How to top off carboy after racking

[klemsontigers7]

I have been making peach, pineapple, and persimmon wines.

I use a lot of fruit in the primary, then when I go to my secondary obviously I have less volume. My 5 gal bucket of mash turns into about 3.5 or 4 gallons in the 5 gallon carboy.

What do you typically top this off with? I don't want to just add water because I don't want to dilute flavor or alcohol percentage. I've tasted it before going to the secondary and it tastes great... don't want to jeopardize that.

I usually lose about 1/3 gallon on racking so I might be okay with just topping it with water after each one.

Is it favorable to start with a 6 gallon mash if I know I'm going into a 5 gallon carboy?

 

[Julie]

yes it is favorable to start your with 6g of mash. Normally you make over to compensate for the rackings. Also, get a handful of various size carboys and jugs, this way you can rack to a small size.