# Splash Racking observation



## 1ChuckGauthier (Apr 25, 2011)

A few days ago while moving yellow plum wine from primary to secondary after fermenting completly I attemped to as I understand it Splash Rack the wine. I was amazed to see it fall clear in 3 days time.......maybe there is something to this splash racking. Are there any problems associated with splash racking?


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## robie (Apr 25, 2011)

1ChuckGauthier said:


> A few days ago while moving yellow plum wine from primary to secondary after fermenting completly I attemped to as I understand it Splash Rack the wine. I was amazed to see it fall clear in 3 days time.......maybe there is something to this splash racking. Are there any problems associated with splash racking?



Just to clarify, if the wine was completely fermented, when you racked it, you would not be going to secondary. You rack to secondary to complete the last portion of fermentation, usually when the SG is below about 1.010 or so, depending on your recipe.

What you did was rack off of the lees and sediment after fermentation was complete.

Splash racking is allowing the wine to "splash" into the carboy, rather than placing the hose all the way onto the bottom of the receiving carboy. Splash racking does at least two things:
1) The splashing effect allow gas to escape from the wine. This gas is CO2 and sometimes S2H (sulfur or rotten egg smell).
2) The splashing effect introduces oxygen into the wine. This can be a good thing or a bad thing.

I always splash rack from fermentation to the carboy. It really helps with degassing. I usually don't splash rack again unless I have a serious S2H problem.

Splash racking too many times will cause oxidation problems, resulting in the wine not aging well.


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## Runningwolf (Apr 25, 2011)

I agree with Robie, I do not splash rack from primary to secondary.It is after the wine hes completed fermentation to dry that I splash rack.

To do so I siphon back into a primary bucket and add my chemicals. I use the drill stir mix to mix them in good and eliminate some of he gas. At this point I splash rack back into a clean carboy and then degas some more with the vacuum pump. I try to wait several days before back sweetening. When this is completed I add super kleer.


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## 1ChuckGauthier (Apr 25, 2011)

I fermented to dry in the primary and as described above splashracked into a carboy. Wine fell clear in a couple of days.


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## Runningwolf (Apr 25, 2011)

Did you stabilize it before or right after to protect your wine from oxidizing. Thats why I add the chemicals before splash racking.


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## 1ChuckGauthier (Apr 25, 2011)

No, I did not. Was waiting for it to clear and am about to add chems and backsweeten today.


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## Runningwolf (Apr 25, 2011)

1ChuckGauthier said:


> No, I did not. Was waiting for it to clear and am about to add chems and back sweeten today.



Stabilizing the wine is the most important part and should be done as soon as you rack. I let the chemicals do there thing for several days before adding sugar. I then clarify it after sweetening as that will sometimes cloud the wine. Actually you might not even need to add fining agents if you give it enough time to clear on its own.


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## BobF (Apr 25, 2011)

Chuck - It is a common practice to rack reds from primary to secondary "with aeration". What you did is fine, assuming your wine is a red.

The point others made about oxidation are valid, but I don't think you hurt anything. I *always* aerate when going from pri to sec. 
Right after primary, you'll release sooooooo much co2 in the process that between co2 and the rising wine level there won't be much chance for o2 to do any damage.

Hopefully you racked onto/into your sulfite addition or made it shortly after racking.

IMO, the rapid clearing was due to degassing and the fact that you fermented dry before racking.


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## Runningwolf (Apr 25, 2011)

BobF said:


> Chuck - It is a common practice to rack reds from primary to secondary "with aeration". What you did is fine, assuming your wine is a red.



Bob I do not do many reds but you bring up a good point about the aeration as doesn't the yeast like that also?


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## 1ChuckGauthier (Apr 25, 2011)

Its a yellow plum wine, not exactly red, just finished adding K meta and sorbate, hopefully I will get by this one. Will F-Pak and back sweeten in two weeks.


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## robie (Apr 25, 2011)

Runningwolf said:


> Bob I do not do many reds but you bring up a good point about the aeration as doesn't the yeast like that also?



One (of several) of the primary reasons for secondary is to seal up the wine and remove as much access to oxygen as possible. Yeast do not like or need oxygen during secondary. That being said, seems to me splash racking into the secondary container will introduce oxygen at exactly the wrong time. However, I also do realize that at the very start of secondary, there is lots of CO2 around that will quickly chase out that oxygen.

I don't see any advantage in expelling CO2 at that time, since it will quickly be replaced anyway, even though fermentation will slow down during secondary.

Just don't see any advantage of splash racking into secondary.


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## Runningwolf (Apr 25, 2011)

Robie thanks for clearing that up.


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## 1ChuckGauthier (Apr 25, 2011)

Its a yellow plum wine, not exactly red, just finished adding K meta and sorbate, hopefully I will get by this one. Will F-Pak and back sweeten in two weeks.


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## BobF (Apr 25, 2011)

Runningwolf said:


> Bob I do not do many reds but you bring up a good point about the aeration as doesn't the yeast like that also?


 
Yes, that's what I've always read/heard!


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## BobF (Apr 25, 2011)

1ChuckGauthier said:


> Its a yellow plum wine, not exactly red, just finished adding K meta and sorbate, hopefully I will get by this one. Will F-Pak and back sweeten in two weeks.


 
I wouldn't worry too much. Especially if there was a lot of foaming (co2) when you racked. CO2 release along with the wine pushing the air out of the carboy should have resulted in minimal o2 exposure.

When you dig into the nuts/bolts of the process, you realize that none of the bindings happen instantly.

I'm not saying there is no need to be careful, just that there is a bit of wiggle room to work with.


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## BobF (Apr 25, 2011)

robie said:


> One (of several) of the primary reasons for secondary is to seal up the wine and remove as much access to oxygen as possible. Yeast do not like or need oxygen during secondary. That being said, seems to me splash racking into the secondary container will introduce oxygen at exactly the wrong time. However, I also do realize that at the very start of secondary, there is lots of CO2 around that will quickly chase out that oxygen.
> 
> I don't see any advantage in expelling CO2 at that time, since it will quickly be replaced anyway, even though fermentation will slow down during secondary.
> 
> Just don't see any advantage of splash racking into secondary.


 
In the case of a wine that is still fermenting the co2 will be replaced by continued ferment. The OP said his was fermented dry in the primary, so degas would be beneficial at this point.


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## 1ChuckGauthier (Apr 26, 2011)

Thank you to all that helped, I will let the wine age and drop CO2 with time.


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