Proper siphoning technique?

[arcticsid]

Been meaning to ask this for a while.

When you are siphoning, the old fashioned way, just a hose and your mouth, what is the best way?

By this I mean, should you allow the flow to splash into the secondary? Allow it to run down the side? Try to keep it as close to the must in the secondary as possible? And, should you use as big of a hose as possible to get it transfered as quick as possible?

Troy

 

[Tom]

I use a 6' hose. when I start it via a one way valve I have the hose on the bottom of the carboy so no splashing.
Troy do you a auto-siphon?
Another Idea is if you have a Lowe's near you. In the plumbing dept there is a "blue" hose 6' with a copper one way valve. Think its around $8. This is similar to what I use or the auto-siphon.

 

[AlFulchino]

in my view..if its a white wine then less splashing...less oxygen......put the hose right to the bottom of the receiving container

if its a red then less concern for the oxygen in my view because you dont have to deal w the same oxidation issue......back to the method you are using-> if you have a lot of gas then a little splash racking is a good thing

i use a pump and i seek to rack depending on what the wine needs....mostly that means gentle and the tube to the receiving end goes right to the bottom so that less air touches the wine...and then i age as long as possible

big hose...thinner hose...doesnt matter...there is some early splash then it should all be under the liquid.....

 

[arcticsid]

Why would I need a one way valve? Once the flow is going, obviously, let it go till it is done. I just came up with a 6 foot clear, 1/2 " hose I'll be using on this next batch.

Why an auto siphon when the old way of just "sucking" on it will get it going?

 

[Tom]

Well some just don't like to ya know...
There is a lot cleaner way.. LOL

 

[arcticsid]

As long as you dont spill any on your clothes, it just doesn't seem to me an auto siphon is necessary, were talking wine, not fuel.

I appreciate the insight though on siphoning. Always seemed to me, and I may have been wrong, that splashing it while siphoning may have actually been a "good" thing to do.

 

[djrockinsteve]

I use a carboy cap (with the 2 spouts). A hose and plastic tube thru one to near the bottom of the carboy while the other to my soon to be filled carboy. I blow thru the other hole creating pressure to force the wine thru the tube.

I was told that the bacteria in our mouths will not affect the wine. I still brush and gargle just in case.

For both my reds and whites I try for as little splashing to reduce oxygenation.

 

[deboard]

I recently got an autosiphon, and I have used it twice. It's very nice, and I will never regret buying it, but I do kinda miss that little taste I get the old way.

 

[arcticsid]

Only trouble is DJ, I cant figure out how to stretch that cap over a 5 gallon bucket! LOL.

Good idea though for going from carboy to carboy!

Troy

 

[Wade E]

Dont use your mouth Troy, you never know where its been! Seriously though, all you have to do is fill the hose with water and pinch off the end, insert the hose into your full carboy and then let siphon hose go and just let the water pour into a different vessel until the wine is right to the end, pinch it off and then stick the hose into your empty carboy. You should get one of these though cause it does make stuff like this easier!
http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=4858
They make these for both 3/8" and 1/2".

 

[arcticsid]

Someone brought up a similar question a while ago about using your mouth. I didn't realize it could be a concern, and just kind of blew off the whole thread.

On the other side of the coin, if using your mouth can effect the whole sterilization idea, than I go back to a thread "I" started when I asked, when is being concerned about sterilization going to far?

Should we all start wearing gloves, etc. Serious also.

Please advise.

Troy

 

[Wade E]

You dont have to go that far but your mouth is full of bacteria!

 

[djrockinsteve]

Plastic gloves???? Sounds like someones gonna get examed.

Too far? I clean everything! Sink, handles, surrounding area and even the door knob to my wine cellar. I am concious about what I touch that is not cleaned.

This may be excessive but I don't want to find out a year later I ruined a lot of wine! It takes me days to do all that I do at each interval so my hands and lower arms get dried out from the Pot.
Meta.

 

[Manimal]

I'm with you Troy... there are no human pathogens that can survive in wine, and in terms of the bacteria that can survive in an acidic, alcoholic medium, they are likely already in there to some extent. The goal in winemaking is not sterility, but rather keeping the problematic bugs down to a level at which they will not affect the sensory attributes of the wine or its future stability. Most of the common wine spoilage organisms like acetobacter, pediococcus and lactobacillus only cause problems when the conditions become right for their activity, usually due to excessive levels or oxidation, high pH, or inadequate SO2 levels.

Yes, there are many more things that can cause your wine to become faulted, but the ones I mentioned above are the main concerns... I don't believe that mouth siphoning is likely to introduce any problematic organisms to your wine and have yet to see any reputable evidence to suggest that is the case.

 

[arcticsid]

Don't get me wrong, nor do I want to find out a year or so later an oversight on sterilization ruined an otherwise great batch of wine. I have heard in here, others who seem to spend more time on the cleaning, sterilization, etc, than they do on the wine. Just seems to me that at some point there must be a "middle" ground and just through good cleaning/sterilization willensure a good product.

Some threads and comments on this subject could almost make it sound like making wine requires the same sterile environment as required to grow your own mushrooms.

I am by no means trying to suggest anyone become lax on any of these cleaning/sterilization techniques or practices, but rather am wondering at what point do we become so obsessed with it that it takes away from the thing we like most about this, and that is brewing our own.

And, has was just pointed out, there is alcohol in wine or beer. Though I am not contesting it, just seems that what little bacteria is in my mouth could affect the wine/beer outcome.

I have been accused of having a "potty" mouth, but that could be another thread! LOL

Troy

 

[Tom]

Troy,
........

 

[Wade E]

Im just saying its possible and Im not taking the chance when its actually easier many other ways!

 

[arcticsid]

Agreed, point taken.

 

[Lurker]

I use the auto syphon and like it. However, I am always looking for something new. I like the Toms idea of a hose with a one way valve, where can I get the carboy cap with 2 spouts. I may want to try the pressure method also.

He who dies with the most toys, wins.

 

[Tom]

And I and my wine club members love "toys"