racking question

[stevo]

As far as a second racking goes should I wait for the secondary fermentation to complete? or should I rack and degass now?opinions appreciated....made from juice the last week in september....racked the second week of october into a demi its been slowly calming down ever since....smells great

 

[djrockinsteve]

Allow your wine to drop sediment 4-6 weeks. No longer. If it is not dropping sediment degass it. This will expedite the clearing.

When you rack remember to add a pinch of sulfite.

 

[stevo]

thanx dj ,,should I add sulfite now or wait for sec fermentation to finish?have not added anything yet

 

[djrockinsteve]

For 5 gallons.

When you rack from the primary add 1/4 teaspoon of sulfite to your wine along with any fining agent such as bentonite or sparkolloid to name two. Blend well. Later on when you rack again you are exposing your wine to air again and you need to maintain proper levels of sulfite in your wine. I add a pinch to the carboy, then rack the wine into it. This will blend it.

From here since your wine is cleared and should be degassed, you can add oak if you like or just let it age for 6-12 months.

The small amount of sediment that may still drop out is fine.

Next time you rack to back sweeten or get it off of the oak you will add another pinch of sulfite again.

Somewhere along the line get a titration kit (@ $20.00) and take a test to show yourself how much each period has in sulfite.

Now you mentioned it's in it's secondary fermentation period now. I would not add any until it is all finished fermenting. I ferment all of my wines dry in the primary. Transferring to an enclosed container too soon can cause a miriad of problems.

 

[stevo]

For 5 gallons.

When you rack from the primary add 1/4 teaspoon of sulfite to your wine along with any fining agent such as bentonite or sparkolloid to name two. Blend well. Later on when you rack again you are exposing your wine to air again and you need to maintain proper levels of sulfite in your wine. I add a pinch to the carboy, then rack the wine into it. This will blend it.

From here since your wine is cleared and should be degassed, you can add oak if you like or just let it age for 6-12 months.

The small amount of sediment that may still drop out is fine.

Next time you rack to back sweeten or get it off of the oak you will add another pinch of sulfite again.

Somewhere along the line get a titration kit (@ $20.00) and take a test to show yourself how much each period has in sulfite.

Now you mentioned it's in it's secondary fermentation period now. I would not add any until it is all finished fermenting. I ferment all of my wines dry in the primary. Transferring to an enclosed container too soon can cause a miriad of problems.

when you say fermenting dry u mean not adding anything?

 

[GerardVineyard]

when you say fermenting dry u mean not adding anything?

Fermenting dry means below a SG reading of 1.000, usually 0.996

 

[djrockinsteve]

Stevo, I ferment to about 1.000 in a bucket with a loose lid on top allowing me to stir a few times per day. Once the must reaches 1.000, I add 1 teaspoon of superferment, then I give it a good stir then immediately snap on a lid with an airlock.

I allow it to finish fermenting then usually around 3 more days I know it is dry (.990).

Now I splash rack, add sparkolloid and 1/4 teaspoon of sulfite. Leave the gross lees behind. Allow the wine to clear for 4-6 weeks. Then I rack to clear.

With the must finishing to .990 in 2-3 days I see no need to rack to a carboy and airlock. It's extra work and with a lid snapped on tight with an airlock it accomplishes the same thing. IMO