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Another MLF question

What I do is press the wine of the skins and let it sit in my 23 liter secondary fermenter for 3 days then rack it into a clean 23 liter container with airlock. I then add the malolactic bacteria culture (MBR31) and Optimalo leaving it to ferment in a warm room for a month. I am assuming the first layer of sediment is gross lees and the second layer is fine lees and you want the ML to occur on the fine lees. My question: Is the second racking superfluous?

Reply to
Jim
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I assume the first racking is taking place at pressing, and you're then waiting 3 days before racking a second time.

If, at the second racking, you have no vegetal matter, precipitated colloidal matter or fining particulates in your lees then I would say yes (it is superfluous).

Ben

Reply to
Ben Rotter

Jim I follow exactly the same timeline as you. I do not consider the draining and pressing of grape must as racking. The heavy grape pulp that settles in 3-4 days is considered the gross lees, it will become reductive (rot) if left and is the first racking. The fine lees that settle are what you want the little ML bugs to grow and feed in. You technique is super Zinman

Reply to
zinman

Thank you very much for confiming my procedure Zinman. Have you every stirred your wine on the fine lees after ML. ? I have always felt that removing the wine from the lees was desirable but perhaps leaving it on, adding some SO2 and stirring once a week for a couple of months followed by stirring once a month for 6-8 months mite add a lot of complexity. What do you think?

Reply to
Jim

It certainly will. Just keep stirring, and keep an eye out for reductive odours developing.

Ben

Reply to
Ben Rotter

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