I'm making a Heron Bay Premium 6 week wine kit -
Cabernet Franc Merlot.
I started it on 4-16-07, and I added a sizable package of
oak chips at that time. SG was 1.095.
After seven days the SG is supposed to be 1.005 or less
and the wine racked into a carboy for the remainder of
the fermentation.
However, on 4-23-07 the SG was 1.024 so I left it in the
primary fermenter. I'm sure the slow fermentation is due
to the low ambient temps we've had here (Maine) recently.

So... What's the collective wisdom?
Is leaving it on the oak for this long going to have an adverse
effect on the taste? Should I rack now and let the fermentation
continue in the secondary or just leave it alone for a while longer?


--
Bob Becker

www.becker.org

On Apr 27, 6:35 am, "Bob Becker" > wrote:
> I'm making a Heron Bay Premium 6 week wine kit -
> Cabernet Franc Merlot.
> I started it on 4-16-07, and I added a sizable package of
> oak chips at that time. SG was 1.095.
> After seven days the SG is supposed to be 1.005 or less
> and the wine racked into a carboy for the remainder of
> the fermentation.
> However, on 4-23-07 the SG was 1.024 so I left it in the
> primary fermenter. I'm sure the slow fermentation is due
> to the low ambient temps we've had here (Maine) recently.
>
> So... What's the collective wisdom?
> Is leaving it on the oak for this long going to have an adverse
> effect on the taste? Should I rack now and let the fermentation
> continue in the secondary or just leave it alone for a while longer?
>
> --
> Bob Becker
>

Just let it go until it gets to what the instructions say. You might
consider putting the heatbelt on to speed things up. And since it's
slower, make sure you transfer pretty much all the yeast sludge to the
carboy.

Pp

On Apr 27, 12:51 pm, pp > wrote:
> On Apr 27, 6:35 am, "Bob Becker" > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > I'm making a Heron Bay Premium 6 week wine kit -
> > Cabernet Franc Merlot.
> > I started it on 4-16-07, and I added a sizable package of
> > oak chips at that time. SG was 1.095.
> > After seven days the SG is supposed to be 1.005 or less
> > and the wine racked into a carboy for the remainder of
> > the fermentation.
> > However, on 4-23-07 the SG was 1.024 so I left it in the
> > primary fermenter. I'm sure the slow fermentation is due
> > to the low ambient temps we've had here (Maine) recently.
>
> > So... What's the collective wisdom?
> > Is leaving it on the oak for this long going to have an adverse
> > effect on the taste? Should I rack now and let the fermentation
> > continue in the secondary or just leave it alone for a while longer?
>
> > --
> > Bob Becker
> >
>
> Just let it go until it gets to what the instructions say. You might
> consider putting the heatbelt on to speed things up. And since it's
> slower, make sure you transfer pretty much all the yeast sludge to the
> carboy.
>
> Pp- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I would ferment completely in the primary fermenter before racking to
the carboy as long as the fermenter has a lid with a bung and an
airlock.


Guy

"pp" > wrote in message
ups.com...
..>
> Just let it go until it gets to what the instructions say. You might
> consider putting the heatbelt on to speed things up. And since it's
> slower, make sure you transfer pretty much all the yeast sludge to the
> carboy.

Huh? Why do I want to do that?

I would leave it in the primary (oak & all) until 1.000 to 1.005 is
reached. My understanding is that the oakiness of oak chips & powder
is used up in 5 days at some minimum level of alcohol (2% ?).

I believe that this is not true of oak cubes.

Steve

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:35:52 -0400, "Bob Becker" >
wrote:

>I'm making a Heron Bay Premium 6 week wine kit -
>Cabernet Franc Merlot.
>I started it on 4-16-07, and I added a sizable package of
>oak chips at that time. SG was 1.095.
>After seven days the SG is supposed to be 1.005 or less
>and the wine racked into a carboy for the remainder of
>the fermentation.
>However, on 4-23-07 the SG was 1.024 so I left it in the
>primary fermenter. I'm sure the slow fermentation is due
>to the low ambient temps we've had here (Maine) recently.
>
>So... What's the collective wisdom?
>Is leaving it on the oak for this long going to have an adverse
>effect on the taste? Should I rack now and let the fermentation
>continue in the secondary or just leave it alone for a while longer?

On Apr 27, 5:56 pm, "Bob Becker" > wrote:
> "pp" > wrote in message
>
> ups.com...
> .>
>
> > Just let it go until it gets to what the instructions say. You might
> > consider putting the heatbelt on to speed things up. And since it's
> > slower, make sure you transfer pretty much all the yeast sludge to the
> > carboy.
>
> Huh? Why do I want to do that?

Because it could stick otherwise - as discussed in a recent thread.

Pp

Don't worry about the time on the oak chips. They are so small that most of
the oak ecense is out of thim withing a few days to a week. By this time
they are probably pretty much innert.

Ray

"Bob Becker" > wrote in message
...
> I'm making a Heron Bay Premium 6 week wine kit -
> Cabernet Franc Merlot.
> I started it on 4-16-07, and I added a sizable package of
> oak chips at that time. SG was 1.095.
> After seven days the SG is supposed to be 1.005 or less
> and the wine racked into a carboy for the remainder of
> the fermentation.
> However, on 4-23-07 the SG was 1.024 so I left it in the
> primary fermenter. I'm sure the slow fermentation is due
> to the low ambient temps we've had here (Maine) recently.
>
> So... What's the collective wisdom?
> Is leaving it on the oak for this long going to have an adverse
> effect on the taste? Should I rack now and let the fermentation
> continue in the secondary or just leave it alone for a while longer?
>
>
> --
> Bob Becker
>
> www.becker.org
>
>