Ideal Temperature for Red Wine Kits?

[AquaCom]

I notice many of the wine kit instructions give a rough temperature to start and maintain the wine at during fermentation. I have just started a kit this evening and it states 18-24 degress (Celcius). I have just modified my primary buckets and secondary barrels so they now have an accurate immersion heater with themostat and I wondered what the "ideal" temperature is in your opinion? I've always gone for about 21 as its in the middle of the recommended range.

From what I can gather a lower temp means slower fermentation (better results??) but maybe slight rick of the brew getting stuck?
Interested in what everyone aims for (have added a poll to the thread) and also any comments/opinions.

Thanks for any input

Oh... also what do you use to maintain the temp? Brew Belts seem to be the most popular in LHBS's but I get on very well with aquarium heaters.

[rjb222]

From what I can gather a lower temp means slower fermentation (better results??) but maybe slight rick of the brew getting stuck?
Interested in what everyone aims for (have added a poll to the thread) and also any comments/opinions


This is not necisarrily true with kit wines. With fruit wines and wines made form juice or from grapes this will hold true. With kits the juice is processed and during the processing some of the sugars and flavors get ploymerized. this takes a fairly violent ferment to break these open. This is done in two ways temperture and a strong higher temperture tolerant yeast. I keep my brew room at 24 C ambient temperture. i also only use RJSpagnols products so please contact wine expert or thier delaers to find out what they recomend if fermenting their products.

[Cellar_Rat]

I have voted 25c+, because this is the temp (28c) I run red grape ferments at. Please feel free to disregard.

In a perfect world you should not hold a set temp.
The perfect fermentation (plotted on a graph) has flat line of sugar/alcohol conversion with the temp is varied to achieve that.

Good luck with that one !!

[lockwood1956]

I would go for 22 to 24 deg as an ideal


slower ferments are generally regarded as better for white wines.....in grape wines higher temps are better for reds...althought not too high---


for kits the rules change somewhat...as long as the ferment is progressing at a reasonable pace I am ok

if temps are in danger of being low enough to stall ferment, i use either a heat belt or a heat pad

[Cellar_Rat]

.. I use an electric radiator and a tent (of blankets)

[lockwood1956]

.. I use an electric radiator and a tent (of blankets)

He also uses that as a chat up line...........

[lockwood1956]

Sorry Brian....couldn't resist

[Cellar_Rat]

LMAO.

Should I explain or shall we leave it there!

[AquaCom]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Very useful info there.
I think I will also drop Wine Expert an e-mail on RJB's advice. I have found them very helpful before. I'd be interested in what they consider to be the "ideal" temp for their kits as I do use them a lot.....

[ToulouseLePlot]

I've been doing a spot of archaeology using the 'advanced search' feature - and hey presto this thread is exactly what I needed. Many thanks for doing my thinking for me. Wot-Wiki-Says) suggests White 18-20° C Red (up to) 29° C.

Stuart, if you're still reading this thread - did you ever get a reply from Andrew Peller (Winexpert)? If so, what did they suggest?

[NorthernWiner]

With kit wines, I am absolutely convinced that temperature plays far less of a role than it does when working with fresh products. To begin with, they are all pasteurized, and therefore have already been exposed to temperatures greater than those found in any environment used to ferment them. Much freshness has been destroyed by this process.

Now if you are talking about fresh grapes and juices, then that's an entirely different matter. Higher fermentation temps for red wines aid in extraction of phenols and anthocyanins from the skins (and to some extent, the seeds and stems). On the converse side, white wines are typically fermented cooler to retain their fresh fruit qualities - though not always. In France, for example, white wines are sometimes fermented warm, as winemakers there tend to prefer less fruity whites. They are also usually fermented in sealed containers, which prevent the volatile esters (aka "aroma") from blowing off during fermentation. Reds don't normally have this problem, as the cap of skins helps prevents blow off of aroma compounds.

I say ferment your red kit wines at ambient temperature. White wines may benefit somewhat from cooler fermentation, but keep in mind that some of the compounds that winemakers strive to retain have already been lost through pasteurization.

[ToulouseLePlot]

Ha! I've been to Minneapolis, I'm not going anywhere near your ambient temperatures and neither would any half-decent wine that had an ounce of sense.

Fishing in the freezer? I'd need a beer-warmer.

But your points are taken, many thanks.

[NorthernWiner]

Lol... I'll have you know it's a balmy 2°C here today. In January, that's outdoor grilling weather!