I don't think you will find many people who will bit the head off a newbie
for asking a question but you will find that many of us old timers do
disagree among ourselves.

Trevor always gives good advise so listen to him. But I do have a different
view on the terms. If you look back at the books that were written many
years ago you will find the terms primary and secondary used very much as
the kit makers use them.

When wine starts off, it is important to let the yeast have O2 as it is
needed it for reproduction. Of course O2 is very bad for wine so at some
point you need to exclude the air. After 3 to 7 days the yeast will have
reproduced to an acceptable level and the alcohol level will have increased
to a level that is at risk of being oxidized and you move the wine to a
sealed container, excluding air. This stage is called Secondary.

You could consider the Primary as an aerobic fermentation stage and the
Secondary as an anaerobic stage. I am not sure that is exactly accurate but
I have seen it described that way.

There are many ways of determining when to rack to secondary. Some recipes
just say rack after a certain number of days. Others say do it at a certain
SG. Many fruit wines, including red grape, may say to rack it when the cap
falls. They are all imprecise indicators and you could use any of them.

Just remember that wine making is a very forgiving hobby. Some people skip
primary entirely and start in secondary. Others may wait until the SG drops
to much lower than 1.040. I have had some fast fermenting wines hit 1.000
before I racked them. I don't recommend this but it still came out.

Ray

"pinky" > wrote in message
...
> There is some element of confusion about "primary" and "secondary"
> fermentation
>
> Having been making so called "country wines" for over 30 years and more
> recently since kit wine makers made huge improvements with the end
> product of their kits, I have also made quite a lot of top line Kit
> wines.
>
> Secondary fermentation always meant, to me, one of two things.
>
> 1. That fermentation that takes place in the bottle of sparkling wines to
> produce the "Fizz" and also the similar process that takes place in
> "Bottled conditioned" beers.
> 2. Also in wine making the Malolactic fermentation was always referred to
> as a "secondary fermentation.
>
> Both these types were true secondary fermentation in that the fermentation
> was "RESTARTED" at some time after the primary fermentation had finished.
> In the case of my sparkling wines it was not less than 6 months after the
> primary had finished!
>
> BUT the wine kit manufacturers "stole" the term as their kits improved
> and these days "Secondary Fermentation" frequently refers to the
> continuation of the Primary fermentation after a first racking off the
> lees. It really is just a continuation of the primary fermentation!
>
> So you don't have to worry about the "secondary" cheating your must of its
> necessary nutrients and going too fast. As far as I can tell from your
> st --- all is OK
>
> In fact, after racking into the new "glass jug" and as the SG creeps
> lower, the fermentation slows down very quickly ( yes I know that sounds
> potty!). As the sugars decrease and the alcohol increases so the yeast has
> less sugar to convert and is also finding that living conditions are
> becoming more difficult due to the increase level of alcohol and the
> yeasts give up the ghost and go to the yeast place in the sky!
>
>
> --
> Trevor A Panther
> In South Yorkshire, England
> Remove "PSANTISPAM" from my address line to reply.
> All outgoing mail is scanned by Norton
> Anti Virus for your protection too!
> "pheasant" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Greetings all;
>>
>> Brand new to this NG and hobby. Everyone seems civilized here, (unlike
>> some other NG's I follow)
>
> <snip><snip>
>
>> I realize newbies get hung up on numbers, and the feeling of "oh-oh" sets
>> in when you've overshot a bit, but if like most other things it's only a
>> target, with a bit either side not being super critical. Help us through
>> this phase.
>>
>> My question (sorry about the verboseness) is: with the specific gravity
>> headed a bit lower, does that mean the alcohol content is rising? The
>> primary fermentation is speeding the process of the secondary; and
>> cheating it of vital nutrients? I'm lost.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Mark
>>
>
>