White patched on top of fermenting wine?

Probably normal froth. Stick your schnozz in there and sniff for anything funky. You _are_ keeping the fermenters covered - right? If you're worried about it, skim the white stuff off.

BTW, maintaining SO2 in an active fermentation is an exercise in futility. The gassing will pump most of it right out again, except for the part that binds with aldehydes etc. It's not necessary to worry about it [SO2] anyway during the vigorous stage of fermentation. Start worrying when the fermentation has noticeably tailed off.

Tom S

Thanks Tom...

The wine smells very good and the fermenters are covered... A little acidic..But I'm assuming thats the CO2.. Everything else is good...The temperature is steady and the wine is dropping about .002 points per day.. I've just never seen white patched, kinda like drops of white wax on the froth...

Thanks... I will keep monitoring over the next few days and skim if the spots increase..

Shawn

Tom S wrote:

Don't know how you added SO2, but not-fully-dissolved campden tablets will sometimes make a white "cap" with an irregular (slightly bumpy) surface to it. Any chance it's that?

Rob

I'm glad you mentioned that. I've never used Campden, so I've never seen the effect. It could easily be residue of the binder. If so, I'd skim it - and maybe spritz that area with SO2 from a spray bottle.

Tom S

tablets

bumpy)

Todays status is that on one of my wines the white patches have increased(looks like waxy fungus)so I skimmed off the surface. I left the other two for now because they seem to be the same as yesterday.

I was also thinking of spraying the surface with S02 to prevent the white patched from returning. What percentage of S02 solution should I use?

Thanks again, Shawn

P.S. Thanks for the idea but I have never used Campden tablets.

I usually make up a spray solution at ~ 4 oz./gallon. The concentration isn't terribly critical because you don't use very much of it in a topical application like that.

BTW, haven't you been punching the cap into the must?

Tom S