Barrel Racking

[vouxwines]

This question is related to racking vessels...I have 6 x 30 gallon barrels that have been aging on fine lees for about two months now (had previously settled out gross lees in steel tanks then racked into the oak barrels after 48 hours). I'm considering racking to get the wine off of whatever fines lees may be in the barrels. I only have one spare barrel that is new oak so I'd rather not waste that on racking. Should I rack back to my steel tanks, steam the barrel, then rack it back (I do have a gas transfer tool to push the wine for minimal oxygen exposure)? Or should I just leave it aging in the barrels and disregard the fine lees that may be in there? Ideally I wish I had 6 more barrels to rack directly into but I don't. Any thoughts are much appreciated!

 

[winemaker81]

If it's fine lees, I'd ignore it for now. The fewer times you rack, the better.

The problem with having more barrels is that you need to keep them full. A holding solution consumes the oak character as much as wine does, so it makes more sense to rack into intermediate containers instead.

I don't do a full cleaning when racking a wine off the lees and back into the barrel. I use a pressure washer to remove all residue I can, rinse with K-meta, then pump the wine back in. I do a full cleaning prior to moving the following year's wine into the barrel.

YMMV

 

[vouxwines]

If it's fine lees, I'd ignore it for now. The fewer times you rack, the better.

The problem with having more barrels is that you need to keep them full. A holding solution consumes the oak character as much as wine does, so it makes more sense to rack into intermediate containers instead.

I don't do a full cleaning when racking a wine off the lees and back into the barrel. I use a pressure washer to remove all residue I can, rinse with K-meta, then pump the wine back in. I do a full cleaning prior to moving the following year's wine into the barrel.

YMMV

Thanks for the advice. That was my instinct and so far the wine doesn't have any odors or flavors that are off due to the fine lees. What are you using as your intermediate container? When would you suggest racking if at all? Of course I would rack into my tank before bottling, but are you suggesting no racking until then? I'm thinking of using one of my Spiedel 220L steel tanks and gassing it, then pushing the wine up through the spigot at the base minimizing oxygen exposure. The only problem is when I pump it back. I can't pressurize the variable volume tank with gas so there will some wine left over at the bottom because the spigot is about an inch up from the base. Suppose I could just tip it as it reaches the bottom. Just trying to think of the most elegant way of racking it to minimize exposure and not lose wine.I do have two 5 gallon carboys to top with but still...

 

[winemaker81]

I user 32 gallon Rubbermaid Brutes, although my barrels are 54 liter (14.25 gallon), so I have plenty of room.

My 2020 wines went into barrel 11/20/2020, and I racked 03/07/2021. At that time I homogenized each wine (I have 2 blends) with their respective topup wines, so the topup for each was identical to what is in the barrel. The wines have not been racked since then. I expect to bottle in about 2 weeks.

Folks worry too much about O2 in the wrong way. O2 damage is a factor of wine volume vs. headspace volume vs. time, e.g., a smaller volume of wine with a larger headspace oxidizes faster. Pump your wine out of the barrels into the tanks, efficiently clean the barrels, and pump the wine back in. Dose with sufficient K-meta to handle any O2 exposure, and you'll be fine.

Regarding elegance? Don't sweat it, and don't waste wine unnecessarily. If someone doesn't like you tipping your container to get the last bit of wine out? Don't give them any!

 

[mainshipfred]

My process is pretty identical to Bryan's. One exception is I let the wine go through MLF in glass for around 3 months so it's pretty much clean going into the barrel. I'll do a rack and return at the 6 to 9 month mark. When you have the same size barrels it's easier to rack the first unit another vessel, rinse that barrel a few times with high pressure then rack the next wine into that barrel and so on. When done rack the first wine back to the last barrel.

I also agree O2 exposure should be managed with sulfates and topping up. With 30 gallon barrels I would recommend pumping. During the aging process reds, more so than whites, become reductive and a little O2 introduced during transfer helps. This is especially helpful prior to blending or final tweaks to get a true sense of what the wine has to offer.

Also like Bryan I often have the same wine in different. Sometime I'll mix the to make the homogeneous but that's an extra step and more often than not I'm too lazy to do it. When blending I just take equal amounts from each barrel.

This is just my approach, I'm sure whatever you choose to do will be just fine.

 

[winemaker81]

When you have the same size barrels it's easier to rack the first unit another vessel, rinse that barrel a few times with high pressure then rack the next wine into that barrel and so on. When done rack the first wine back to the last barrel.

That's a great idea! I have 2 barrels, so it saves one transfer.

Note: I homogenized the wines due to the way I blended. I don't have capacity to make as much of blending wines as I'd like, so I have been making field blends, e.g., select grape variety proportions and ferment together. In 2020 I made four 4 lug (36 lbs each) batches: 2 Merlot, 1 Zinfandel, and 1 Vinifera Blend (1 lug each Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot).

The free run Merlot and V Blend went into 1 barrel, with the excess being V Blend. The pressed Merlot, V Blend, and all Zin went into the other barrel, with the excess being Zin. Homogenizing the blends made it easier to judge the wine at each barrel topup. Gotta taste a sample each time, as quality control is critically important, don't ya know!

For this fall I purchased a couple extra Brutes, so in the future blending will be done at pressing time, eliminating a step.

 

[mainshipfred]

I made my first 2 field blends this year and it is a lot easier. Call me a gluten for punishment but I do prefer blending after the wine as had a chance to age a year or so.