Part 3 - Wine Making: The Second Fermentation Cycle

Once you have allowed your wine to ferment for several days, it will be time to take the next step in its making. During this process, you?ll be adding in additional ingredients and to skim off the liquid from the pulp that remains. When you go through the wine making process, this second fermentation period will be critical. Ultimately, you?ll want that period to last at least several weeks and it should be done at a temperature that?s
at 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, ten degrees lower than it was.

First get rid of the solids that remain in the wine making. Pour it through a funnel, then, into the second fermentation vessel that you are using. Insure that the less are also placed into the second vessel. But, before you can do this, you may ask, how long should you wait? You should start the transfer into the secondary vessel after the fermentation process has slowed to some degree.

Now, after you have transferred the mixture to the secondary vessel, you?ll want to attach the appropriate air lock to the vessel. This is called a fermentation trap and it will fit to the mouth of the bottle you are using. It is important to keep as much of the air contact out of the transfer process as possible, which is no easy task. Your recipe may call for specific instructions on how to do this.

Now that you have moved it to the secondary vessel, it again needs time to ferment. While that fermentation will not be nearly as vigorous, it will still cause enough reaction to notice. You?ll want to set it in a room for at least several days, but it is better if it is a couple of weeks. Leave it alone as long as you can, or as your recipe directs.