Broken Hydrometer

FWIW, I like to rack before it gets too close to 1.00 or less.. Towards the end of the ferment, less and less CO2 is getting produced, which makes the wine more vulnerable. The CO2 wards off nasties and protects the wine. Racking a bit early is usually the way to go. I determine when to rack by the amount of CO2 coming off the wine, not by the SG, anyways. If your primary has a bit of airspace on the top, you should definately avoid letting it get down to 1.00 before racking it into a regular topped-up carboy.

LG

I concur, unless it's already in a carboy and can be sealed well with an airlock. If that's the case, I would wait another few days until you started to get a lot of sludge (the yeast falling out of suspension) and then rack. I always found with these kits that the majority of the yeast would seem to fall out in a 24-hour period and immediately after that happens is a great time to rack. But as you pointed out LG, if the wine is still in an open fermenter that can't be well sealed, you're safer racking it right now.

Richard

Thanks for the comments. They made a lot of sense. I racked as soon as I read them, which was a full day earlier than I would have otherwise.

Dave

You have already taken action so I will not comment on when to rack the wine but one other comment that might be made: Get several hydrometers. I have

Ray