WineXpert Another topping off question

[LarryW]

If Im doing a vintners reserve kit and it says to top off at stabilization time and it is only 2 weeks to bottling, is it really necessary to top off? How long is too long to go without topping?
And is there a percentage of water not to exceed adding?
Thanks folks for the help!

 

[Tom]

There are reasons they give directions I would not second guess them. Yes I would top it off. 1st some will age kits longer. 2 kits are designed to have a "little" added. You should not have to add to much. If you add alot then you left to much in your racking.

 

[NSwiner]

Tom would you say about 1 liter is what you should have to use to top it up , maybe a little more ?

 

[Tom]

Thats alot if thats what you are low. I would; add a wine alike. Then let it settle more before racking. You are leaving to much.
This is why I dont rack till there is a solid amount of sediment.
All wines drop sediment differently. Time is you best friend (chemicals help)

 

[Lurker]

Like Tom said, you must top off. And, it does sound like you are losing (or drinking too much) too much when you rack. If you suck up a little sediment, its ok, it'll settle again.

 

[Runningwolf]

I agree with the Lurker!

 

[Wade E]

You have to be more patient and let the lees compact and tilt the carboy to 1 side so all the lees fall to one side so you can rack off the other. I really cant remember tye last time Ive had to use something else on a kit wine to top off.

 

[Manimal]

One of the biggest improvements to my winemaking processes came when I stopped relying on 23L (5 imp. gallons) carboys (unless I had the volume to fill them completely) and switched to the 18.9L (5 US gallons) ones. If you have some smaller carboys along with a bunch of gallon jugs, various size wine bottles and corresponding bungs/airlocks, you can accommodate virtually any volume of wine without having to top up much at all.

 

[jdeere5220]

I'm probably going to get lots of harsh response to this one but....

I asked my kit dealer this question a couple of times. This guy makes 20 kits a week for customers and it's his only income so I think he knows what works and what doesn't.

He told me that if I'm not past the middle of the shoulder of the carboy, then any red wine will be fine in there for at least two months and it's no worry at all. With white wines you want to be a little more careful, but even with whites he really doesn't worry about it unless he knows it's going to take a long time (more than 2 months) to clear which is really rare for kits.

That sad, I do buy a similar wine and use it to top up after my first racking off the lees after clarifying. That racking is when I lose the most, and a bottle of top-up just gets me back into the neck area usually, sometimes a full bottle still leaves me down partway to the shoulder. But I don't worry about being within 2" of the bung like the instructions say. Just IMO.

 

[Manimal]

The problem with a lot of ferment-on-premise owners and home winemakers (and don't anybody get offended as I have worked at an FOP for a considerable amount of time and am a home winemaker!!) is that their wine literacy is not always all that great.

What I mean by that is that there are plenty of FOP's in business that are turning out oxidized, flat crap to their customers and because neither know any better, everyone is happy with the result. My parents are like that... they make wine at a FOP and the stuff is garbage, but because it's cheap and easy and they don't drink much else, they're happy with it. I occasionally make them some "good" wine but they are still pleased to buy their cheapo plonk because they tell me "we can't really tell the difference." PLEASE!!!?? Can you not tell the difference between processed cheese slices and a good chunk of aged cheddar? Same deal... Anyways, that's enough ranting about my parents, but my point is that you have to take people's winemaking advice with a bit of caution... just because they are satisfied with their process doesn't mean that it is the best possible practice.

Same goes with a fair amount of home winemakers... they drink what they make and nothing else, so they are none the wiser when it comes to flaws or shortcomings in their wine.

Sure, if you don't take off the airlock at all after adding stabilizers and fining agents, there is probably enough CO2 gassing off of the wine to form a bit of a blanket on the wine and avoid any serious problems with oxidation, and your wine will probably be alright for awhile. BUT, minor oxidation can result in a loss of aromatics which might not even be noticeable as a fault but it is robbing your wine from being as good as it possibly could be.

So while I'm sure you can get away with some headspace for a considerable time without developing major faults, don't fool yourself into thinking that there will be no adverse results in the wine.

 

[jdeere5220]

Manimal-

I actually agree with you regarding the "expertise" of the local FOP shop; after reading here and other places, then asking questions at the local shop, I've sometimes gotten... well... wrong answers from the local shop guy. Even basic stuff, like whether a certain wine is a grape or a region or a style; sometimes he doesn't even understand what he is selling. So I do run everything I read and hear through my own BS filter.

Anyway thanks for the description of the effects of oxidation and why we all want to be extra careful, required or not!