Racking - Again?

[ryankelley]

I have two 6 gallon batches going, Chardonnay and Sangiovese. Both from grapes, both were racked to secondaries, and racked again two days ago to get off of inch of lees in the bottom.

Now I have MLF going with nice small bubbles coming up. But I see some larger ones as well and about 1/2 an inch of lees on the bottom of each carboy. The chardonnay is translucent in the top 2/3rds and opaque in the bottom 1/3rd...I assume the sangiovese is the same way, but I can't tell.

pH: Chardonnay (3.6 after a lot of adjusting to bring it down) Sangiovese (3.5 with no adjustments)

So do I rack it again at this point or wait three weeks like Jack Keller says? I figure the Chardonnay will be translucent all the way down in a couple more days...it'll be precipitating significant lees until then.

 

[Johnd]

I have two 6 gallon batches going, Chardonnay and Sangiovese. Both from grapes, both were racked to secondaries, and racked again two days ago to get off of inch of lees in the bottom.

Now I have MLF going with nice small bubbles coming up. But I see some larger ones as well and about 1/2 an inch of lees on the bottom of each carboy. The chardonnay is translucent in the top 2/3rds and opaque in the bottom 1/3rd...I assume the sangiovese is the same way, but I can't tell.

pH: Chardonnay (3.6 after a lot of adjusting to bring it down) Sangiovese (3.5 with no adjustments)

So do I rack it again at this point or wait three weeks like Jack Keller says? I figure the Chardonnay will be translucent all the way down in a couple more days...it'll be precipitating significant lees until then.

It sounds like you don't have anything left but the fine lees, which are OK for a period of time. If you've got an active MLF going on, just let it ride until you have confirmed that MLF is complete, then you can rack again to some aging vessels, sulfite, and top up your wine for some bulk aging / degassing / clearing time.

 

[ryankelley]

Okay, thanks for the advice. I agree, it's fine lees so I'll let it go for a while longer.

I'll add some oak chips to the next carboy when I rack it over.

 

[Johnd]

Okay, thanks for the advice. I agree, it's fine lees so I'll let it go for a while longer.

I'll add some oak chips to the next carboy when I rack it over.

Sounds like a good plan. Consider trying some of the larger oaking options. Generally, the bigger the hunk of wood, the better the results. On a scale of low to high, sawdust, chips, cubes, spirals, staves, and barrels is sort of the pecking order.

 

[ryankelley]

Hmmm... I have chips. I didn't know larger chucks are better. I thought it was all about surface area. I can buy an oak board and cut a few strips to fit into my carboy (leaving enough space for expansion when it's time to extract the wood). Is this a better idea? I'd have to toast it myself, right?

 

[Johnd]

Hmmm... I have chips. I didn't know larger chucks are better. I thought it was all about surface area. I can buy an oak board and cut a few strips to fit into my carboy (leaving enough space for expansion when it's time to extract the wood). Is this a better idea? I'd have to toast it myself, right?

Probably not a good idea until / unless you know just what you’re doing. Most online and local wine stores sell cubes, spirals, and sticks. You have plenty of time to get your hands on some.

 

[sour_grapes]

Hmmm... I have chips. I didn't know larger chucks are better. I thought it was all about surface area. I can buy an oak board and cut a few strips to fit into my carboy (leaving enough space for expansion when it's time to extract the wood). Is this a better idea? I'd have to toast it myself, right?

Probably not a good idea until / unless you know just what you’re doing. Most online and local wine stores sell cubes, spirals, and sticks. You have plenty of time to get your hands on some.

Agree with @Johnd . In particular, don't use red oak! It is said to impart an odor of cat pee to your wine.

 

[ryankelley]

I have seen these spirals...I'll go that route. Thank you! I'm oaking the sangiovese, not the chardonnay...I prefer unoaked chardonnay.

 

[Scooter68]

Agree with @Johnd . In particular, don't use red oak! It is said to impart an odor of cat pee to your wine.

ARRGH ! We have 3 outside cats and just the thought of that odor - GAG ! Choke!

 

[Johnd]

I have seen these spirals...I'll go that route. Thank you! I'm oaking the sangiovese, not the chardonnay...I prefer unoaked chardonnay.

The spirals work well and impart flavoring relatively quickly, so sample every week or so and take it out when you approve. The oak will fall back just a bit once it ages, so keep that in mind. If you tie a piece of very thin fishing line to the spiral and let the tag end hang out of the carboy, your bung will still seal well and it can be easily removed / replaced.