Overall schedule and # of rackings for barrel aged reds?

[NorCal]

My overall process has been:
- crush (late Aug)
- ferment (1 week)
- press
- let sit for 24 hrs
- pump to barrel
- mlf (6-12 weeks)
- rack
- optional rack, depending on grape quality and ferment** (April)
- rack to Spiedels a day before bottling
- bottle (Aug)

I’ve seen the benefit of letting the wine age in barrel 15-18 months; CO2 elimination, softer wine, less residue in the bottle and it’s not 100 degrees in the barn when I’m bottling. Because of this additional time in the barrel, I’m inclined to make my April optional racking a mandatory one. The reasoning is to prevent any reductive notes from the lees that have accumulated over that first 3 months in the barrel.

I question if this racking is necessary when there was good fruit and a clean ferment and if it causing more harm than good.

I wanted to know other winemaker’s timeline and thoughts.

 

[NorCal]

I racked the 2022 Cab Franc barrel yesterday. The fruit was really good and the ferment was clean. There was some residual sugar that looks like fermented out in the barrel. The lees were light and silty. Based on what came out, the racking was probably unnecessary, however, there is considerable CO2 in the wine and a lot came out while pumping in/out of the barrel. Total loss from racking was .3 gallons…about 2 bottles of wine.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Breaks my heart to see a glass of wine on the ground!

 

[MiBor]

I usually keep my reds in glass carboys for a month after pressing and racking off the gross lees. I want to make sure the AF and MLF are finished and also allow most of the sediment to settle before I pump the wine into barrels where it stays until early to mid February. At that time the wine goes back into glass so it can sit in the garage for a month for cold stabilization. After that it goes back into barrels until early August when I filter and bottle the wine. I've made adapters for my vacuum pump (an AIO clone that I've built myself) so I can do all my racking under vacuum and eliminate as much CO2 as possible that way. I found that I can vacuum-rack to/from glass carboys, barrels and 60L/120L Speidel HDPE fermenters.

Last fall I had four extra gallons of wine which I kept in 1-gal glass jugs. One of those had about 1 inch of lees in it, the others were clear. When I saw this thread I went and tasted those gallons and I didn't find a striking difference in taste for the wine that sat on lees. There was a little extra body to that gallon and the fruit aroma was more subtle than with the other jugs. Also, the wine that sat on lees seems to be a little more bland than the other gallons too, but the difference is barely noticeable.

My take is that, if you're trying to make the best wine possible, that extra racking to get rid of the lees at the bottom of the barrel is worth the effort. Maybe racking with a vacuum pump would add the benefit of degassing and reduce oxygen exposure over the transfer pump. It'll take longer but it may be worth it.

 

[crushday]

@NorCal A few months ago I listened to a podcast showcasing Kathryn "KK" Carothers (winemaker) from Bryant Family Vineyards. She said that once the wine goes to the barrels after settling 24-48 hours after press, it's there until they bottle. I was a little surprised by this but that's what she said they do. All of their wines fetch a high price so they're (she's) clearly not worried about reductive notes from the lees...

 

[crushday]

60L/120L Speidel HDPE fermenters.

Just out of curiosity, how much vacuum are you exerting on the Speidels? I've been tempted to use my AIO to vacuum degas but don't want to collapse the fermenters either.

 

[MiBor]

Just out of curiosity, how much vacuum are you exerting on the Speidels? I've been tempted to use my AIO to vacuum degas but don't want to collapse the fermenters either.

I use a 0-16" Hg vacuum pump with an adjustable 12V power supply. The way I control how much vacuum I pull is by adjusting the pump speed. To start the flow I go full speed for about 20-30 seconds and to maintain the flow into a 60L Speidel I turn the knob on my power supply about 1/8 of the range which translates to about 8 kPa or 2.5" Hg pull on another container I've got, that came with a vacuum gauge. Once the wine starts flowing it moves pretty quickly.

