Why not ferment dry in the bucket/primary

[cdevrard]

Excepting a loooong slow ferment, why not just ferment dry in the primary bucket?

Seems like most recipes call for transfer to secondary at some particular SG (1.040/1.010'ish). I thought the yeast like oxygen at this point. Also if you rack later on you'll leave more of the gross lees behind.

In my last two fruit wines I found that after racking to secondary I had to rack again a week or two later just to get the enormous amount of lees out of the secondary container.

Again, for a long slow ferment I can understand getting the wine "protected" in a carboy. other than that why not wait for 1.000 or below?

Thanks!

CE

 

[ffemt128]

All of my wines I keep in primary until at lease 1.010 or lower. Most don't get transferred to glass until below 1.000.

 

[wineforfun]

Same here, as Doug.

 

[Elmer]

More often than not I ferment to dry in a bucket.
When I get to about 1.010 or less I snapp the lid down and come back in a few days.
I only differ from this method when I am doing a smaller batch that will leave too much air space in my bucket.
(I currently have 3 gallons in my 6.5 gallon bucket. That is too much space)

 

[Julie]

I ferment to dry in the bucket. Like Elmer, I snap down the lid once it reaches between 1.000 and 1.010. Now when I rack to a carboy, I sulfite and leave it sit for 3 months before racking again.

 

[sour_grapes]

Seems like most recipes call for transfer to secondary at some particular SG (1.040/1.010'ish). I thought the yeast like oxygen at this point.

They may like it, but you don't want them to have it! If they have O2, they will respire aerobically, which converts the sugar to CO2, not alcohol.

Also if you rack later on you'll leave more of the gross lees behind.

One reason people rack sooner is to get it off the gross lees sooner. The fear is that the lees will contribute off-flavors from autolyzing yeast. I don't know if this is a valid concern or not.

 

[Thig]

I try to always ferment dry (or at least down to 1.000 or lower) before transferring to a carboy.

 

[Bubba1]

I second Thig I always ferment dry before racking to leave the most lees in primary usually till it stops dropping .997 or so I have never had a issue

 

[willie]

All my wines I also ferment to dry in the bucket eather kit wine or made from scratch Dragon Blood.

Will

 

[Geronimo]

Add me to the gang that leaves it in the bucket until it's DONE. I usually let it go about 4 weeks, but the grape pack and oak chips come out after ~2 weeks.

Use yeast nutrient and energizer... leave it in primary 4 weeks... super clean, tasty wine every time.

 

[sour_grapes]

I am in the camp that transfers between 1.000 and 1.010 or 1.005. I don't have a ton of experience, so just doing what the kit instructions tell me to do! I will say that it makes me feel better to have the wine off the gross lees and no headspace to speak of sooner rather than later.

 

[cdevrard]

Thanks for all the answers. I wonder why the recipes often call for a earlier (higher sg) transfer?

I'm going to start leaving it in the bucket like most of you!

Cheers,

CE

 

[LittleBearGameFarm]

Do you risk oxidation by leaving it in primary too long if the wine is not producing CO2 to protect it anymore? I have always racked at 1.010 to 1.020 and let it finish in the carboy. Maybe I need to change my ways?

 

[Julie]

Do you risk oxidation by leaving it in primary too long if the wine is not producing CO2 to protect it anymore? I have always racked at 1.010 to 1.020 and let it finish in the carboy. Maybe I need to change my ways?

I don't leave it in long enough to risk oxidation. When I snap the lid down, normally a week later I'm racking because it has fermented to dry.

 

[Geronimo]

I close up the primary moments after pitching the yeast. If you don't have a fan blowing, you'll have some CO2 that blankets the wine even after you mess with the grape skins bag, oak, etc.

The single greatest risk of oxidation is when racking. Leaving a young wine sit still for a long time has never been an issue. A couple years back I was in a bad accident and I ended up leaving 2 primaries sitting in the basement for 3+ months. I thought for sure they were garbage, but found quite the opposite when I finally got to them.

 

[richmke]

The fear is that the lees will contribute off-flavors from autolyzing yeast.

Autolyzed Yeast Extract = glutamates, the "g" in MSG.

Some say it is not the same (naturally occurring), and that it is much lower concentrations. Does concentration really matter when it is diluted? So, you use more of it.

BTW: This is just a commentary about AYE/MSG, and not that you will get anywhere close to those levels with wine sitting on lees.

 

[bkisel]

Low end RJS kit instructions have me stay in the primary and that is generally what I do. RJS WS kit instructions have me racking to carboy @ SG 1.020 and that is what I've done with the WS kits. With DB and the variations I've done I stay in the primary. I'm thinking that with most wines it doesn't make a dimes worth of difference so long as you airlock somewhere between 1.020 and 1.000.

 

[Tenbears]

I like to get them off the lees also, My roots are as a mead guy so I am super conscious of oxidation, In the early days I was told the CO2 given off by a fermenting Must will keep the O2 off. So I have always racked between 1.015 and 1.005 preferring the upper limits. I have carried it into my wine making with great success. However, I have never made a kit. When I buy juice from Presque Isle I start it right in the carboy, and find that works equally as well.