racking schedule

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

fauxfly

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2009
Messages
38
Reaction score
0
Hi all

I was just in the "cellar" and noticed I have several carboys with a little fine lees on the bottom.

My question is rather simple but I don't know, Can I just rack a batch of wine anytime after the initial racking into the secondary. (within reason) It won't really hurt anything will it ??

Would this also be considered degassing, That brings me to another question... When or why would I want to degass a batch.

ANy thoughts guys ??

Steve
 
I would not rack on a whim. Depending on how long you want it to "age" helps. Clearing can happen with Time or can be helped along by adding clearing agents. The longer inbetween rackings the more compact the lees. If you just see a little wait.
Degassing is a different matter. I would degas just before adding finning again when racking. Degassing will also speed up clearing. As long as you kep the sulfites up racking will not hurt the wine.
 
A fine amount of lees is okay, like a light dusting. When it has considerable amount you can rack again but give it at least a month to six weeks.

Everytime you rack you are adding small amounts of air to the wine. That can help your reds but the whites don't care for it. Plus you could be making it more desirable for bacteria to grow. That is why at each racking I will add a tiny pinch of pot. meta.

If you rack up to an inch or less of headspace you'll be fine. I only rack twice, three times when I blend just before bottling.

Patience
 
Back
Top