Depending on the wine style you may choose to leave the wine on the sediment for a longer period of time with some than you would with others. The characteristics of wines are influenced by the dead yeast and this is an undesirable effect when you want fruitiness retained and/or avoid malo-latctic fermentation. Iin these types of wine (also known as aromatic wines such as riesling, gewurztraminer and several others), the reason for racking is primarily to reduce contact with the dead (autolysed) yeast and avoid their effects on the fragrance and taste of the wine.
A reasonable number of rackings will not over-oxidize wine if the racking is done correctly (ie not pouring or splashing) and appropriate sulfite levels are maintained.
Glen, That brings up an interesting point. I decided a few years ago to be very careful when racking. I add my sulfite into the fresh carboy first, then I use two racking canes, one in the fresh carboy and one in the one I'm racking from. That gets the wine into the fresh carboy very gently, there is no turbulence or splashing.
The reason I bring it up is I have a lot more trouble with disolved CO2 now than I ever had before. (There is another thread going about dissolved CO2 issues.)
I don't think this racking process has helped me at all since I did not have oxidized wines before. I started it because I thought my whites were too golden in color for young wines, I don't think they are any lighter either.
Next year I will probably ferment my whites in carboys, I always say I'm going to do that and never get around to it. My color problem, if it is one, may be related to the way I ferment in open (covered) pails. These are good wines, I'm not saying they are defective. If anything, they are too thin. I think that is from overcropping though and I have no control over that. I just blend in some northern varieties, it usally fixes me up.
I'm probably not going to abandon this process but I may alter it. Once I know the wine is dry by RS testing, I may do a syringe test for dissolved CO2. (It bubbles like crazy when you pull the vacuum; it's hokey but reproducable and free...) If I have dissolved CO2, I'll not use the second cane; just route the hose so the wine splays off the side of the carboy as it enters. It's not as violent as splashing, but it does cause a little turbulence.
I have the SAME problem. To much C02 YEARS after the primary is done. WInemakers that use barrels don't seem to have the problem because barrels "leak" air. It would be interesting to know what headspace in a carboy is equivalent to barrel aging because there is no way the standard 1/2" will let the wine age and breath like a barrel.
"gustavo velasco" wrote in news:17aKd.15827$ snipped-for-privacy@news1.mts.net:
I am doing 2 1/2 gal (I want to finish with 2 gal) of beet wine and didn't have the capacity to do all glass containers, so I put the excess in a clean and sanitized 2 liter bottle for my primary ferment. When I did my first racking after about 3 weeks (into ALL glass), I noticed a distinct difference in the taste between the glass fermented and plastic fermented containers. I am not sure if the difference tasted all that bad but it was a difference no less. If you could, I would recommend using all glass and keeping the headspace at a minimum. With all the possible things that could go wrong, It is a good idea to eliminate all the potential problems that you can. Good Luck! Pat
Not to contradict you but it may have simply been because they were different containers not in communication. Several years ago I was making a fairly large batch of Cabernet Sauvignon. I did my primary in several 15 gallon plastic food grade primaries. When I pressed it, I put it all in several other 15 gallon primaries and was careful to mix all the batches together. Then I divided them into my glass secondary. I don't remember how many 5 and 6 gallon carboys I ended up with but it was quite an array.
Anyway, after it was finished and I racked them again, I could taste distinct differences between the carboys. Not bad differences, just differences.
Just an observation that sort of supports you observation even if I do not exactly support your conclusion. but then I do not contradict you conclusion either. If it works for you ...
"Ray Calvert" wrote in news:ucN7f.7099$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net:
Ray: Thanks for the input! You may be quite right! I wrongly or rightly assumed the difference in taste was because of the 2 litre plastic container. I did not notice much, if any difference in the two 1 gallon glass jugs (although I was not looking for a difference in the glass either!) I look forward to trying to detect a difference in taste the next time I use multiple fermenters. Thanks for reminding me to think "outside of the box".
We are just making fruit wine out of pineapple juice and we are racking tomorrow from the bucket to a carboy. When shall we rack the next time? And is it necessary to add some campden tablets or something else (or add nothing at all)?
If your fermentation has completed, then the next step is to bulk age for clarification and maturation. Racking is usually done when the lees accumulate enough to warrant it, and this is a fairly subjective amount. A reasonable rule of thumb could be 1/4". Your wine may also benefit from sur lee aging, and in that case you wouldn't have to rack for months or even a year or more.
Adding sulfites in tablet or powder form is recommended for protecting your wine from oxidation. Your campden tablets should come with instructions on their use, or for powdered potassium metabisulfite a good rule of thumb is 1/4 tsp per 5 gallons. I use the powder, dissolve it it a bit of water and add it to the vessel I'm racking into first, and then let the racking blend it in.
After racking off the gross sediment in the primary, I do not rack out of secondary until a week or two after fermentation finishes. Of course I expect fermentation to finish within 4 or 5 weeks. Then I rack after most of the sediment has dropped out (usually a month after racking to the aging carboy. Then a couple of months later after it has mostly cleared. I do not mess around with my wines any more than absolutely necessary. This cuts down on oxidation, racking loss, and then need for topping up.
DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.