# If bulk aging, do you rack at certain intervals?



## Gekko4321 (Aug 1, 2011)

I plan to bulk age for 6 months. I figure at 3 months I will check SO2 levels. Do I also rack here or leave it alone? I plan to also cold stabilize at 5.5 month mark with bottling at 6 months. Would I rack prior to CS or just wait till bottling? Thx.


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## ibglowin (Aug 1, 2011)

I would only rack 3 times if bulk aging for 6 months (or more actually). Gross lees, fines, and then just before bottling to get any more heavy dust that had settled out. I would also filter immediately after this last racking process. If you CS I would rack immediately after that, then filter.


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## Gekko4321 (Aug 1, 2011)

How critical is filtering IYHO? I like the look and brightness so far of the wine. Will filtering further enhance this or will it protect against future fallout? Whats a good entry point filterer for a newbie already overwhelmed by the many expense doors that surround him in this hobby?


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## ibglowin (Aug 1, 2011)

Filtering will polish your wine to perfection and it will look like a commercial wine in the glass, crystal clear in other words. Your wine has to be very clear beforehand of any and all sediment/fines otherwise you will plug the filter in short order. You can pick up a Gravity Filter for pretty cheap.


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## Wade E (Aug 1, 2011)

When I first started I didnt filter many or any of my wine. Many of them were gone shortly after being bottled so sediment in the bottles wasnt a problem but now that my wines get plenty of aging almost every wine Ive bottled without filtering had sediment in it even after bulk aging up to a year! I filtr everything now and dont have that problem anymore with the exception of some heavy reds and I dont think its sediment falling out and rather a instability in the wine where color actually falls out. I now use a product ny Scotts Labs to prevent this from happening hopefully.


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## Gekko4321 (Aug 1, 2011)

Everytime I think I'm out, they suck me back in! lol. So I Googled this Vinbrite system. Do you have concerns over the way the wine splashes into the carboy when filtering? Seems like alot of O2 introduction. The price is not too bad but that was first thing that stuck out to me.


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## ibglowin (Aug 2, 2011)

It does indeed introduce a bit of O2 I am sure. Its a worthwhile trade off however for clear, sparkling glass of wine though.

This "hobby" is indeed a money pit if you have not figured that out by now!


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## Gekko4321 (Aug 2, 2011)

I am learning this very quickly Mike! And its usually YOU that introduces me to what I am lacking and needing!! LOL. You should be getting a discount for product referrals. I never thought I was not going to get a clear sparkling glass of wine without a filter. Wish I knew this before I just bottled my first batch.


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## ibglowin (Aug 2, 2011)

Depending on your racking skills or lack of it might turn out better or worse than you would think! If your not going to enter it into competition or if you don't plan on giving much if any away then you might probably get away with out it. There are definitely 2 camps on this subject matter but I suspect more people filter than don't filter.

The Vinbrite has its own unique set of problems. If you don't tighten the ring enough it won't hold a tight seal/vacuum. If you over tighten the ring you risk putting a small tear into the filter and the fine sediment just goes straight through.......


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## Gekko4321 (Aug 2, 2011)

I do plan to give much away so a product that is minimally a supermarket product is a must. And hopefully it is much better than that but thats the minimum. What odds do you give Mike that I will get the seal/vacuum and not tear the filter? Any of those issues is a waste it seems.


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## ibglowin (Aug 2, 2011)

I used my Vinbrite for about a year with out any real problems. If the ring wasn't on tight it would not start to flow for the most part. After about a years use (once a month) something seemed to change on my unit and it seemed like every batch I tore the filter just enough so that it seemed to be filtering but when I was done I opened it and found the little tear. 

It appeared to me that the filter plate was no longer laying perfectly flat so you had to tighten more than usual to get the thing to seal but then once the filter got wet it somehow tore. It was frustrating and I was ready for something more robust anyway so I moved on to the whole house filter setup. 

Definitely more reliable but you have to also have a vacuum pump as well. I had one already as I was vacuum degassing so it was a no brainer really to go that route.


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## Gekko4321 (Aug 2, 2011)

Was the flow different when it had a tear? I wonder if there is a clue to be had. Otherwise to re-do it and re-intro more O2 seems risky. Thx for all the detail.


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## ibglowin (Aug 2, 2011)

Yea, it flows really nice! A red wine will normally take 45 mins for 6G, a white wine should only take 30 mins.

I think I only re-filtered once, the rest I just bottled it since it was pretty darn clear anyway. Those wines did end up with a very slight fine sediment that settled on the side of the bottle where it was laid down. It did kick up when you poured it but was not all that evident really.

I did blow into the transfer tube on a few like what Wade described but only at the very end when it was trickling out.I can see where that action may have caused a blow out or two!


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## Gekko4321 (Aug 2, 2011)

Great info. Did you add more SO2 to compensate for the extended O2 exposure? Thx.


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## ibglowin (Aug 2, 2011)

No, I had plenty before hand.


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## Gekko4321 (Aug 2, 2011)

Solid. Thanks again for all the great tips Mike!


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## paubin (Aug 3, 2011)

I have a piece of tubing attached to the bottom of my gravity filter that reaches the bottom of the carboy I'm filtering into so the splashing is much lower. Maybe you could try that for the peace of mind.

Pete


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## Gekko4321 (Aug 3, 2011)

How hard was it to install Pete? I do not have the unit yet so am not sure what the setup is. Thx.


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## ibglowin (Aug 3, 2011)

Pretty sure he just got the right sized diameter tubing and inserted in into the bottom of the Vinbrite. The Vinbrite looks like a flying saucer with an opening on the bottom for the wine to pour out. Its fluted so you could go inside the opening or outside I suppose with a larger diameter hose.


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## Gekko4321 (Aug 3, 2011)

I would love to know the proper diameter tubing so I could order that at the same time. Or a best guess?


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