Newbie Kit Wine Sediment Question

[keebler71]

Hi all... newbie question that has probably been asked before but a cursory search through the forums didn't turn up anything quite like it. I'm working on my first batch of "4-week" kit wine. I just finished secondary fermentation, racked and added metabisulphite, kieselsol, and chitosan in accordance with the directions. I'm a bit surprised by the amount of sediment that has already formed. In less than a day there is already about an inch+ on the bottom and maybe a bit less than that floating on the top (looks like dryer lint). There wasn't much on the top but I added (sanitized) marbles late to reduce the air gap at the top of the carboy and they thew up a lot of the sediment on the bottom.

Is this amount of lees normal? From what I have read, I know that sitting on the lees can impart bad flavors to the wine so I am concerned that I should re-rack soon instead of waiting the 10-14 days according to the instructions. Should I rack again or just wait it out? Thanks!

 

[Flame145]

The directions are tried and trued. I would waited it out and simply follow what the directions say.

 

[philogeek]

Agreed with ^.

Any kit company worth the money will have spent a LOT of time/effort/budget on R&D, and their instructions are based on what will get as close to 'guaranteed' as possible.

Just stick to them, and everything will turn out awesome!

 

[Julie]

Hi keebler71

Welcome to winemakingtalk

 

[winemaker_3352]

Welcome aboard!!!

 

[jwalker1140]

Yesterday I stabilized my first kit (RJS Cru Select Cal Pinot Noir) and found about half an inch of sediment on the bottom this morning. For what it's worth, I'm going to wait 20 days and then rack to another carboy for another 50 days of bulk aging, consistent with the Winemaker Magazine article "Making your kit wine shine, redeaux."

Unexpectedly, I also noticed my wine level had dropped about half an inch down the neck. I assume this is due to the dissipation of CO2 that I didn't get out during degassing (though I used a power drill for 20+ minutes and the temp was around 72).

Good luck,
Jason

 

[Dugger]

keebler - many times the sediment appears thick because it builds up around the sides, so you probably don't have as much as you think; it is fine to leave it on the sediment during this clearing stage.
Welcome to the forum!

 

[robie]

No worries. A lot depends on the wine involved. However, yours is not an inordinate amount for any wine.
(For future questions, let us know which specific kit you are referring to.)

Welcome to the forum.