r/winemaking•
F0xyrox1e

Starting Secondary Fermintation

First time to make wine. I'm using grapes I've picked from my own vines. I froze the berries, waiting on wine making supplies and knowledge :). I thawed them, and crushed them. I measured PH and BRIX and SG on the juice and made a small adjustment with sugar. Starting numbers after adjustments were PH 3.6, SG 1.095, and BRIX 22. I moved the juice to the primary, added the Camden tablet, waited 24 hours then added the yeast (RC212). I covered the container with a thin cloth and kept it at a fairly steady temperature of 77.

On day 6 and 7 of primary fermintation, BRIX and SG were steady at -.2 and .996 respectively.

I then racked the primary to a secondary 1 gallon glass carboy, put an airlock on, and lowered the temperature to 72. I'm seeing sediment forming in the bottom of the carboy after 2 days. There is still a small amount of bubbling.

I plan to wait 4 - 6 weeks before racking again.

It seems that the primary went very quickly, although some research says 5 - 7 days is not unusual?

Can the Secondary fermintation sit on the sediment too long? Should I rack sooner than 4 - 6 weeks?

Appreciate your thoughts?

Posted Sep 14, 2025, 12:36 AM UTC

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