Super fast fermentation?

Question

I pitched Red Star Champagne yeast for a two gallon batch of Banana wine six days ago today when I went to siphon the must into the secondary I saw fermentation had stopped. Trying to figure out what happened I tested S.G. results = .996, I take it all sugar has been fermented out.

My question is: What caused this fast fermentation, and will it be any good if I let it age?

Edit: I used 6 pounds of Ripe Bananas augmented with 4 pounds of Brown Sugar. My living situation doesn't allow me to control temperature so during the whole week Temp could vary from 60°-78°

Answer 1

Temperature would be my first bet. You didn't mention what temperature you experienced during your primary fermentation.

If your temperature was appropriate for the champagne yeast, then my next bet would be that your OG was not very high; therefore your yeast ate up what little sugar was present in a comparatively short time. Did you augment the bananas with any additional fermentables? What was your S.G. when you pitched your yeast?

As for the quality of the results... If your temperature was too high for your yeast, you may get some esters, but their flavor and scent are usually fruity and are sometimes even described as banana. These shouldn't be a problem in your case. If your temperature was fine then this issue might come from a shortage of fermentable-sugars. If that is the case, your wine might end up rather dry.

Answer 2

Your must is basically simple sugar and entirely fermentable. Your temps may be a little high so the yeast worked quickly. I'd be sure to leave the whole thing for a couple weeks to allow the yeast time to clean up some of the bi-products of fermentation.

Then I'd rack to a new container for a longer aging period. Taste it then to see how it tastes. If it tastes good enough to you, once its clear bottle it.

Will it get better with age? Not sure but that's part of the process.