Racking with a Separatory Funnel

[ibglowin]

Since I am a newbie at wine making and was constantly sucking up lees when racking I thought to myself there has to be a better way to do this and not discard one ounce more than necessary of that precious nectar of the Gods. Being an analytical chemist by trade I came up with this idea and have used it twice now with excellent results. I rack and stop with a good inch or two above the lees thus ensuring a clean initial transfer, then pour off the lees and extra wine into a 2 liter sep funnel. Allow to rest for 24 hours and settle to the bottom. Drain off the lees from the bottom by carefully opening the valve and metering the flow. Then transfer the pure wine back to the carboy. May not be for everybody but it sure works for this Chemist!

Sep funnels can be had on ebay etc. You might get by with a 1 liter but the 2 liter seems to be working really well and you don't have to be quite as careful when racking.

 

[RickC]

Mike, looks like a good process. Have you tried it with a wine heavy in solids such as a grape pack? Wondering if the solids will be too large to pass through the pickcock hole?

 

[ibglowin]

Yes!

Both of my kits that are now in secondary and bulk aging were Cellar Craft kits with grape packs. The photo is of my CC Walla Walla Caberlot. Comes through nicely. The opening is fairly large as you can see.

 

[Big Ike]

Sorry about that duplicate post.

 

[Big Ike]

Mike,

Check out the post on V-Vessel (presently two below your post in the equipment section. Somebody stole your idea, but I'll bet yours is a heck of a lot less expensive.

http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8421

Ike

 

[ibglowin]

Wow, that is a pretty cool toy. If they made a 6 gallon it would be perfect for an alternative primary for wine. $200 is quite expensive. The sep funnel will cost a lot less for sure!

One note on the use of the sep funnel. If your kit has oak chips/shavings in the primary you will want to put them in a cheese cloth. Very small pieces can clog up the opening but you can use a small piece of cleaned steel wire to push them through and reopen the flow. After the first racking, any subsequent rackings should be a breeze.

 

[Bartman]

Does your wife appreciate your "help" in re-decorating the living room? It looks like you set your funnel up in a formal living room - good luck if that valve gets loose - all over the wood floor!

Bart Reeder

 

[ibglowin]

It was only there for just the moment that the pic was snapped. Wood floors and wine don't go exactly well together!

 

[hartm]

this is an awesome idea. Being a chemist as well (organic) I can appreciate putting your knowledge to good work. I would be concerned about large pieces of grapes blocking the stopcock, but you could always decant the wine after you drain the bulk of the lees and leave behind the larger pieces.

 

[ibglowin]

Small wood chips did cause a problem on the first initial racking but I was able to push them through with a thin wire. After that, when it would slow to a stop I would just rotate the valve 360 and it would open back up from the other side and push it right through.

Second racking was a breeze, no hang ups at all.

In light of the fact that these Italian carboys are actually 6 1/4 gallons (and thats all I have since I just got into this addiction) you really need to save every last drop unless you want to buy a lot of commercial wine or marbles.....

Nice to have another chemist on board!