Risk in bulk adjustments

[PPBart]

I've got about 32 gallons of muscadine in assorted carboys (6-gal down to 4-ltr). I want to adjust the sweetness before bottling and would like to do it once for the whole batch. Would there be too much exposure to oxygen if the wine is racked into a large Brute trashcan, adjusted, then racked back into carboys for final aging?

 

[surlees]

PPBart,
IMO, I wouldn't risk the open air exposure and additional oxidation of combining. The splashing will add O2 and reduce SO2. If it were mine, I'd make the adjustment you want to one of the carboys and then calculate the other adjustments based on their relative volumes.

Fred

 

[Wade E]

If you have good sulfite levels and rack (not pour) your wine carefully (keep racking hose under the wine so there is no splashing and have a lid for most of time then I think youd be OK. People rack to carboys to bottle all the time.

 

[surlees]

On second thought, I agree with Wade. If you're racking using tubing and not splashing, it's probably okay.

Fred

 

[Tom]

Best way is to use Simple Syrup to sweeten. Make sure its mixed well before "tasting".

 

[PPBart]

If you have good sulfite levels and rack (not pour) your wine carefully (keep racking hose under the wine so there is no splashing and have a lid for most of time then I think youd be OK. People rack to carboys to bottle all the time.

That was what I had in mind... Also, I think I would only rack about half (15-16 gal) into bulk and do the sweetening twice overall.

Thanks to all for the responses!

 

[mmadmikes1]

I would adjust a small amount to make sure it is what your after. maybe leave some unadjusted and age separite just in case it turns out Great.You have enough to do that to ,say, 10 bottles

 

[Sacalait]

It's fine to do as Wade suggested. To make it easier remove a gallon of wine and sweeten to your taste, then measure the S.G. for future reference. Dumping sugar in will require stirring which causes more contact with oxygen so do as Tom said and use simple syrup to adjust the sweetness. Now that you have the S.G. you're looking for just add the syrup until you've reached that point.