Does It Sink Or Does It Float?
March 2nd, 2009 | 
Author: More than four years ago, when my “wee man” was less than two years old, he began to play a guessing game that he still plays from time to time today. It doesn’t hold quite as much fascination for him as it did when he was 18 months old, but he still has fun with it.
He’d fill a glass or some other container with water, and then find different things like marbles, acorns, pieces of wood, crayons – whatever he could get his hands on, and say out loud, “Sink or Float?” Then he’d try to guess what would happen when he dropped whatever item he had into the water – then clap his hands with a big smile on his face when he predicted correctly. Most of the time, he predicted correctly. He was quite confused though when I showed him how he could make a pin “float” on water – when he dropped the pin, of course it would sink.
Yesterday, I started a RJ Spagnols Winery Series Red Zinfandel. It came with 5.5 pounds of crushed grape skins which was put into a straining bag included with the kit, and then add to the juice before you pitch the yeast. When I first added the bag of skins, it dropped to the bottom of the primary fermenter and stayed there for over 12 hours. I stirred the must earlier today and the bag was still at the bottom.
This evening, I stirred the must again, and this time the bag of skins was floating on the top. I wished the “wee man” had seen both the fact it had first sunk, and then later floated. I wonder what he would have thought.
I’m still thinking about it myself, and I’m sure there is an obvious explanation, but I’m too tired to think much about it tonight.
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