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Secondary Fermentation Question

I'm making a Cabernet from a Selection brand kit. For the secondary fermentation in the carboy I'm supposed to wait 10 days and then check the specific gravity over a two day period to make sure it has stabilized. After four days, however, the bubbling has stopped. So... Should I wait the entire ten days even though the fermentation process has apparently stopped. Is the SG still going to continue to change? Can I remove the stopper and check the SG, or will the introduction of air harm anything? I'm new at this and any experienced insights are greatly appreciated Thank you.

Reply to
Bob Becker
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It can still be going slowly even if you don't see any bubbles. Just follow the recipe if you're a newbie, that's the best starting point.

Pp

Reply to
pp

Hi,

I also do Selection kits. Personnaly, I prefer to let my wine age as long as possible. So I would tend to let my wine ferment as much as possible before proceeding to the next stage, so I would wait at least

10 days. When I watch my carboy with a flashlight, I still see small bubbles comming up.

If your goal is to bottle and drink as soon as possible, I would say check the gravity, if it is around 0.995 and it doesn't bubble anymore, you can proceed to the next stage. Don't worry too much with the air contamination, you don't have the choice when racking. The rule is to not overexpose to air for no reason.

Sometimes, depending on the temperature and other factors, the wine ferment more quickly. It is possible that the process has already finished. We don't know how long you kepted it in the primary fermentation!

Bob Becker wrote:

Reply to
klayman3

Bob:

Selection kits are a good quality 6-week. Do not be impatient. Talk your time. Procrastinate. Sit down with a glass of wine and breathe easily. Go for a nice walk.

Get the idea???

More seriously...since you already have it in carboy, under airlock, wait the time. Then check the sg. If it's nice and low (under .995 or whatever the instructions say) continue on. Don't be in a rush.

Oh and I positively refuse to believe visual signs. It hasn't stopped fermewnting until the sg stops dropping. bubbles/foam/phase of moon/etc etc mean nothing

Steve

Reply to
Steve

Thank you all for your responses. I'll bow to the collective wisdom and be patient and wait the full ten days before I take the next steps.

It's kind of interesting to start with a recipe and then have it evolve into an art form so quickly.

Thanks again!

BB

Reply to
Bob Becker

I second your final comment - visual signs mean nothing. I've had kits in carboys with NOTHING happening, yet the SG continued to drop over time. No bubbles, though I watched for over 10 minutes (while enjoying a glass of wine, of course). I'm learning patience, and procrastination though I am a type A normally in life. :*) since starting wine making, I can even stand in line at a grocery store and not dart around like a mongoose to find the shortest line. :*) signed, a controlled Type A now,

DAve

Steve wrote:

Reply to
Dave Allison

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