Primary / Secondary Fermentation

Wayne, No fixed time. All fermentations are a little different. Mostly temp and what kind of yeast you use. Keep an eye on it. I hope you at least keep a loose lid on your primary. I usually add and airlock around 1.040 since the vigorous fermentation is slower.

I usually transfer when gravity is around 1.010 or less. There you will finish fermenting. You will also start to see it clear. after 2 weeks I add my finings. Wait 2-3 weeks then transfer. Then aging. Remember this is not a race to make wine as fast as you can.

3 words for this "hobby" ( obsession ). Patience Patience Patience

If you are doing kits, Follow the directions. I make just a few kits. Most of my wine is fresh Fruit and Juice from California, Italy and Chile

For my red wine production from grapes, I ferment in primary until cap sink which is usually about

10 days to two weeks. It is essentially through fermenting at this point. After I press and put in carboy, I rack off the heavy lees in a couple days. Most of the time, I will only do one more racking before bottling.

For my white wines from juice of the grape, I will typically put in a large enough carboy to allow for a head of foam and attach an airlock right away. After fermentation is through, I rack to a smaller clean carboy.

I think most everyone has slightly different procedures and some may choose to get into a holy war debate over which is best.

IMHO, the terms 'primary and secondary fermentation' are somewhat misleading. There is only one sugar fermentation and, if desired, a separate malolactic fermentation. Everyhting else is protcol, and subject to the practices of the winemaker.

For still red wine, I ferment on the skin until the most active sugar fermentation clows way down and there remains only a few percent sugar. Usually about 8 to 10 days. I then press, settle, and begin bulk aging. Somewhere in there the sugar fermentation truly finishes. And somewhere in there mlf begins - but usually doesn't complete for some time. I have found it more accurate, in my winemaking logs, to record 'sugar fermentation' and track it as Brix or SG (and later as residual sugar as tested by Clinitest), and separately record and track malolactic fermentation. I do not refer to primary and secondary, as those are not hard and fast definitions, in my mind.