Topic: Slow fermentation vs Fast fermentation?

[weedin project]

Is there anything different in the quality of wines that ferment at different rates?

Over 2 weeks ago I set some grape juice (Asda's white - yes, I know, sad isn't it :-\?) and some home-grown rhubarb going in demijohns.  They both took off ok.   

But the rhubarb went ballistic (started at 1075 after adding sugar) and frothed right up through the airlock and down the outside!  It stopped about a week ago and is beginning to settle.  Meanwhile the grape (started at 1070 after adding sugar) is still plodding on with more than a bubble every minute.  I used the same yeast & starter in both.

Is there a "better" speed to ferment wines?  Will these two different speeds affect the outcome?
 ???

[mikedhart]

there can be issues with the nutrients present. Making flower type wines require these to get the thing going well. Also fermentation is pH sensitive - wonder if your rhubarb is at a better pH for fermentation. I assume you used campdent tablets during the mash stage to kill the wild yeasts and molds.

Mike

[weedin project]

They've both stopped now and are settling out.  I suppose it could well be pH related.  I thought Campden tabs would not be needed as ASDAs grape juice is pasteurised, and the rhubarb juice had come from a big batch of fruit I had boiled up and cooled down that day.
I suppose if you buy a "pure" fruit juice you don't know what stage of ripeness it comes from, nor what variety it is, nor what might have been taken out of it (they say nothing is added, but.....).  It was all an experiment anyway.  I hope the rhubarb comes out OK, and if the grape doesn't, well we can always buy white wine!
It would be nice to know how to control it so that I could deliberately ferment something more or less slowly/quickly.

[redrichwen]

It was all an experiment anyway.  I hope the rhubarb comes out OK, and if the grape doesn't, well we can always buy white wine!

Any progress on the grape wine? I'm eager to know how it comes out as i thought about having a crack at it myself.

[flatcap]

hi
weve made wine from carton of grape juice it took ages to ferment well worth the wait though with rhubarb we norm put it into tub with the sugar for 2 days to get the juice rhubarbs a favourite i drink it quicker than we can make it :(
hope that helps brenda

[weedin project]

It was all an experiment anyway.  I hope the rhubarb comes out OK, and if the grape doesn't, well we can always buy white wine!

Any progress on the grape wine? I'm eager to know how it comes out as i thought about having a crack at it myself.

Well Redrichwen, so far so good. 
It got racked into fresh demijohn on Tuesday night as I was listening to mighty Pompey thrashing just about scraping past Mansfield in the League Cup.  It has already begun to settle out and is looking like quite a pale white wine - that is white as opposed to yellow.
Another three weeks or so and I'll rack it again (might take the odd sip when I do that, and if it is foul I'll bin it then!)then maybe end of November it'll be cleared out.  Then again it might be acidic and go malolactic and need more time if it re-ferments.  I'll keep you posted!

p.s. the rhubarb looks lovely. :D, but I'll bear in mind your method Flatcap.