27 bottles, should be 30

[Gelu Liber]

Does anyone have a tip or trick on how to get 30 bottles out of a 6 gallon kit? I am finding that in order to leave sediment behind in the carboy that I am consistantly getting 27 and maybe 1/2 bottles.(After all, you have to sample it, right?

 

[PolishWineP]

We don't alway rack quite as soon as the directions tell us too. I think it allows the lees to compact a bit more, allowing you to get more clear wine. We also rack a couple extra times during our bulk aging, so we're not quite as concerned about clearing it perfectly in the begining. But, you should be able to follow the instructions and get clear wine.

Have I confused you? I know I'm getting confused.

 

[scotty]

Iguess you didnt top up or did the directions tell you not to?????


Or are you saying you bottle right from the secondary fermenter without racking off the lees and then topping up????


Greenhorn vintners need to know how

Edited by: scotty

 

[geocorn]

I hear this a lot and I am ata loss to explain it as I have always bottled at least 30 bottles. There are 5 bottles per gallon of wine and 6 times 5 is 30. My guess is that wine makers are not topping off or too worried about the sediment in the early stages. I send my tutorial with every starter package and if you follow those instructions, you will get 30 bottles. If you did not get my tutorial, it is online at:


Online Wine Making Tutorial

 

[Gelu Liber]

I guess I am concerned about the sediment. I rack from the secondary to a primary right before bottling. I use the racking cane and I rest it on the bottom since it will automatically not siphon the bottom inch or so in the carboy and that is where the sediment ussually stays.






I have been using a "like wine, red for red white for white"to top up and that means that if I count the wine I use to top up I am actually only getting 26 or 25 bottles if you count the ones I put in to top up. I top up to about 2" from the bottom of the stopper on the carboy.


George, your tutorial is my bible.

 

[grapeman]

Do you tip the carboy or primary when you rack or bottle? Put something about 1 inch high on the one side and push the cane to the low side when you rack. This tips the contents to one side and you get most of the wine. If you leave it flat, you lose most of an inch- more than necessary most of the time.

 

[Wade E]

I agree. I use the box that my my acid test kit came in which is more like 2"

 

[jcnoren]

What do you do with your sediment, Gelu? I always pour mine off into a container with an airlock and let it resettle for a couple of days. You would be surprised at how much wine separates out from the lees, and that I use.


JCEdited by: jcnoren

 

[Funky Fish]

Racking from secondary to primary and then bottling is the reason you aren't getting a full 30 bottles. When you rack like this, you are leaving behind the volume of the lees plus a small amount of wine.


Normally, I rack off the lees into a clean carboy and top up. By doing this, when it is time to bottle right from the carboy, I get 30 bottles (or 29+ after sampling).

 

[Gelu Liber]

You know? I saved the lees from my apple wine in a gallon jug and put an airlock on it. It is about 1/2 full and has seperated to 1/2 sediment and 1/2 wine (so I guess about 1 Qt. of wine). I used it to top up my reisling instead of breaking into a "good bottle". I will probably do this from now on unless anyone has a reason not to. It just seems to be a good usewhen clearing and stabilizing and if a little sediment gets in when I top up I am not that concerned.


Is this ok?


This is probably where the other wine is at. In the lees. But as long as I can reuse it thenI am ok with it. Can the lees of different wine batches of the same kind of winebe combined, cleared and then bottled?

 

[Wade E]

Could be getting too oxidized being in a much bigger container. Maybe
transfer it into a 750 wine bottle with an airlock as there might not
be enough gas to fill in the gap and protect the wine.

 

[jcnoren]

Tryto getyour lees into a container with (1) an air lock and (2) very little airspace, you are now trying to limit the wines exposer to oxygen. I am concerned that the contianer you are presently using only 1/2 full. Change your container to smaller one and sure the cleared wine can be used to top up your reinsling instead of breaking into a "good bottle".


Can the lees of different wine batches of the same kind of wine be combined and cleared then bottled? I only do one batch of wine at a time so I have never tried this and therefore am unable to answer your question but I sure that there is someone out there that can.


JC

 

[OilnH2O]

Gelu, the only thing I haven't seen mentionedabove is to insure your primary is properly marked for the 6 gallon level. The only way to really do this is to fill a 6-gallon carboy with water to the level it would be when airlock and bung are added (with proper headspace). Then, carefully pour into your empty primary to see what 6 gallons REALLY looks like!


As George says above, when you do the math, it's hard to figure out just where those bottles you aren't getting have "gone" -- unless maybe they were never there to begin with.


As you pointed out, after you've topped up with a bottle or two, you are either leaving 4-5 bottles in the sediment (a LOT of liquid) or maybe "they" were never there to begin with....


Just another thought!

Dave

 

[Gelu Liber]

I have started to save everything from the carboy when I bottle. I transfer what is in the bottom (lees)to a smaller container and let it settle and then bottle that after it settles. I have been able to squeeze out 2 more bottles.

 

[jojo]

Does anyone have a tip or trick on how to get 30 bottles out of a 6 gallon kit?

Throw the straw away.

 

[Wade E]

Hic-cup, stop sampling so much. Just kidding, I'm not sure as I always get 30 or 29 1/2 out of mine.