I never had the AIO pump but I suspect you can adjust it with the precision vacuum valve I've seen in pictures. If I had to do it I would start with low vacuum and test with water until I found a good setting and I would put a mark on the valve to remember it next time. Oh, and the O-rings in the Speidel lids are tricky to get to seal tight. You have to use the strap.

 

[winemaker81]

I'm relatively new to barrels and am still developing my process, but so far:

1. Crush & ferment in October. I'm east coast so I get a single shipment of grapes.
2. Post-fermentation, let the wine settle in carboys/demijohns for 2 to 3 weeks.
3. In November, rack into neutral barrels.
4. Prior to each monthly topup, gently stir the wine for the first 9 months, e.g., bâtonnage.
5. Three months prior to bottling, stop stirring to let the lees settle.
6. Bottle the following November when the new wine is ready for barrel.

At this time I'm bottling at 13 months, as it fits the cycle of the barrel so i don't need a holding solution.

Notes:

#2: Gross lees supposedly drops within 24-72 hours of the end of fermentation, and allowing an additional few weeks lets most of the fine lees drop as well. At the end of the year, I have less than 1" (2.5cm) sludge in the bottom curve of 54 liter barrels.

#3: I rack into a single Brute to homogenize the wine, e.g., when I topup, there is no change to the wine as it's all the same. Barrels and topup jugs start with the same wine.

Note that I'm making 16-20 US gallon batches, so homogenizing in a Brute works for me. At this time I gently stir the wine to encourage CO2 to escape.

#4: wine has no convection currents and I have neutral barrels, so I add oak cubes. The oak flavoring does not spread much, so stirring for at least 3 months provides me with a more accurate assessment during the monthly tasting.

Anyone not tasting their barrels at topup is missing a golden opportunity in self-education.

#5: I currently allow 3 months to settle (last stir in August for November bottling), and so far haven't had sediment in the bottle. If I do, I'll accept the lesson and allow more time.

If I made 2 barrels of the same wine, I'd consider racking one in February/March to see if removal of the sediment makes any difference in the final wine.

#6: At bottling time I add any remaining topup wine to the Brute. I never bottle from the barrel -- I rack out all but 2 to 4 bottle's worth of wine, homogenize with remaining topup, add K-meta, and bottle. I carefully rack the remaining wine and bottle it separately, and pour the loose sludge into a 1.5 liter bottle and refrigerate for a week. I've been netting 1 additional bottle from that, which is used immediately.

 

[NorCal]

I'm relatively new to barrels and am still developing my process, but so far:

1. Crush & ferment in October. I'm east coast so I get a single shipment of grapes.
2. Post-fermentation, let the wine settle in carboys/demijohns for 2 to 3 weeks.
3. In November, rack into neutral barrels.
4. Prior to each monthly topup, gently stir the wine for the first 9 months, e.g., bâtonnage.
5. Three months prior to bottling, stop stirring to let the lees settle.
6. Bottle the following November when the new wine is ready for barrel.

At this time I'm bottling at 13 months, as it fits the cycle of the barrel so i don't need a holding solution.

Notes:

#2: Gross lees supposedly drops within 24-72 hours of the end of fermentation, and allowing an additional few weeks lets most of the fine lees drop as well. At the end of the year, I have less than 1" (2.5cm) sludge in the bottom curve of 54 liter barrels.

#3: I rack into a single Brute to homogenize the wine, e.g., when I topup, there is no change to the wine as it's all the same. Barrels and topup jugs start with the same wine.

Note that I'm making 16-20 US gallon batches, so homogenizing in a Brute works for me. At this time I gently stir the wine to encourage CO2 to escape.

#4: wine has no convection currents and I have neutral barrels, so I add oak cubes. The oak flavoring does not spread much, so stirring for at least 3 months provides me with a more accurate assessment during the monthly tasting.

Anyone not tasting their barrels at topup is missing a golden opportunity in self-education.

