you carry a plastic carboy, do it with the bung in and the airlock off.

 

[olusteebus]

My cellar (a crawl space that you can stand up in) stays between 61 to 65 in winter. I have a "rope" bucket when I am fermenting 1 batch or I use a larger storage bin when doing two. I put about 6 inches or more water in it, use two good aquarium heaters (adjustable) and an aquarium pump (to circulate water). I cover with a silver first aid blanket and have no trouble getting the must to 75 degrees.

 

[ibglowin]

Just use a brewbelt or a heating pad that doesn't shut off after 2 hours when your fermenting and then all the way through your clearing stage. Add a thick beach towel or something similar as a wrap to help keep some more heat in. I couldn't ferment either in my winery in the Winter without one or the other. Its ~55 degrees in there for about 6 months of the year.

 

[jCOSbrew]

It sounds like the 70+ deg F temp is important for primary fermentation, secondary, and clearing.
How about bulk aging in the carboy?

Why is the fermentation temp so critical. The spec on my yeast says it is good down to 45 deg F. Obviously it will ferment slower at lower temps.

 

[Terry0220]

Was just wondering,,,,you talk about heating pads, could you not use a electric blanket??? Just thinking out loud,,,,

 

[Runningwolf]

Was just wondering,,,,you talk about heating pads, could you not use a electric blanket??? Just thinking out loud,,,,

AHH Terry, we need to talk silly girl! LOL

 

[robie]

It sounds like the 70+ deg F temp is important for primary fermentation, secondary, and clearing.
How about bulk aging in the carboy?

Why is the fermentation temp so critical. The spec on my yeast says it is good down to 45 deg F. Obviously it will ferment slower at lower temps.

Of course it all depends on the strain of yeast and what it likes for a temperature. In home wine making, temp for fermentation is not terribly crytical as long as fermentation will start and not get stuck. The idea is to keep the temp in the yeasts' happy range.

For yeasts included in wine kits, like EC-1118, it is best to get the temperature up into the 70's to get fermentation going. Once it it going well, it will generate its own heat until fermentation starts to slow.

In a home wine making scenario, it is a challenge to keep fermentation going at a low temperature, if the yeast prefer a higher one. In some professional wineries, they slow the fermentation enough to cause it to last 40 to 50 days. That is a real challenge under normal circumstances. So, try o ferment at the yeasts' mid range temperature.

I like D47 for my chardonnays. I like to keep the fermentation temperature at around 60F. That particular yeast seems to do well at that lower temp.

As far as bulk aging in carboys, I keep the temperature in the lower 70's until the wine has mostly cleared. After that, I like lower 60's, if I can maintain that. If a person is from the deep South, it is hard to keep the temp very low, so just do the best you can.

 

[arh13p]

Is there any negative effects to the wine if bulk aging in the carboy at 70 degrees? My basement usually stays steady at this temp. Perhaps in the summer it may be lower with the air conditioner going but I have wondered teh same thing since I can't store my wine in cool temps. I have both bulk aging and bottled wine at this temperature.

 

[jimmyjames23]

Was just wondering,,,,you talk about heating pads, could you not use a electric blanket??? Just thinking out loud,,,,

I see no reason why you couldn't use a heated blanket. That actually sounds pretty ingenious. You could heat up to 4 demijohns at a time. With a thermometer and a timer (and a little trial and error) you could easily set up a system where the temperature is easily managed in the high 70's.
Genius!

 

[Tess]

Im sure glad I read this. I was going to brew in my basement. I love this place. I've already ordered my heating belt from Amazon for $25.00 it has good reviews. I have a perfect dark room down there for storage though. What do you think of the heating strips that go on the outside so you can monitor the temp? Anyone ever use them?

 

[saramc]

The temp strips are fine. Might I recommend an insulated cubby also? Depending on how many carboys will be in cool basement you could knock together one that fits 1-2-3-4 quite easily. Styrofoam top, sides, bottom. A simple frame...a friend made a frame from repurposed wood pallets and installed, forgive my lack of technical terms, with a sliding bolt type hinge/pin mechanism to hold it together... so the frame is easily unassembled and accessible. And the styrofoam was easy to fit.