racking to carboy

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secomeau

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hey guys,

I'm new to wine making and have a question about racking to carboy. when i rack to the carboy it does not get really full. I get to the point where the botle starts to become smaller. I am thinking the head space left could oxidize the wine. I was thinking of topping with water or something but then again i don't wont to lose flavor either... or maybe im ok with the head space that's left i don't know.. the joy of being a newbie!! ;)

oh and another question. After i bottle the wine, should the bottles be stored on the side right away or should i let them stand for a couple of days?
 
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You have options, top up with water or a similar store bought wine or drop in enough sanitized marbles to displace enough wine to bring up the level to the bottom of the air lock.
 
You have options, top up with water or a similar store bought wine or drop in enough sanitized marbles to displace enough wine to bring up the level to the bottom of the air lock.


marbles could be a good option!! is there any chance to breack the carboy when droping marbles in there... i guess the wine would make them sink slow or something right?

if you top off with water or wine... this would give about a botle more of wine in the end right?? would the taste be sacrified?
 
The taste may be altered some depending on the amount of water added but if topping off with wine you'd want to use one of similar taste so as not to alter what you're making.

I've never heard of anyone breaking a carboy adding marbles but if that is a concern you can tilt it some to let them "roll" down the side.
 
I've done the marble routine with a 6 gallon carboy. I haven't had any breakage problems but I am slightly nervous everytime I drop the marbles in. No, the wine does not slow down the rate of descent very much. (No more than water would, anyway.) And no, I don't think tilting a huge carboy to drop them in is really possible. :)

By the way, I had to use a HUGE amount of marbles to get to the desired level of top-up. Also, you should make sure the marbles do not have any lead in them. I purchased clear glass marbles for my wine making efforts.
 
Well, marbles don't go bad with age;)so you'll have them for the next batch. Just be sure to sanitize them prior to use.
 
hey guys,

I'm new to wine making and have a question about racking to carboy. when i rack to the carboy it does not get really full. I get to the point where the botle starts to become smaller. I am thinking the head space left could oxidize the wine. I was thinking of topping with water or something but then again i don't wont to lose flavor either... or maybe im ok with the head space that's left i don't know.. the joy of being a newbie!! ;)

oh and another question. After i bottle the wine, should the bottles be stored on the side right away or should i let them stand for a couple of days?

I've read that some folks keep them upright for the first few days after corking but personally I've never done this and have never experienced any problems doing this.
 
If you're using synthetic corks, apparently they can be lain on their side immediately. If you're using cork corks, they should be left upright for 2-3 days to allow the cork to swell out fully and seal properly. At least that's what I've heard.

Steve
 

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