What SG should I rack into secondary?

mwonnacot · Apr 25, 2015

Making a one gallon batch of blueberry wine from a fruit purée. I used the Montrachet yeast. Fermentation is staying steady around 69 degrees. I started on Tuesday april 21, and my SG was 1.094 when I pitched my yeast. Took a hydrometer reading last night and it is already at 1.031. Should I rack? Or ferment til dry?

gaboy · Apr 25, 2015

Some of us ferment till DRY in primary, while others rack to 2ndry @ 1.00. Personal choice I'd say.

richmke · Apr 25, 2015

give it a few more days. Minimum of 5-7 days. Then wait until SG closer to 1.000 (1.010 or less).

bkisel · Apr 25, 2015

I've gone to "secondary" in the 1.020-1.000 range and also stayed in the primary until dry. I don't think, for me, that it has made a dime's worth of difference (though I've never done a head to head comparison). If it were a kit I'd follow the directions if for no other reason than to not void the warranty/guarantee.

Jericurl · Apr 26, 2015

I would leave it for a few more days on the lees.
You want to extract as much flavor as possible from the fruit.

Will you be racking onto more fruit in secondary or no?

I usually rack right around 1.00

But if I'm being honest and I've got a bucket lid with an airlock, I've left it until it was well beyond dry before I remembered to rack it and it turned out fine.

Thig · Apr 26, 2015

Like the reply above I usually leave it in primary until I am at 1.000. I have racked to a carboy sooner and ended up with a volcano.

Floandgary · Apr 26, 2015

I think the thought on going to a secondary @1.000 is that typically at that point the more aggressive CO2 producing, O2 blocking fermentation is winding down. Racking to a secondary vessel under an airlock would insure minimal to zero exposure to O2 for the rest of the fermentation. As has been noted, many of us have allowed fermentation to dry in the primary with no ill effects.

Greydog · Apr 30, 2015

I have racked from primary bucket to carboy at anywhere from 1.030 to .998 but I generally try to do it between 1.010 and 1.000. The big reason, for me, is the lower the SG when going to secondary, more of the sediment will have collected in the bucket rather than the carboy. Also at 1.010-1.000 there is still enough CO2 being generated to drive off oxygen.