Racking wine loss

[tcavan01]

How much wine do you lose each time you rack? From start to finish how much do you lose? Someone told me I should expect to lose 20 percent. I that about right?

 

[Duster]

20% sounds a bit high to me, I never really measured it out but I would guess it around 10%. I guess this may depend on the size of the batch your making

 

[robie]

I save the sediment, let it settle, then extract the clean wine off the top. I use this to top off.

As a result, for a typical kit, I don't have to add more than about 2 bottles of additional wine. That's approx 7%.
This can vary some.

 

[Chiumanfu]

You can minimize the losses if you store your carboys tilted with a chunk of 2x4 or wedge. This helps a lot especially for the first and second racking where there are a lot of lees. The lees will settle in the corner of the carboy. During racking, when the wine level drops to a point where you are going to lose suction, you slowly smoothly tilt it the opposite way. If you do it properly, there is minimal disturbance of the lees and you get the most wine transferred.

Using this method you will pick up slightly more of the fine sediment than a traditional rack but it all falls out eventually especially if your bulk ageing.

 

[Minnesotamaker]

My answer depends on the wine I'm making. If I start a batch with fruit, and you count the fruit solids as part of the loss, it will be higher. If you are making a grape juice wine from a kit, I'd guess about 10% loss in volume overall.

When I make a batch of wine with fruit, I always try to start with some extra volume so that after a couple rackings, I still have 5 or 6 gallons to fill a carboy.

 

[Boatboy24]

I save the sediment, let it settle, then extract the clean wine off the top. I use this to top off.

As a result, for a typical kit, I don't have to add more than about 2 bottles of additional wine. That's approx 7%.
This can vary some.

Robie,

I did this recently with my CC Showcase Old vine Zin. I have two bottles now, both about one third sediment at the bottom. How do you extract it? My autosiphon won't fit in the bottle opening.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Kit wines are made for a 4% loss. Less than 1 additional bottle required.

Fruit wines have much more pulp and stuff, so more loss.

 

[tchuklobrau]

This is why like with beer, I account for this loss and have like a 1/2 g over my desired volume. this way after all loss Im usually right at my desired volume(or over over is good)

 

[joeswine]

How much is to much?

Depending of the wine structure and the yeast you choose or is chosen foryou ,say in a kit,i for one don't believe there is a set amount of boil off....it is what it is ,yeast ,temp and style of wine have a barring on it...but that's just my thoughts.

 

[Rocky]

My yield depends on what wine I am making and what I started with (i.e. kit, juice, grapes). In general I would say I get a better yield from white kits or juice than I do from most reds and a better yield from juice buckets than kits. I am not a "topper offer" and I reduce the size of the containers as I rack down. From a typical kit of red, I will get 26-28 bottles (750 ml) which would be 85% to 91% yield (of 9% to 15% loss) and from a white kit I will get 27 to 29 bottles which would be 88% to 95% yield. (Yields are based on an assumed starting point of 23 liters)

 

[joeswine]

The rock

ON TARGET ROCKY,SOMETIMES ON WHITE AND TYPE OF KIT 25 BOTTLES,IT ALL DEPENDS

 

[robie]

Robie,

I did this recently with my CC Showcase Old vine Zin. I have two bottles now, both about one third sediment at the bottom. How do you extract it? My autosiphon won't fit in the bottle opening.

I go to Hobby Lobby and buy these large mouth jars, that have snap down lids with rubber gaskets. I buy several sizes, so when I have sediment, which I want to clear, it come as close as possible to filling the jar. Because the jar has a large mouth, I use a sanitized turkey baster to draw out the clear wine.

If yours is in a wine bottle, you may have to improvise to get it out. I have several manual siphon tubes, which will fit down in a wine bottle.

 

[Kujo66]

Wine loss...

Are there any other methods to take up head space after racking in carboy other than marbles?? Sometimes by second or third racking you can not get any more wine outta the sediment. I have used clear marbles before but afraid of possibly chipping them.

 

[saramc]

You can put the marbles in nylon knee-hi hose (use natural, straight from package, rinse them and sanitize). Just make sure the marble "hose" will fit in the carboy opening. Other than that you may need to use smaller carboys.

To help get the most wine out of the first racking, put your residual in the refrigerator and check it in a few hours, siphoning off the clear wine. May have to do that for a few times to get the most out of the must.

Good luck.

 

[Rodnboro]

Boatboy24, I have a short piece of 1/4 inch tubing just for bottles. I use the old mouth-suck method to siphon with it.

 

[Kujo66]

wine loss....

I think I kinda over did it on yeast....I started strawberry one night and next day it was not doing much...well the more I thought about it I used Kmeta in cup that I started yeast in so my intial thought was I screwed up so I better start another package, which I did, and add it. Now I got quite a bit of sediment and lees....Im thinkin I am gonna have to get smaller carboy next racking....

 

[mmadmikes1]

The 2x4 trick works great for condensing settlings. I also don't try to rack wine clean first 2 times. just get the big pile out. If you get a little off the bottom no big, you will get more as time goes any way. I try to get all the liquid on first 2 times. And I also save the racking slurry and let it settle . Be carefull, it can oxidize easy.