#5: I currently allow 3 months to settle (last stir in August for November bottling), and so far haven't had sediment in the bottle. If I do, I'll accept the lesson and allow more time.

If I made 2 barrels of the same wine, I'd consider racking one in February/March to see if removal of the sediment makes any difference in the final wine.

#6: At bottling time I add any remaining topup wine to the Brute. I never bottle from the barrel -- I rack out all but 2 to 4 bottle's worth of wine, homogenize with remaining topup, add K-meta, and bottle. I carefully rack the remaining wine and bottle it separately, and pour the loose sludge into a 1.5 liter bottle and refrigerate for a week. I've been netting 1 additional bottle from that, which is used immediately.

Very nice write-up with explanations. Helpful.

 

[winemaker81]

I decided my last post was worth preserving, so I posted an edited version on my site.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Another data point (2021 Pinot Noir)

1. October: Drain and press to barrel at end of ferment, remainder in kegs/carboys
2. Rack off gross lees (to a second barrel) after 48h, top from kegs/carboys
3. November-December: ML
4. July-Aug next year: Rack to kegs (4x15.5 gal)
5. Aug: Bottle directly from kegs

So, pretty minimal. Barrel was tested and adjusted for SO2 monthly after completion of ML, and topped during SO2 adjustment. I think I'd only have re-racked if I'd noticed any off aromas/flavors during elevage.

 

[Rocktop]

I have been meaning to post to this thread but we all know how busy spring is.
I have been re-reading "Post Modern Winemaking" by Clark Smith (excellent book by the way) and this topic was covered.
The book details in depth the criticality of oxygen for reds early in their life. They can consume lot of oxygen after primary fermentation, and they actually need significant oxygen to create a cascading effect that binds anthocyanins and actually makes for a longer aging wine with more color, flavour and gentler tannins.

Here's a line that really made me think about my early racking schedule.

"The early presence of lees in young red is deleterious for two reasons, Lees react readily with oxygen, dampening phenolic activity and suppressing the cascade. Lees also absorb anthocyanins and contain glycosidase enzymes which attack them."

For you big red guys its not as important, as Clark says " The tannins in big, concentrated reds will clarify themselves so it is the small wines that require attention".
As I make Pinot Noir this line stuck out.
"Pinot Noir takes guts, but this is not the time to hold back.... but clarify that wine in its first two weeks, or regret at your leisure."

All this said, I don't think one schedule of barrel racking fits all red wines.

RT

 

[joeycannoli]

Here is my process…

1. Crush at the end of September.
2. At the end of fermentation (usually 7-10 days) I will rack to a marchisio tank and press the pomace. Add the free run and press run juice to the tank.
3. About a week later I will rack again to a second marchisio tank to get rid of all the gross lees and sludge from the press. Take measurements and sulfite.
4. Mid November I will usually rack again to an oak barrel (right after previous years wine is bottled) so I don’t have to worry about holding solutions for the barrel.
5. Wine sits in barrel for minimum 6 months. Usually a week per gallon of wine. Depending on age of barrel and oak imparted to the wine it could be more or less. If wine needs to come out of barrel before next years batch is ready I’ll rack it back in a marchisio tank until bottling.
6. Figure out what grapes I want to do the following year and repeat

 

[crushday]

Here's my process:

