"Joe Ae" > wrote in message
...
> I have a promising batch of pinot noir fermenting. Cold macerated for 2
> days and then pitched in a starter Lavlin k1 yeast on Sunday. It is
> fermenting o.k. but not vigorously. I am punching down the cap 2 times a
> day and I am wondering if I should also be stirring?
> I was told by an old home wine maker that it is better to leave the stuff
> that settles.
>
> ideas please

I recommend that you stir everything up vigorously while punching down, and
until you press after fermentation. If you allow the lees to compact -
especially as the fermentation is dying down - a reductive situation can
easily develop in it, just like in a swamp where there is a shortage of
oxygen. That can promote hydrogen sulfide production and you _definitely_
don't want that in your wine!

After pressing into a container, let it settle for a couple of hours to
overnight (max) and rack the clearest part to airlocked containers. Save
the muck and reclaim as much wine as you can from it, but if it starts to
smell stinky just dump it. It's not worth your time trying to deal with
that stuff, and you certainly don't want to mix it into the good stuff.

Tom S