How about we get back ON TOPIC! (Even though this is a pinot noir-degas topic!)
We racked our first kit -- the
bourgeron rouge, into another carboy tonight (yes, I went and bought a third!)after waiting more thanthe allotedtime for clearing and stabilizing. Tasted a 'theifed' bit and found the'boquet'smelled a little of the fermentation smell, but
very clear.It looked like "wine!"
It had a little bite and kind of a harsh finish -- now, I'm sure a lot of that is because it is so 'young' so I'm not taking any of it negatively. (I realize we're early into this process and I don't expect it to taste like Duckhorn just yet!) Young Master thought it tasted "like wine" but then the only stuff he ever tastes is on Sunday at Communion! "All tastes the same..." he says,BUT his expression says: YECHH!
Anyway, in the racking from carboy to carboy it was our first experience with the auto-syphon, which we realized the cane with the 90 degree angle goes ON TOP and connects to the syphon tube -- and there is no real "racking cane" to keep the bottom off the sediment. So, we were only able to get about the same amount of wine into the second carboy as we had PRIOR to topping up -- just above the shoulder -- exposing quite a bit of surface area to the air.
Should I have set the black tip onto the lees? From the big flashlight in the rear, looking through the carboy toward the light, it appeared the lees were agitated the closer the black bottom of the auto-syphon got to them (it appears the liquid is entering just above that black plug).
I used a vacuvin and cinched the orange, two pronged carboy cap up tight, but it doesn't seem to be holding much of a vacuum. Our plan is to bottle tomorrow. I'm sure I got a little bit of sediment into the final racking so am going to let it settle overnight. And, there is a bit of a foam around the rim -- sort of like when we degassed, but I think that is from inducing the air in as it came out of the tube into the carboy.
The question is, first, did we do it correctly?
Is there a different way to rack to keep it off the sediment?
In other words, should I go the old fashioned way with a tube and racking cane?
Is there any way to get that last half gallon or so out of there without stirring up that sediment?
Sorry for the length of this. We're still newbies regardless of what that avatar says!