You may also want to check out, How To Know If Your Fermentation Is Done.Įven though you suggested wine fermentation temperatures between 65☏. You can read more about checking the fermentation with a hydrometer in the article, Getting To Know Your Hydrometer, listed on our website. The reason for this inconsistency is because of all the variables mentioned before: yeast strain, type of wine, etc. Sometimes the fermentation carries on for a great deal of time while it is in the secondary fermenter. Sometimes the fermentation finishes while it is still in the primary fermenter. You determine if a fermentation is done by taking a hydrometer reading, not by whether or not it is in a primary or secondary fermenter. You will eventually want to keep your wine at a little cooler temperature than what you previously mentioned, but you also want the fermentation to be complete before moving the wine to these cooler temperatures. What does matter are the readings you are getting with your wine hydrometer. Whether or not your wine must is in a primary fermenter or secondary fermenter is not what matters to the temperature you maintain. The type of wine yeast you use, along with the wine you are fermenting and a whole host of other, more minor, variables also factor into how dramatic this comparison plays out, but without a doubt fermentation temperature is always vital enough to make your question an important one. That’s how dynamic temperature can be to a wine fermentation. This might allow a wine fermentation that is barely noticeable to occur, whereas the 75☏. you mentioned might end up producing a fermentation that results in a spewing volcano of foam.
As an example to the enormity of its effect, consider the 65☏. The effect that temperature has on a wine fermentation is enormous and greatly underestimated by many. This is particularly true for those new to wine making. The answer to it is quite often what trips up many beginning home winemakers. I understand the primary fermentation temp should be 65-75? How about the secondary fermentation and subsequent processes? I am wanting to make my wine in my basement but it might be too cool. Look for answers to select questions to appear in the Wine & Spirits newsletter and on The Globe and Mail website.I am a newbie to wine making. If you mistakenly set the timer to, say, two hours rather than two minutes (am I the only person who finds microwave control panels unnecessarily complicated?), you could end up dealing with a mess of real glass crystals.Į-mail your wine and spirits questions to Beppi Crosariol. Under no circumstances should you microwave it, at least not with the cork still lodged in the neck. If you've accidentally frozen a wine, either in the trunk or because you've chilled it too long in the freezer (I've been guilty on both counts), let it thaw at room temperature. The crystals will usually drop to the bottom of the bottle, but occasionally a few will adhere to the surface of a freshly pulled cork. Tartaric acid occurs naturally in wine, and when the liquid is chilled, the acid combines with potassium to precipitate out of solution. Sometimes called "wine diamonds," these resemble little shards of glass but are perfectly harmless. Incidentally, freezing can cause a visible change in the wine in the form of potassium tartrate crystals. The same issue applies to screw caps, which may become deformed if the frozen liquid reaches the rim, breaching the airtight seal. Because air is corrosive to wine, it's important to drink the bottle sooner rather than later. This can force the cork up and slightly out of the neck, allowing air to creep in. The more crucial concern in this case is with the seal on the bottle. But I'd be less inclined to store a previously frozen wine in a cellar for the long term. I've known people to advocate freezing a half-empty bottle as a way to prevent it from spoiling in the presence of air. Some people maintain they can taste a difference, but any change in flavour will be extremely subtle. Fruit juice and milk, for example, suffer little. Many liquids are reasonably tolerant to freezing. Mercifully, your wine should still be okay. The answer: Welcome to winter in the Great White North. The question: I accidentally left a bottle of wine in the trunk of my car and it froze.