How to get rid of the yeast flavor?

[Scott Meech]

Yeast flavor in the dregs, I get it. Yeast flavor in the wine, I’ve never experienced without also tasting the sweetness from a fermentation that is not complete.

I would strongly recommend topping off with a similar wine, or a wine that compliments your wine, a wine that would be considered a blending partner.

Last resort, in my opinion, is to add inert objects, like glass balls, plastic rods, etc. My wines typically benefit from getting blended, so why not add that blending partner to top off. That’s what I do.

As always, there are alternative approaches that others have found successful.

I expect the dregs to taste yeasty. It's all the ways to properly rack without pulling those sediments along with the wine at the same time...

 

[Ohio Bob]

I use an auto siphon, super easy to get a siphon started. The pickup tube has some plastic extensions on it so it keeps the pickup off the bottom of the carboy. It also comes with a bottom cap to further limit sediment pickup. When the wine is young and likely to have lots of sediment I use the cap. Closer to bottling, there is less sediment and I skip the cap.

I have a large size, good for 3g up to 6g carboys. Also a smaller version for 1g jugs.

 

[Rice_Guy]

What else can be added to reduce that headspace?
I am still confused about what people do to get that yeast flavour out of the wine, and rack without pulling too much of the sediment...

* I am racking on a wedge so that I have a deeper area. My goal is to rack three times over a year and then bottle/ reuse the carboy next harvest.
* oak will soak up liquid/ sink and the volume effect decreases.
* head space? I have a number of answers. I have some check valves and a small 12V vacuum pump that can pull -22 inches Hg. I have collected several sizes of glass carboys. I will use a bag in box with a solid cork on year old wine (basically done with gas). I use Nomacork and can thread some with fish line and weigh this down with a SS bolt. I have some 1” by 6ish LDPE rods weighted with SS washers. I have some 1” delrin which is more dense than water. Some marbles. ,,, and at some point will invent a small food grade balloon to put in the neck.

ie there isn’t a standardized answer.

and Scott, welcome to Wine Making Talk

 

[Jim Welch]

Thank you... I think you inadvertently gave me a way to fill some airspace. I can add oak cubes...? What else can be added to reduce that headspace?
I am still confused about what people do to get that yeast flavour out of the wine, and rack without pulling too much of the sediment...

Keep in mind that to get anything from oak cubes will require at least several months on them, I typically do at least 6 months on oak cubes.
As has been pointed out here you want to minimize headspace. With that in mind practically any decent to good wine is better than air! If you can find the same type, fine. A similar or otherwise compatible wine works too. Heck, even boiled and cooled water would be better than air.
I don’t know if this applies here but I’ll mention it nonetheless.
Many new vintners want to keep their batch “pure” with the same wine, I thought like that too when I started but now use any similar good tasting wine to top off.
It’s better to have X amount of wine with a little bit of other wine, which will be just a couple percent of the other wine if that, than to have X amount of 100% varietal wine that is oxidized or worse IMO.
Once I found out that commercial wine can have up to 20% of a different wine and still be labeled as the base wine I realized that trying to keep my wines 100% varietal is nearly pointless. Good or better wines are what I aim for.

 

[bstnh1]

Thank you... I think you inadvertently gave me a way to fill some airspace. I can add oak cubes...? What else can be added to reduce that headspace?
I am still confused about what people do to get that yeast flavour out of the wine, and rack without pulling too much of the sediment...

When you rack, take all of the wine and leave the sediment behind. The best way to reduce head space in a carboy is to rack into a smaller one or top up with a similar wine.

 

[Jusatele]

I think there is a lot of good advice here
thinking back I can say why I do as i do
primary fermentation till it slows, rack
secondary for 3 to 4 weeks
let it settle, about 3 months
keep am eye out on the lees, that is where each wine is different, rack if lees are a lot

 

[Scott Meech]

I think there is a lot of good advice here
thinking back I can say why I do as i do
primary fermentation till it slows, rack
secondary for 3 to 4 weeks
let it settle, about 3 months
keep am eye out on the lees, that is where each wine is different, rack if lees are a lot

Thanks to all for the advice! I've been doing much of what has been suggested, but maybe I'm not letting it age long enough. My local brew shop gives me very drinkable red wines without yeasty flavour in just over a month...
Also, I've only had this issue with the Reds, my whites turn out ok.
And on a side note, all this is practice as I've planted a few rows of Marquette and Frontenac Gris in my backyard in Northern BC. Should be two more summers before they start producing fruit, and I'm hoping to have the knowhow to make something at least drinkable at first...

 

[Jusatele]

You can use fining agents and sulfites if you want