Question on racking to secondary

[yaeyama]

Hi:

My peach must will soon be ready for racking from primary to secondary. When I do the transfer, should I put the tube as close to the bottom of the secondary carboy as possible to avoid oxygenation? Or, should I hold it near the top so that the wine splashes so that I can introduce as much oxygen as possible?

I know that oxydation is bad, and that the secondary fermentation is anaerobic, so I assume I should avoid introducing extra oxygen. However, I assume a splashy transfer would assist with degassing the wine. :-/

Another question is, do I still need to do periodic stirs of the carboy? Or, just let it sit there for a month until it is ready for a second racking? If I am supposed to stir it, should I stir it like crazy to help degass, or just swirl the contents around gently?

Thank you in advance.

 

[yaeyama]

One more question: My recipe says, "Rack into a clean carboy, top up, attach airlock, move to a cooler location, ideally 65F (18C)".

How long should I maintain this temperature? My airconditioning bill is going to be a bit expensive, having to keep a room at 18C for a month or so.

 

[Sacalait]

When going from secondary to primary I pour it in with the aid of a funnel and watch as closely as I can to stop before the bottom sediment reaches the funnel. Fermentation is not complete at this point so you're not as concerned with air getting to it. The air lock allows CO2 to escape while keeping air out and you'll also be getting rid of any entrained air from racking along with the CO2. It is not necessary to stir at this point, just allow it to sit and do it's thing. I keep my room temp. at 75F, any lower than that and I wouldn't be able to afford the elec. bill.