Warm spots in must 18 hours after sulfites?

[chambers]

Hi —

I’m in the process of preparing peach must for primary fermentation. I added campden tablets (1 tablet per gallon) after adding sugar and correction PH yesterday and thought I mixed well. I added pectin enzyme this afternoon, 12 hours or so in advance of pitching yeast and found that there were warm spots in my must. Is this a sign of wild yeast fermentation that should have been knocked out by the sulfites? Should I reintroduced another batch of campden tablets?

Thanks in advance for any help you may provide.

 

[sour_grapes]

Can you describe your observations leading you to conclude that you had warm spots in your must?

 

[chambers]

Can you describe your observations leading you to conclude that you had warm spots in your must?

Sure, thanks for the help!!!

I’m generally using Jack Keller’s recipe for peach wine, which suggests a lot of fruit (10lbs per gallon.) The must is quite thick throughout and I mixed it with a washed hand today to make sure some pectic enzyme and a final ph correction was well mixed in. In the middle of one of my 6 1/2 gallon bucket I could feel a spot that felt decidedly above room temperature, which I thought might mean that some primary activity had started before pitching yeast.

 

[chambers]

I mixed in 7 dissolved campden tablets after making the must (peaches, water, tartaric acid, simple syrup) yesterday.

 

[sour_grapes]

Thanks for the clarification.

I really REALLY doubt that you need to be concerned about this to the point of re-adding more sulfites. I would just proceed as you had intended with pitching the yeast. Even if you had some native yeast activity, the wine yeast would dominate that colony tout de suite.

 

[chambers]

Thanks for the clarification.

I really REALLY doubt that you need to be concerned about this to the point of re-adding more sulfites. I would just proceed as you had intended with pitching the yeast. Even if you had some native yeast activity, the wine yeast would dominate that colony tout de suite.

Thanks!

 

[Rice_Guy]

Yeast fermentation produces heat. When I do refrigerator with inkbird controlled fermentations I typically see the wine two degrees warmer than the refrigerator air. ,,, Hot spots are normal with high viscosity.

What to do? You have a risk of getting an infection / off flavor in the fruit, so I would get yeast into the must right away. Next, you are describing a thick must. This is saying that you will have better juice yield if you dose additional pectin enzyme. The enzyme is neutral in the wine so you can add three or even ten times bottle directions and it won’t give off flavors, but when you do pressing it will increase the juice yield. While you have fruit pulp in the wine there is a risk of mold growth on any dry surfaces, as a result it is important to mix the pulp several times a day like one does with a red grape must.

I like 100% juice wine. I have two ways that I have dealt with the pulp. First has been freezing the peach a week and then pressing the fruit to extract a fairly clean juice and the second has been using natural food rules and adding a thin/ low flavor/ high acid juice like rhubarb to create a lower viscosity must. Yum, , , I hope I get to be contest judge on this batch.