Racking

It is a mater of style. I probably rack a lot less frequently than many others. I will rack a month or two after fermentation finishes. Then I try to wait until it pretty much clears. this may take 2 or 3 months or it may take 5 months. After this racking I fine it if necessary and rack again after it clears. I then bulk age and may not rack again for a year or more. Some where in there I may bottle early or I may fit in an extra racking depending on conditions. Nothing is set in stone.

But that is my style.

Ray

BINGO! I rack from the primary carboy when bubbling stops. Then I rack from the secondary to a bucket to add sorbate and bottle when the wine in the secondary is clear and stable. This business of racking six times is crazy IMO. Bob

I agree with you, it is crazy to rack six times. But I've done it with one maybe two of the wines I've made in the past 4 years. I guess it's a matter of perspective - I would rather rack a wine to help it clear, than use a fining agent. Some wines don't clear on their own, but if sediment keeps falling out, sometimes it may be better to rack. Then too, I didn't rack that good when I first started making wine, but now I'm pretty good at it. A lot of it has to do with the wine; if it is clear, I won't rack, but if there's a lot of debris, I will. Now, having said that I do make only country wines, not grape wines or kits. Its my understanding from reading other posts, that some wines benefit from sitting on fine lees. I've never thought the wines I make benefit from that.... Darlene Wisconsin

Many believe it is detrimental to leave wine in contact with the lees too long as it may pick up off-flavors and such. Here's one experts opinion:

Some say the rule of thumb is rack at least once every six months which I don't do. I was told by a very knowledgable winemaker that if the wine is "green" tasting that racking it more often will help it along faster. I seem to agree.

Bob

I follow Ray's procedure pretty much, I never rack on a schedule. Bob does make a good point on the 'green' wines though. In other words I rack if I think the wine needs it. I determine that by sedimentation or rarely, taste.

Joe

The voices in the head of "Ray Calvert" caused Ray Calvert to write in news:JonXd.1647$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com:

This brings up the interesting issue of centrifuging. Has anyone tried this?

Trying to centrifuge a 25 litre carboy sounds intriguing, but highly impractical. Visions of wine splattered everywhere.....

Actually, it's easier than you might imagine. Rack the wine into two liter bottles, cap them, and put them in the washing machine and spin them. It takes about a half an hour to separate the wine from the gross lees after settling for a day or so. This is a technique that was posted to this group a while back by Tom S, IIRC. If you have an old washer from which you can remove the brake mechanism it will eliminate standing next to it and pushing the button every five minutes.

hth

Frank

Miker,

I do caution against leaving wine and lees in still contact too long (more than three months and the wine enters a danger zone caused by dead yeast cells breaking down). But I also say on the same page that you can leave wine on the lees long past that time if you stir the lees every week or so.

I also say on that page that it is not necessary that the interval between rackings be 30 days, 45 days or 60 days, but it should not be less than three weeks. I stand by that, even though many of my recipes say to rack the wine every 30 days, 45 days, or 60 days until no new sediment forms during the next interval. The reason for the seeming inconsistency is that the recipes are written for those who have not yet graduated from cook to chef. Cooks follow recipes. Chefs create them.

If you need a recipe, then follow it. Once you start making wine from knowledge rather than rote, you will rack when you think the wine needs it. Even beginners can do this, but they tend to make mistakes when they first start beinging independent. That's okay too. We've all made plenty of mistakes.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page

Miker,

I do caution against leaving wine and lees in still contact too long (more than three months and the wine enters a danger zone caused by dead yeast cells breaking down). But I also say on the same page that you can leave wine on the lees long past that time if you stir the lees every week or so.

I also say on that page that it is not necessary that the interval between rackings be 30 days, 45 days or 60 days, but it should not be less than three weeks. I stand by that, even though many of my recipes say to rack the wine every 30 days, 45 days, or 60 days until no new sediment forms during the next interval. The reason for the seeming inconsistency is that the recipes are written for those who have not yet graduated from cook to chef. Cooks follow recipes. Chefs create them.

If you need a recipe, then follow it. Once you start making wine from knowledge rather than rote, you will rack when you think the wine needs it. Even beginners can do this, but they tend to make mistakes when they first start beinging independent. That's okay too. We've all made plenty of mistakes.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page

So: another question. I have just finished cold stabilization after bentonite fining (PG, Riesling, Gewurtz). (When someone left the garage door open at 3 deg. F it got almost _too_ stable (solid). Pretty ice planes inside, though)

I remember reading someones opinion that the K-Bitartarate crystals (of which there are plenty) would re-desolve upon warming up. But I am trying to be a racking minimalist.

1. Can the crystals be expected to re-desolve?

1. The bentonite "lees" are properly tamped down by the KB. The wine was nearly clear when racked and fined. Would there be yeast under there that would chew on itself and go bad?

If the answer to both of the above is false then I intend to leave the wine alone until bottling. It is all clear now except for the fact that the laser pointer shows a bit of a beam.

Art Schubert Traverse City, Michigan

Art Schubert wrote "I remember reading someones opinion that the K-Bitartarate crystals (of which there are plenty) would re-desolve upon warming up. But I am trying to be a racking minimalist.

Art - If the wine warms the some of the K bitartrate will dissolve. I would rack while the wine is cold. Like you say K bitartrate has settled over the bentonite lees. You will be less likely to kick up the lees now. You get the most out of your cold stabilization that way.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas USA