# How Often To Rack?



## roadwarriorsvt (Feb 18, 2011)

My question is basicly how often do I need to rack my blackberry wine? I'll post the recipe I followed (before finding this site). Other recipes I've found on the net talk about racking every 2-3 months +/-. Most of the recipes , on the same fruit, I've read on here don't talk about racking that often. I'm not looking to have this recipe picked apart as I already see differences in this recipe and the way I've read how most do it here, just mainly wondering how ofter to rack. Thanks.



*Recipe I started with:*

Blackberry Wine Recipe ( 1 gallon):


4 pounds of Blackberries ( you can use either fresh or frozen)

7 pints of Water

2 1/4 pounds of Sugar

1/2 tsp Acid Blend

1/2 tsp of Pectic Enzyme

1 tsp Nutrient

1 Crushed Campden Tablet

1 pkg Wine yeast


Starting Specific Gravity (S.G.) - 1.090 - 1.095



Wash and drain your berries. If you have picked your berries or are using fresh blackberries make sure that you have picked out the stems, leaves and anything else that isn't your berries. Make sure that you are using fully ripe berries that do not have any mold on them. 

Place your blackberries into a nylon straining bag and mash your berries. Or use your fruit press if you have one. Strain your juice into your Primary Fermenter. Make sure that all of the pulp stays inside of your nylon straining bag. Tie the top and place it inside the fermenter.

Add all of the other ingredients except for the Wine Yeast. Stir it all together and put the lid on your Primary Fermenter. 

After 24 hours add your yeast and stir. Put the cover back on the Primary Fermenter.

Stir your wine daily and squeeze the bag of blackberries to push the juice out.

Check the hydrometer reading daily until your S.G. reaches 1.030. This will take about 5 days or so. 

Take your bag of blackberry pulp out of your fermenter and squeeze it until all of the juice is out... or at least as much as you can get.

Siphon your wine off of the sediment (the goop that has settled to the bottom of your fermenter) into your Secondary Fermenter which is going to be your glass carboy. this is called "racking your wine". 

Attach your airlock.

Your fermenting is done when your S.G. reaches 1.000. This will take about 3 weeks. Rack your wine again (siphon your wine off of the sediment from your glass carboy into another glass carboy). 

Reattach your airlock.

*In about 2 months rack your wine again. You will do this 3 or 4 times... until your wine is clear. The professional wine makers will usually rack their wine 3 or 4 times... *so I don't question their ways... I just follow...


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## djrockinsteve (Feb 18, 2011)

There a couple of ways you can go about this. For myself, I splash rack when fermentation is finished. I add sulfite (1/4 teaspoon for 5 gallons, and I clear with sparkolloid). After 4 to 6 weeks I rack off of the sediment into another 5 gallon carboy, top off with similar wine or if I'm lucky a little extra from the same wine. Add a pinch of sulfite. Then I will let whites, fruits age 6 months. Reds a year. Until a few weeks from bottling do I rack and sweeten including sorbate. I take all the necessary tests and adjust if needbe, usually none needed. Wait a few weeks and bottle.

Some folks prefer to let time clear their wine and sulfite at each racking. Watch your sulfite levels as it is easy to overdo it and then you will need to rack to get some out.

Others will add input on their procedure. This is how I do mine.


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## roadwarriorsvt (Feb 18, 2011)

A reply within 6 minutes! Thanks DJ.


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## djrockinsteve (Feb 18, 2011)

roadwarriorsvt said:


> A reply within 6 minutes! Thanks DJ.



Sorry I was late, I'm racking 12 gallons of Crab apple wine. I'll try to do better next time.

I know when I have a question I look for a quick reply so I try to do the same to others. Often you don't have a question until you are in the middle of something and you need it now....just like JG Wentworth!


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## Flem (Feb 18, 2011)

djrockinsteve said:


> Sorry I was late, I'm racking 12 gallons of Crab apple wine. I'll try to do better next time.
> 
> I know when I have a question I look for a quick reply so I try to do the same to others. Often you don't have a question until you are in the middle of something and you need it now....just like JG Wentworth!



Steve,
I think he was actually impressed with how fast you got back to him with your reply.


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## djrockinsteve (Feb 18, 2011)

Flem said:


> Steve,
> I think he was actually impressed with how fast you got back to him with your reply.



Well I did stay at a Holiday Inn Select last night


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## Flem (Feb 18, 2011)

djrockinsteve said:


> Well I did stay at a Holiday Inn Select last night



Smart a$$!


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## roadwarriorsvt (Feb 18, 2011)

I didn't take a current SG reading today, but I did save 15% on my car insurance by switching to Geico.

Racking 5 gallons of wine,..... so easy a Caveman could do it!


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## djrockinsteve (Feb 18, 2011)

roadwarriorsvt said:


> Racking 5 gallons of wine,..... so easy a Caveman could do it!



