This is my first time making wine (Mead specificly) and I just racked
my wine from the secondary fermentor to a clean carboy after 2-1/2
weeks of being in there. My temperature before was a constant 78
degrees F and has been dropping since then and is now about 70 F
(still falling). This change occurred in only 2 days. The location
I'm using is a pretty constant temperature. The only explaination I
can think of is that I was using raisins as an energizer/nutriant for
the yeast. They were looking pretty well spent so I took them out
when I racked and didn't replace them. Would that explain the temp
change or is there possibly something else going on?

J. Brazer

"J. Brazer" > wrote in message:
> This is my first time making wine (Mead specificly) and I just racked
> my wine from the secondary fermentor to a clean carboy after 2-1/2
> weeks of being in there. My temperature before was a constant 78
> degrees F and has been dropping since then and is now about 70 F
> (still falling). This change occurred in only 2 days. The location
> I'm using is a pretty constant temperature. The only explaination I
> can think of is that I was using raisins as an energizer/nutriant for
> the yeast. They were looking pretty well spent so I took them out
> when I racked and didn't replace them. Would that explain the temp
> change or is there possibly something else going on?

Could it be that winter's coming? No, you said the room temperature is
fairly constant, so...

A fermenting must creates a great deal of heat (thermodynamics of chemical
reactions or something). A body of water (and wine is still primarily water)
changes temperature quite slowly, as does thick glass. Fermentation probably
ended close to the time you moved from secondary to cc, and since the
fermentation is no longer producing any heat, the temperature of the wine in
the carboy will slowly drop to room temperature. If it drops below room
temperature, I suggest you patent it.