Wine level in the demijohn...

[dr-robien]

Hi

I split my primary batch into two demijohns post fast fermentation and in one of them, the wine-level is in the 'shoulder' rather than the topmost 'neck' part... is this going to affect the wine? Can I add a bit of water+sugar to the deficient demijohn? What are your thoughts?

David

 

[Jenks829]

Hi

I split my primary batch into two demijohns post fast fermentation and in one of them, the wine-level is in the 'shoulder' rather than the topmost 'neck' part... is this going to affect the wine? Can I add a bit of water+sugar to the deficient demijohn? What are your thoughts?

David

Hello David,

You should be attempting to keep as little head space as possible in the secondary. Remember, oxygen is detrimental to wine and the wine itself will not be producing as much CO2 as it was during primary fermentation to produce a protective blanket. To minimize the head space, here are two ideas:

1) Top off the demijohn with a commercial wine similar to the one you are making.

2) Sanitize some marbles and drop them into the demijohn until the wine level rises.

I hope this helps. What type of wine and how much are you making?

Jenks

 

[robie]

Topping off is not as important when in secondary as it is after all fermentation has stopped, as long as the secondary is sealed and under an airlock..

Secondary is still producing enough CO2 that if wine is under an air lock, it should be fine until secondary is finished.