FWIW, I had a similar idea for my 2001 syrah. I wrapped a foil lined insulating thingy you get at the hardware store (I think it's basically bubble wrap) I was fermenting 10 gallons of must in a plastic fermenter. 2 days after fermentation started it hit 94*F at 10:00 am. I took off the blanket and it hit 102 at noon,and I put it in the walk-in. By 4:00 it was back to 80.
There is a moral in here somewhere...
Here's a link to a graph:
Hmmmm. That's encouraging. Although you started with about a 10*F higher temperature than I will be, I will be fermenting more must. So I may get the heat I need after all!
It's about a phenomenon called "exotherm".
In many chemical reactions, the reaction rate is a function of temperature. Also, the reaction itself usually releases heat, which will further speed the reaction rate. When the heat can't escape as fast as it's being formed, the reaction will accelerate until it either gets so hot that it starts burning or simply depletes all the available reactants. If you've ever worked with polyester resin, you may have observed this phenomenon.
Of course your wine won't catch fire from exotherm, but it might get hot enough to kill the yeast and "stick" the fermentation. The good news is, that isn't going to happen in a 60 gallon fermenter - even on a hot day. If you were fermenting in a 1000+ gallon tank, maybe.
Tom S
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