If clear, why rack?

[crabjoe]

It seems once a wine is ready for bulk aging, it should be racked every 3 months. My question is, if the wine is clear, why does it need to be racked? Can't you just leave it in the carboy it'll be aging in and just add K-Meta as needed? What's the need for racking a clear wine, if any?

 

[stickman]

Did somebody actually say to rack a clear wine?

 

[jgmann67]

I think I’ve said that. But, I mean racking until there’s no sediment on the bottom; then, dose every three months until bottling. No need to rack a perfectly clear carboy with no sediment at the bottom.

 

[GreenEnvy22]

If there is any sediment on the bottom, continue to rack every few months. Once sediment is gone, no need to rack anymore.

 

[NorCal]

@GreenEnvy22 stated what I follow. I’ll always rack a day or two before I bottle, so that last racking I may wait a while longer than 3 months.

 

[crabjoe]

Thanks for the clarification folks!

 

[Ajmassa]

Always viewed “Racking” as transferring off sediment. Racking directly affiliated with sediment. Can’t rack off sediment if there’s no sediment.

Then it just becomes transferring.

Btw— there’s ALWAYS sediment lol. Even if just a dusting, it’s always there. Making my entire post pointless.

 

[FunkedOut]

How can I tell if there’s a dusting without racking?
When I see a totally clear wine and rack it, there’s purple stuff left on the bottom.
I was guessing that the only way to know it’s totally clear is to rack it and find a clean bottom. Haven’t done that yet.

 

[Johnd]

How can I tell if there’s a dusting without racking?
When I see a totally clear wine and rack it, there’s purple stuff left on the bottom.
I was guessing that the only way to know it’s totally clear is to rack it and find a clean bottom. Haven’t done that yet.

Look at your carboy from the bottom, if there is sediment, you can usually see it through the bottom glass. Obviously, that won't work if you are using a vessel that's not see through.........

 

[Boatboy24]

@GreenEnvy22 stated what I follow. I’ll always rack a day or two before I bottle, so that last racking I may wait a while longer than 3 months.

I always rack before I bottle as well. I've had wines that I thought contained zero sediment, but ended up cloudy in the bottle.

 

[bstnh1]

I always rack what appears to be a completely clear wine a week or so before bottling. If I find any sediment at all on the bottom of the carboy, I let it sit at least another month before repeating the procedure. Doing that, I have never seen any sediment in any of my bottles, even after 5 years. ( I make just kits and always add the clearing agents)

 

[jpwatkins9]

I always also alway rack before bottling. I found that even after 6 to 12 months of bulk aging and multiple racking, there is always a slight amount of sediment left. Can’t get rid of it all. That’s what the dimples in the bottles are for. To get that last few bits out. A few extra racking dosen’t hurt and it’s a good time to put the K-meta in.

 

[winemaker81]

Using a fining agent helps with clearing. I rarely have any appreciable sediment before 5 years in the bottle.

A local brewery uses a centrifuge to clear their beer ... it's a great idea, but doesn't work well for home wine makers ...

 

[winemaker81]

Did somebody actually say to rack a clear wine?

A number of folks have posted about racking their wines every 90 days. Acquaintances racked their wine every 30 to 90 days (depending on person). I'm with the crowd that doesn't rack unless there is sediment.

 

[jpwatkins9]

Forgot to mention that I also use clearing agents, the help to flocculate the sediment.