Is first racking really necessary.

[sampvt]

So many views are stated on here and some say yes, rack at 1010, some say no. Is it the type of wine or kit or is it just a matter of preference. I do kits and all say rack in the instructions but my local home brew shop guy who has been there for 30 odd years, says it a load of tosh, he never racks. He just lets the brew ferment out then when totally done, he finishes it and back sweetens if necessary

 

[Floandgary]

"Tosh" Imagination will fill in the blanks,,, LOL. Either method is proven acceptable. You can find either set of instructions depending on what you purchase.. Maintaining a cover (not necessarily an airlock) on the fermenter will protect the wine till rackover. Subsequent racking simply to remove sediment/lees and help degas. As your brew shop guy said, you can always backsweeten. Experiment,,,, see if you can find a difference

 

[BernardSmith]

Sampvt, Whether it is tosh or not to rack or to allow a kit to quietly age on the lees and sediment would seem to have less to do with anyone's philosophy about wine making and far more to do with being able to show that the maker of the kit has followed instructions should the kit be defective and the wine be undrinkable. Now it may not be a major issue if the kit cost only a few quid, but if the kit costs 100 pounds or more then being able to show that the problem can not have been caused by a failure to follow directions or instructions may be important. Those who make wines that are not under warranty from kit manufacturers would seem to have the freedom to adopt whatever method works best for them. Those who look for "do-overs" or "mulligans" (I don't play golf) may want to follow instructions even if the folk who sell the kits think the instructions are rubbish. (Some irony there, ain't there, don't you think?)