BernardSmith
Senior Member
I use recipes for gallon batches of country wines (no kits) so perhaps an answer to this question would be obvious to those who use kits, but after I have racked to clear lees once after the secondary fermentation has used up all the sugars, how frequently should I be prepared to rack - every two months or not again until I am ready to bottle (I am "bulk" aging in gallon carboys) or with some other kind of frequency?
Also, should I stabilize every time I rack if I am working with gallon quantities?
And last question: How important is it to stabilize country wines in such small quantities? Is the stabilization as important to prevent oxidation as it is to prevent any fermentation restarting? What if I am confident that there are no fermentables left in the wine? Can I simply let it age quietly for say a year without adding K-meta & P-meta if it will be drunk within say, a year after that? Thanks as always for your thoughts.
Also, should I stabilize every time I rack if I am working with gallon quantities?
And last question: How important is it to stabilize country wines in such small quantities? Is the stabilization as important to prevent oxidation as it is to prevent any fermentation restarting? What if I am confident that there are no fermentables left in the wine? Can I simply let it age quietly for say a year without adding K-meta & P-meta if it will be drunk within say, a year after that? Thanks as always for your thoughts.