Racking? I ask why?

[s2000]

Ok I am new to wine making on my own. I used to help dad make his wine. Now that he has passed I wanted to try it on my own this season. I am still torn by using the old methods or the new ones I am reading up on.

Racking. I have been reading a ton here and online and see that it can get pretty elaborate/technical in wine making. I don't recall any of the old timers doing any racking at all. They basically crushed/de-stemmed, fermented, then right to Oak Barrels till easter/spring when they tapped the barrels. At that time they did their type of racking by moving the wine to bottle, jugs, or other barrels for long term storage.

If I was to Rack would I have to have an extra barrel to rack after a few days then to every month? Alternating between barrels?

 

[Rocky]

Hi S2000, Welcome to the madness.

I think you answered your own question. I used to make wine the way you describe: in October, de-stem and crush the grapes into an open barrel for a week to 10 days, breaking up the cap every day, then into a wine barrel (on its side) with an open bung hole, keep the wine filled to the top of the hole until about December and then insert the bung. The wine would be ready to drink at around Easter the next year. The "racking" took place when the wine was moved from the open barrel to the closed one. Yes, we used to fill gallon jugs out of the barrel through the spigot. We would cork the gallon jugs, wax them and apply a cap to keep air out. Talk about belt and suspenders! You have to remember that all the wine in the barrel was not used and the "dregs" were washed away when the barrel was cleaned and put away for next year. There was one racking and the wine was allowed to settle for about 4 months.

 

[s2000]

Thanks thats what I thought. I will keep reading up and take notes from some of my dad's friends this year. They are going to help me for the majority of the process.

Also I did see a half dozen empty beer 1/2 kegs down there which may of been another way they racked towards the end.

I plan on going through all the equipment and cleaning to see where I am.