Dilemma about headspace....

[geek]

Just one example, when I bought my 6gal bucket, my plan was to ferment/age in the 5gal carboy.
So I filled carboy but left some space to add sulfite/sorbate, etc and do my degas. The left over from the 6gal didn't make it to one gallon.

Every time you rack to leave sediment you're also decreasing the wine quantity in the carboy, so now from the 5gal there's a head space of about maybe .750ml.
This wine is now all clear and has some sediment, so I will lose more when I rack again.

So, what do you guys do to keep up with the wine without buying "like" wine and adding to top off? I am trying to avoid adding water.

If I back sweeten this will increase volume a bit but not sure how high it will get.

I posted this pic in a different thread, that was before I stabilized.
Since my juice comes pre-inoculated (yeast already added) I don't think that saving some of the juice at the begining in the refrigerator is possible, right? I wouldn't want to add un-fermented juice and add to a stabilized wine, right?


..

 

[Pumpkinman]

We normally ferment in a fermenting bucket/container big enough to accommodate the whole batch of juice, during fermentation the yeast benefits from some oxygen, filling up a carboy, up to the neck isn't as beneficial as a larger fermenting bucket.
After the wine is fermented dry, you will be able to tell this by using a hydrometer, you rack over to a carboy, if there is any wine "left over" I usually rack it into a glass jug (if there is 1/2 gallon, I'll put it in a half gallon jug) and put an stopper and an air lock on the smaller jugs as well, I use that smaller amount to top off my carboy after I rack, or after i taste test.

 

[Thig]

I think the only real solution to this is to have several different sizes. I have 750ml, 1/2 gal, 3 liter, 1 gal, 3 gal, and 5 gal. Something usually works out to have little headspace.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I personally have all different size carboys - but I came up with an idea about 1 year ago about a air bladder system. I think it was a great idea, but not too many people wanted it.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f3/new-product-removal-excessive-head-space-17891/

 

[geek]

I also do primary fermentation in original bucket, it is just that this white batch was taking too long and then I transferred to secondary.

 

[Bartman]

There are a number of threads on this subject - I am one of those who likes to use glass marbles to displace the air/raise the wine level in the carboy after racking. Virtually all of my carboys have glass marbles in them at any given time, the exception being the brief time when I have more juice than carboy volume! Sanitized glass marbles, IMHO, are easier to deal with in variable volumes, they are cheap to buy at hobby/craft shops, store indefinitely when not in use, and take up less room than having lots of various-sized carboys mostly sitting empty (limited wine-making area in my house).

 

[wyntheef]

like bartman says...marbles. sanitized of course. re-usable.

 

[robie]

Don't be too opposed to topping off with a like wine. If you add 1 or 2 bottles of wine, it is not going to make a significant change to the taste of your 28 to 29 others. After all, you are going to get to drink that extra wine, so it is not wasted.

That portion, which you have in the gallon jug, should be divided up between several 375ml and 750 ml bottles, topped off and sealed. Even in the frig, that partial jug will ruin quickly.

 

[geek]

It is a shame that I didn't touch that jug yet, it is not stabilized or degas, should I do this before bottling?
.

 

[Poormanfarm]

I agree with Robie. Go ahead and buy some wine to top off with. You are not losing the wine. Eventually you will have enough wine bottled that you will not have to buy any more wine hopefully to top up with. I have finally got to the place that I don't have to buy any more wine. Sometimes, when I only need a small amount to top up with, I will top up with a similar wine of the same color, not necessarily the same kind of wine.

 

[BMac]

I'm gonna throw a different option out there.

I'd say buy a cheap kit (costco, grand cru, etc) and use that wine as top up wine.
I don't see the point in spending money to buy a top-up bottle, of course being from Canada, I don't wanna spend $15-20/bottle just to dump it in a carboy.

A Costco kit (while not great) can be had for about $40, so thats about $1.25 a bottle, that I can handle.

 

[robie]

I'm gonna throw a different option out there.

I'd say buy a cheap kit (costco, grand cru, etc) and use that wine as top up wine.
I don't see the point in spending money to buy a top-up bottle, of course being from Canada, I don't wanna spend $15-20/bottle just to dump it in a carboy.

A Costco kit (while not great) can be had for about $40, so thats about $1.25 a bottle, that I can handle.

So, do you not intend to drink the wine from that carboy? If so, it's not going to waste.

However, the cost of even a cheap wine in Canada is a factor, of course. Just saying (repeating) the wine dumped into that carboy will not go to waste, but in Canada, it definitely will raise the cost of the batch, so I do understand what you are saying.

 

[Wade E]

Buy a gallon of a cheaper wine and then you have the jug and some top off and cook with or drink the rest. Once you have some of your own wine i n supply you use your own similar wine to top up.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Buy a gallon of a cheaper wine and then you have the jug and some top off and cook with or drink the rest. Once you have some of your own wine i n supply you use your own similar wine to top up.

I could of not said it any better !!
The more you make this year - the more you will have to top off next year

 

[MurphyTexas]

We all have the same issue from time to time. Two thoughts.

First is to minimize the loss of good wine due to racking. I use an auto-siphon which in my opinion, allows me to get the most wine racked from the carboy with the least amount of waste. If you have never used one of these - it is an amazing tool. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/5-16-auto-siphon.html

If I did accidentally cloud up some wine while racking, I will place that cloudy wine / bottoms in a plastic water bottle and allow it to clear overnight then pour the good stuff back into my wine. I don't want to top up with anything else when I can recapture the original wine.

Secondly - Regular O2 Airspace is a bad thing after primary in my humble opinion. Like others have mentioned - get different sized rubber stoppers for an airlock as stoppers are cheap. Noticed you have a gallon carlos rossi jug. Well, the Mogan David jug is 3 liters and can take the same size stopper i think. Then get a stopper that will fit a 2 liter pop botttle and a liter glass bottle. I would much rather have my extra wine in a 2 liter PETE pop bottle with no air head space than in a glass gallon jug with all that oxygen.

The glass marbles are a good idea and the dollar stores seem to have plenty so cost is not really an issue. I don't like cleaning sediment from anything so I opt for having a few different size inexpensive airlock stoppers on hand.