Hello all! This is my first post to this forum as I am just getting into winemaking and find your forum full of interesting information and hope to be here frequently.
I just racked my first batch of white zin from my primary bucket last week into a glass carboy. I’ve noticed after a few days that there is a lot of sediment in the bottom of the carboy and wonder if I inadvertently drew off too much of the lees from the primary fermentation container.
My recipe calls for heavy agitation in a few more days to degas before adding the final F pack and clearing and stabilizing ingredients. I don’t want to mess this up but all that sediment will suspend itself again in the wine. The directions say not to worry about that… hmmm.
Should I rack the wine again to remove as much sediment as possible? Or will it all fall out during the clearing process? I noticed pictures of other wines in carboys that seem to be perfectly clear with little sediment on the bottom of the container… have these been racked a second time after initial clearing?
Does anyone have any suggestions? This is a Vintners Reserve White Zin kit.
Either way you choose is fine. If you haven’t dosed it with KMETA yet I would think twice about racking again with it unprotected. Once you stabilize and fine it though, it’ll clear pretty quickly. The folks that write the directions are usually pretty close. :cheers:
You’ll be fine. Your fining agent will pull it out.
You can also let time be your friend and do extended bulk aging allowing most wines to clear on their own. This may sometimes require additional rackings.
I’ve read that the dead yeast in the lees can cause a bacteria problem over time hence the purpose of racking. So if that is the case is the ‘worry’ about infection only important after the wine has been fined and the active yeast killed? Since there is no creation of co2 to keep the wine sterile? Or are there anaerobic bacteria that can feed on the dead yeast and infect the wine even after fining and topping off?
If there is, how do you know how ‘long’ to wait before each racking? Especially if you are waiting for the wine to age a little to enhance taste and flavor?
By the way very interesting hobby! I wish I would have gotten into winemaking a little earlier in life… heh, heh, heh.
Fruit solids that drop out and dead yeast cells are the main concerns. After active fermentation is complete you will have to worry about oxidization.
Everyones schedule is different, but I like to rack at 1.025, again when fermentation is complete, and then every 2-3 months until cleared.
