Is racking needed when bulk aging?

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I can see where a light dust at the bottom is OK. But technically, how much lees is too much? 1"?? 2"??

Don't take this as holy truth but onc eyou start looking at 1 quarter of an inch of lees, I think it's time for a racking.
 
I have the all in one pump so if I added the kmeta to the carboy would I even need to stir?


I like to have at least an inch or two of wine in the receiving carboy before I add the Kmeta (dissolved in a little water), then continue filling. If you just put the Kweta into the empty carboy then start filling, I believe you might not get it stirred in well.

That's just what I do.
 
Hey Robie,

actually this is not from a kit. It was from pales. Got some blends of zinfandel, petite sirah and a straight up pinot grigio hangin out down stairs.

The real reason to the question was about the k-meta. If I rack, all that expsosure and moving it around lets off some of the k-meta so I would need to add more. Furthermore, racking means I have to clean carboys. I hate cleaning.

This is an afterthought however:

I didn't plan on adding k-meta while bulk aging because I figured if wine can stay aging in a bottle (without getting additional k-meta) then why should aging in a air locked carboy be any different.

Please, however, tell me if that's a wrong approach. If I need to adfd k meta every 2 months while in a carboy I would be more than happy to.

Oh and while I have your attention. how do you go about testing SO2? I have never done that before.

Lots more room in a carboy, so lots more activity in the liquid as it changes with temperature/atmospheric conditions. The bottle is very small and much better sealed than a carboy, which lets in more air than you think. If you can't measure free SO2, it is best to add more Kmeta every 6 to 8 weeks.

How to measure - Morewine and other places sells test setups where one can accurately measure free SO2. Look for SO2 testing.
 
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I have the all in one pump so if I added the kmeta to the carboy would I even need to stir?

As long as the k-meta has been dissolved in wine/water and you rack onto that solution it will be easily distributed as that carboy fills.
 
Robie suggested that even if you don't measure SO2 adding 1/8 t of K-meta every 6 -8 weeks is a good rule of thumb. Is this 1/8 t measured for each gallon in the batch or for the batch itself (say 5 or 6 gallons)
 
Robie suggested that even if you don't measure SO2 adding 1/8 t of K-meta every 6 -8 weeks is a good rule of thumb. Is this 1/8 t measured for each gallon in the batch or for the batch itself (say 5 or 6 gallons)

Oops! I wasn't at all clear on that, was I?

It is 1/8th tsp per 6 gallons.

As far as the dissolved Kmeta dispersing well on its own, I believe it was Runningwolf who had an unusual thing happen awhile back, where the solution seemed to form a liquid bubble at the bottom of a filled carboy and not disperse. Maybe he can comment.

Before that I would dissolve the Kmeta in water and pour it in the bottom of the empty carboy, then rack. Since that happened to him I have been diligent in making sure everything is well stirred. Use your own judgement.
 
Lots more room in a carboy, so lots more activity in the liquid as it changes with temperature/atmospheric conditions. The bottle is very small and much better sealed than a carboy, which lets in more air than you think. If you can't measure free SO2, it is best to add more Kmeta every 6 to 8 weeks.

How to measure - Morewine and other places sells test setups where one can accurately measure free SO2. Look for SO2 testing.

That makes sense. Many thanks.

I will thief a little bit of wine from the carboys and add my k-meta into that, and then dump it in. A gentle stir and slap those air locks right back on.

I tell ya. This is my first batch and this aging stuff sure is rough. I just want to drink it already.
 
I rack twice, once after clearing and once prior to bottling. Every twelve weeks I add k-meta, 1/4 tsp per 6 gallon carboy. I don't rack to add the k-meta, just draw a sample of wine and replace with water/k-meta solution. The wine sample is consumed. I bottle at the 6 or 9 month of aging mark. This seems to keep things simple for me and that's important and necessary for me.
 
I tell ya. This is my first batch and this aging stuff sure is rough. I just want to drink it already.

It's hard. That's why you have to KEEP making batches every few weeks so eventually you will have something to drink while you are waiting/making! :d
 
It's hard. That's why you have to KEEP making batches every few weeks so eventually you will have something to drink while you are waiting/making! :d

Man do I look like rockafeller? I am the other feller! This isn't a cheap hobby. Carboys add up!
 
There are lots of economical ways to go about it, until you amass the proper equipment. Some people even do tiny juice batches in Gallo gallon wine jugs.
 
what is racking and how would one go about it?

Hey allen,

Racking is a process of siphoning or pumping wine form one vessel (often times a carboy) to another. When wine ages sedement begins to fall and collect at the bottom of the carboy. To get all of that sediment away from your wine, you rack your wine into another carboy, trying to leave as much of that unwanted sediment behind.

Hope that answers your question without too much confusion. :)
 
Racking timing is somewhat up to the winemaker. If you have 1/4 inch after just a week on being put into the secondary and it still looks hazy, you might wait another to get more out. If it takes a month and you only have 1/4 inch at the bottom rack then. I rack after going into the secondary less than a month off the primary and typically about 2 weeks in. Depends on how the wine was made. Juice can go closer to a month, but if you are using fresh fruit, you'll want to do it sooner. I've re-racked off the secondary in a week. You want to get out the larger solids out of the wine, but when you have fines after a couple rackings (under 1/4"), it is unlikely to damage your wine as long as you aren't leaving it on it for a long time (3+ months).

There have been recent studies in Vineyard and Winery Management (a good read most of the time) about how leaving some solids does improve mouthfeel and body. Of course the real high end wineries are now looking into this, but it requires a bit more equipment. Regardless, it proves that some solids are not always a bad thing. It's making sure they don't sit on them for a real long time that it can become a problem. Further, many old school wineries/vintners are aging wine in barrels for extended periods, which I doubt are perfectly clear going into and are not racked on as much of a regular basis, yet can make outstanding wine.
 
I ussually rack once a month, it helps the wine to clear even if it does not look like it needs it. I found it helps bring out more characteristics of the fruit and less need to back sweeetening.
 
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