Elderberries - a problem.

[DavidNW]

Hi,

I'm making a Kenridge Classic Vieux Chateau Du Roi. The kit contains elderberries. Yesterday, I racked off to a carboy and the flow of siphoning started to slow very quickly. I had to restart the siphoning 5 times. I quickly discovered that the 'culprits' were the elderberries that were clogging up the the sediment trap and restricting the flow of the wine.

Looking at the carboy, I can see a substantial amount of elderberries on the surface. The wine has got about another 11 days to go in the carboy before degassing and clarification. Will the fining process drag the elderberries down to the bottom, or do I have to take some remedial action now?

My racking cane has been modified, consisting of 2 small holes near the bottom and then a stop on the end. The holes are quiet small, so I can understand how the elderberries could clog them. I had no trouble siphoning off my last batch of wine using the same cane, so just assumed, I suppose, that it would be fine for this batch.

Many thanks for any input.

David.

 

[dralarms]

Funnel and cheesecloth works. Or kitchen strainer.

 

[DavidNW]

Funnel and cheesecloth works. Or kitchen strainer.

Many thanks, the kitchen strainer sounds a good idea!

 

[dralarms]

I use it a bunch. But most of the time I use a straining cloth.

 

[BernardSmith]

I find a straining bag works really well. Not sure if they are available in the UK but hardware stores here sell bags to strain paint. If you can find those and fix one to the mouth of a second sanitized bucket you can then simply pour the wine from the first bucket into the second with ONE caveat. I am assuming that you are racking into a carboy with some leeway in the fermentation process. That is to say the gravity is not yet at 1.000. If it is then ignore my suggestion because it could result in oxidation of your wine.

 

[DavidNW]

I find a straining bag works really well. Not sure if they are available in the UK but hardware stores here sell bags to strain paint. If you can find those and fix one to the mouth of a second sanitized bucket you can then simply pour the wine from the first bucket into the second with ONE caveat. I am assuming that you are racking into a carboy with some leeway in the fermentation process. That is to say the gravity is not yet at 1.000. If it is then ignore my suggestion because it could result in oxidation of your wine.

Hi Bernard,

The wine that's in the carboy now was at 1.000 when I racked it to that carboy from the first stage fermentation bucket. In about 10 days, I shall rack the wine off (through a kitchin strainer) to a bucket. I find it easier to degas that way, then transfer to a carboy for finishing off. I shall invest in a straining bag in the near future, as I would like to try my hand at my first fruit wine! Many thanks for your advice.