Gross vs fine lees - Kit wines

[TonyP]

I know the basics of gross versus fine lees and the impact of gross lees, but I'd like some specifics. When doing a kit wine containing skins in a straining bag, is the resulting sediment gross or fine lees? The difference (I assume) would influence my schedule and how finely I need to rack.

Tony P.

 

[Rocky]

It would in part depend on how you handle the grape skins in the bag, but in general I consider whatever is left in the primary after the SG drops to about 1.020 or so, gross lees. This would include spent yeast cells, residual bentonite and some of the solids from the grapes. I squeeze my grape skin bag at least twice per day so I have a substantial amount of lees in primary. After I rack to secondary, allow fermentation to cease and then stabilize and clarify, the lees are less and finer.

 

[TonyP]

Rocky, thanks for the prompt reply. Generally, wine makers need not be particularly careful when racking fine lees. However, gross lees can impart stale or other undesirable characteristics to wine so care should be taken when racking. When racking in my current project I mistakenly didn't put the tip on the auto siphon after cleaning and racked almost everything - including sediment from the straining bag. How long do you suggest I wait (maximum) before I rack again in order to avoid gross lees issues? I'm assuming two weeks. FYI, my SG approx. 0.990

Tony P.

 

[Rocky]

The concern that I would have would be the low SG and I would not want to do too much racking without k-meta protection. If I were in your situation, I would let the gross lees settle (a week or so should be sufficient), rack and treat with k-meta and fining agents (e.g. kieselsol and chitosan), let if clear completely, rack again and then either bottle or bulk age.

 

[TonyP]

Rocky, thanks. One more question on what you said. It is the racking at time of K-meta / fining agent treatment I referred to where I improperly racked. I'm waiting two weeks for sediment to settle, then racking again. I think this throws k-meta schedule off. (I would normally not rack at this time, wait 4 mos. add 1/4 tsp, again 4 mos. later, wait a month, and bottle for 6 months.) Should I add k-meta again - perhaps 1/8 tsp. - with this racking (seems wrong), accelerate k-meta schedule, or wait 4 months to add it?

I don't make enough aged over a year to warrant testing.

Tony P.

 

[Rocky]

Okay, Tony. If I understand correctly, you have added the stablilzing and fining agents but your concern is that you brought over a lot of the gross lees when you racked the wine prior to adding these agents. If so, the wine does have sulfite protection and now the issue is to clarify it. Because it has sulfite protection, I would rack it as soon as the heavy lees settle to the bottom, even if the wine is still a little cloudy. Then, allow it to clear further before racking again. You could still use the rough "1/4 t every 4 months" schedule as throwing this of by a couple of weeks should not harm anything.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I would rack as soon as the lees is down - get the wine off asap.

I would consider gross lees to be all the sediment at the bottom when fermentation is complete.

Anything sediment past this racking would be the fine lees..