MLF Help/Suggestions!

[NPer]

Hey all,

love the great tips on here. Could use some help of my own. I pressed my Cab. Two days later, I carefully racked my carboys to the neck and I began MLF that day.

it’s been just over 2 weeks since MLF has visibly been going on but some heavy sediment has accumulated...should I rack off those lees or wait out the 6 weeks and risk spoilage?

Would MLF stop if I were to rack?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[CDrew]

If you are off the gross lees and just on fine lees, I'd let it go. THe lees will help feed the MLB and may add some body. Then it's one less racking in it's life and thus less oxygen exposure.

 

[jburtner]

I co-inoculated my MLB with the yeast and after pressing and first rack I still see plenty tiny bubbles indicating MLF is ongoing a couple weeks after pressing - I haven't run a paper chromatography yet. I stir the fine lees back into suspension each morning and have a heating pad on low between the two carboys to keep it a bit warm for best MLF completion... Still plenty of tiny bubbles though so rolling with it for now but I'd like to rack off sediment and sulfite soon too!

 

[NPer]

If you are off the gross lees and just on fine lees, I'd let it go. THe lees will help feed the MLB and may add some body. Then it's one less racking in it's life and thus less oxygen exposure.

Thanks for the reassurance! It’s definitely fine lees. Just making sure because last year it didn’t accumulated like this.
my wife did push the cap down the day of press multiple times by accident so there’s been a lot of lees in general as a result

 

[NPer]

I co-inoculated my MLB with the yeast and after pressing and first rack I still see plenty tiny bubbles indicating MLF is ongoing a couple weeks after pressing - I haven't run a paper chromatography yet. I stir the fine lees back into suspension each morning and have a heating pad on low between the two carboys to keep it a bit warm for best MLF completion... Still plenty of tiny bubbles though so rolling with it for now but I'd like to rack off sediment and sulfite soon too!

I’ve heard of stirring the lees with white wine but not red. Thanks for the tip!

 

[jburtner]

The Sur Lie method or "Battonage" on a Chardonnay for example is different and might continue aging on the lee's for many months. Stirring a red wine lees into suspension during MLF for a couple or few weeks will help keep the bacteria active and in suspension but once complete you rack it off the lees...

For some reason it seems that Sur Lie isn't really used with red wines where you leave it on the lees for an extended period.. Someone else may have more info on that?

 

[winemaker81]

For some reason it seems that Sur Lie isn't really used with red wines where you leave it on the lees for an extended period

My understanding is that the flavoring has much less effect on reds due to the heavier nature. Sue lie doesn't produce the magnitude of change in reds that it does in whites.