Racking through bottom valve of VCT

[HanksHill]

I’m stepping up to much larger batches in anticipation of our vineyard bearing fruit next year and have also stepped up to larger equipment including 200L VCTs. However, I don’t have a 4-5ft long racking cane to reduce splashing. Is there any reason not to put a barb on the tri clamp valve and rack from the bottom up? After the initial entry of wine I’d think this would be ideal.

Thanks

 

[winemaker81]

If I understand what you're asking, the problem is sediment. Anything present will be at the bottom, and you're far more likely to transfer sediment.

I am in the habit, at bottling time, of racking down to the last bottle. I bottle the first 24 or 29 bottles (19 or 23 liter carboy), then bottle whatever is left. Even when the wine appears 100% clear, there may be a very fine layer on the bottom. This method produces mostly fully clear bottles, with 1 that may be less than 100%. That one goes first. YMMV

 

[HanksHill]

If I understand what you're asking, the problem is sediment. Anything present will be at the bottom, and you're far more likely to transfer sediment.

I am in the habit, at bottling time, of racking down to the last bottle. I bottle the first 24 or 29 bottles (19 or 23 liter carboy), then bottle whatever is left. Even when the wine appears 100% clear, there may be a very fine layer on the bottom. This method produces mostly fully clear bottles, with 1 that may be less than 100%. That one goes first. YMMV

No what I’m asking is filling from the bottom up. So instead of filling from the top of the tank, you push the wine in through the bottom valve on the tank (I have a vacuum pump)

 

[winemaker81]

No what I’m asking is filling from the bottom up. So instead of filling from the top of the tank, you push the wine in through the bottom valve on the tank (I have a vacuum pump)

ROFLMAO!!! Dang! I had that 100% backwards!!!

If you can make it work, there should be no problem with it.

 

[stickman]

Use a regular transfer pump. A vacuum pump will damage a VCT as these tanks are not designed to handle internal vacuum.

 

[ChuckD]

Use a regular transfer pump. A vacuum pump will damage a VCT as these tanks are not designed to handle internal vacuum.

this exactly! The pressure required to “pull” liquid to a four foot head will likely collapse your tank. Unless you can get your original vessel higher than the tank and let gravity do the work.

 

[winemaker81]

I stand corrected. Listen to @stickman and @ChuckD, not me.

Note -- O2 is not the wine killer folks tend to believe it is. Oxidation is a factor of wine volume vs head space (or air exposure) volume vs time, e.g., a small volume of wine with a comparatively large headspace oxidizes faster than a large volume of wine with a relatively small headspace. Exposure to air during racking doesn't destroy wine -- if it did, none of us would be making wine.

Unless the setup is high tech to eliminate all air post-fermentation, the wine will be exposed to O2. This is handled by adding K-meta, which binds to O2 and other contaminants, including light, rendering them harmless.

How much exposure is too much? I have no answer, but I've had very few batches oxidize. One was stupidity on my part -- the airlock went dry and I didn't catch it for months (which caused me to check airlocks weekly since then!), and one batch was really bad grapes that I shouldn't have purchased. When I've used good fruit and kept proper watch, I've not had a problem.

My solution is to limit air exposure as much as feasible (rack reasonably quickly), top containers, and add K-meta at each racking (post-fermentation) and at bottling.