You do know that you are in good hands with Alstate until you file a claim. Then they give you the finger. 

No they don't really.


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## robie (Feb 18, 2011)

Of course as a minimum you have to rack after fermentation and after clearing (before bottling).

I rack again about a month after clearing, to start aging. I age my wines at least six months in the carboy.

After aging, no matter how many times I have already racked a wine, what I do is rack off all sediment about a month before I "intend" on bottling. That way at intended bottling I check for zero sediment. If I find any, I figure there could be more to come, so I rack again, then wait another month. I only have to do this pre-bottling racking maybe twice.

So, I rack after primary fermentation, after secondary, after first clearing, and at least once before bottling.


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## roadwarriorsvt (Feb 18, 2011)

Sounds good.


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## TStarr (Feb 18, 2011)

I thought the general rule of thumb was to rack every 2 months until u have no sediment - sulphating every other rack with 1 campden tablet per gallon.


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## djrockinsteve (Feb 18, 2011)

TStarr said:


> I thought the general rule of thumb was to rack every 2 months until u have no sediment - sulphating every other rack with 1 campden tablet per gallon.



Some folks like to let their wines clear naturally. For this you do want to get the wine off of the sediment before it begins to rot and/or give you sulfur smells. I myself like to use something to clear it and get the sediment out within 2 months from the start.

Everyone has their own methods. Whatever you prefer. Do a test sometime if you want. Ferment a wine then clear a gallon or more with a clarifier and use a gallon to clear on it's own.

After they are all finished, taste and see the results.


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## WineYooper (Feb 18, 2011)

I have been only making fruit wines so far and my method to this point has been to transfer to secondary when ferment is almost done. I wait about a month and have heavy deposits this first time and rack. Then I check every month and when I see quite a bit I'll rack again but it seems to be about 3 months before I rack. From this point on I get very little falling out and find them to be very fine and usually don't touch for at least 3 months. I have not used any clearing agents and usually bulk age for 10-11 months. It's different for everyone, I find on this site, and you will develop your own methods over time and maybe I'm not doing it correct but it's working for me and the wine has been IMO very good to this point.


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## djrockinsteve (Feb 18, 2011)

After you have removed the wine from the heavy deposits the remaining that fall out can actually be beneficial if it's just a light dusting. This can help add flavor and help mellow the wine. Keep in mind I said Light dusting.


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## Sirs (Feb 18, 2011)

WineYooper said:


> I have been only making fruit wines so far and my method to this point has been to transfer to secondary when ferment is almost done. I wait about a month and have heavy deposits this first time and rack. Then I check every month and when I see quite a bit I'll rack again but it seems to be about 3 months before I rack. From this point on I get very little falling out and find them to be very fine and usually don't touch for at least 3 months. I have not used any clearing agents and usually bulk age for 10-11 months. It's different for everyone, I find on this site, and you will develop your own methods over time and maybe I'm not doing it correct but it's working for me and the wine has been IMO very good to this point.



Yeah sounds like me and my wines most seem to clear up really nicely in a few months without adding anythnig to clear them. I had a bronze muscadine that was crystal clear before I had racked it the first time was really odd but beautiful it fermented down really quick to 1.005 or close to it and the sediment dropped like in 2 days was weird.


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## roadwarriorsvt (Feb 18, 2011)

Is there any negative affect to using a clearing agent? I'm guessing not, but just curious if there is any benefit (real or preceived) to allowing the wine to clear on its own. 

Thanks for all your input so far.


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## Catfish (Feb 19, 2011)

My Niagara and Catawbas have cleared on their own. I racked them after about 2 months. It has now been 5 months and they are nice and clear. Just a little bit of mud in the bottom. I may rack 1 more time a few weeks before bottling.


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## Nibblerr (Nov 28, 2012)

Steve by adding the sulfite you are stopping the fermentation? Then just basically aging while clearing the wines?


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## djrockinsteve (Nov 29, 2012)

I don't add sulfite until fermentation is complete. Then sulfite and clear.


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## jswordy (Nov 29, 2012)

roadwarriorsvt said:


> Is there any negative affect to using a clearing agent? I'm guessing not, but just curious if there is any benefit (real or preceived) to allowing the wine to clear on its own.
> 
> Thanks for all your input so far.


 
Depends on which agent. If you use chitisan (Super Kleer) it is made from shellfish. There's a chance someone with a shellfish allergy could react.

The benefit to allowing wine to naturally age and clear is just that - it's natural. No chemicals, no dirt (bentonite is nothing but a specific clay, also used to seal up farm ponds) - nothing has been added to your wine to clear it.

There are folks on here who make wine 100% all-natural, adding perhaps only yeast (and not always even that).


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## TheWineBrewer (Oct 14, 2014)

Hey, I got 2 great video’s showing why and when to rack your wine here:
Simple: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRyTdLsciIw[/ame]
Advanced: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=macyyznX_Nk[/ame]


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