1. Crush and pump to fermentors.
2. Ambient thermostatically controlled ferment usually takes 21-24 days - I let the cap temp get to the low to mid 80's before controlling must temp to keep no higher than 75 for most of the ferment. Heat spike is to ensure maximum color extraction but long ferment to maximize maceration.
3. I co-inoculate MLB after first strong cap.
4. At 0 Brix or lower, I press no harder than 1 bar (99% of wine) and hard press to 3+ bar (1% of wine which is typically discarded). The purpose of this 3+ bar press for me is to compact the cake as I've had it fall all over when I'm trying to remove it from my hydraulic press (Lancman).
5. Free run and light press wine gets mixed together when it's pumped (Blichmann RipTide) to settling tank (usually 120L Spiedel tanks with the 19" lids) for two days. Depending on variety, I usually get 1-1.5 inches of gross lees at the bottom of the settling tanks.
6. After settling, I pump (variable speed, self priming 3GPM max) to FlexTanks, under lock, with oak adjuncts to simulate a second year barrel and test for MLF completion. Wine is a month old at this point, on average. Most of the time MLF conversion shows complete on the test medium.
7. Tanks are all topped up and under lock for another month, to ensure MLF completion, before I add SO2 to begin preserving the wine. I test for FSO2 using a Sentia Digital Wine Analyzer and I use Inodose tablets to apply S02 to the wine. (approximate time elapsed: 60 days). In my view, there's enough CO2 dissipating to keep the wine protected as it's topped up and under lock prior to primary SO2 addition.
8. Every other month, I top up and test for FS02 and add KMeta (Inodose) accordingly. *I do not rack again until prior to bottling*
9. After one year in bulk, I remove the airlock and transition to a solid screw cap with silicone washer.
10. Reds are bottled between 18-24 months from crush. Lighter wines (Pinot Noir/Gamay/Grenache) are on the 18-20 month side and heavier wines tend toward 24 months.
11. When I do bottle, I vacuum rack to a variable stainless bottling tank and let settle for 24-36 hours, under lock, as to minimize O2 exposure and sediment in bottle. I do not filter red wines.

Before the 2022 season, I made the decision to stop using French Oak wine barrels, favoring FlexTanks with French adjuncts. My reasoning was 100% environmental knowing that only old growth oak was used for the French Oak barrels I was using. I now have a fleet of FlexTanks ranging from 15 gallons to 80 gallons.

Another decision I made for the 2022 season is in relation to point #10 from the list above. Before the 2022 vintage, I would bottle all wines prior to the upcoming crush and bottle age for 1-2 more years. More often than not I was experiencing effervescence in the bottle and subsequent wine glass. Adding duration to my bulk aging strategy increased my storage thumbprint, number of vessels necessary, time and attention to manage now two vintages worth of wine, but hopefully 100% still red wine as it's poured into the decanter.

 

[SCAndy]

Excellent thread. Lots of good actionable real world experience that i am reviewing for the upcoming season.
Such a broad range of racking programs out there. Some big names in Bordeaux rack surprisingly often, then there are some big names that do the opposite and let sit on lees. Charles Smith of WA comes to mind.

 

[winemaker81]

This is the process used for my 2022 wines:

Day 1: crush grapes, adding nutrient, maceration enzyme, shredded oak, and tartaric acid (based upon pH check). Create yeast starter. Perform initial SG check.

Day 2: Confirmed SG and inoculate.

Day 3: Starting today, punch down 3 to 4 times daily.

Day 4: Check SG to check fermentation progress. Add nutrient. Depending on speed of fermentation, check SG daily or every other day until fermentation complete.

Press when fermentation at 0.998 or lower. I have reserved the hard pressed wine separately, and have blended immediately. Add K-meta.

2 to 3 weeks after pressing: Rack off the lees. Move to barrel. Add K-meta.

For the next 12 months, top barrel monthly, adding K-meta every 3 months.

Perform final racking and homogenize with any remaining topup wine. Add K-meta. Bottle.

I don't use a holding solution in the barrel -- when the new wine is ready for barrel, the old one gets bottled.


I'm considering

• experimenting with not pressing until 3 days after fermentation appears complete.
• adding 1/3 the K-meta dosage with each topup.

 

[winemaker81]

Excellent thread. Lots of good actionable real world experience that i am reviewing for the upcoming season.
Such a broad range of racking programs out there. Some big names in Bordeaux rack surprisingly often, then there are some big names that do the opposite and let sit on lees. Charles Smith of WA comes to mind.

I was originally taught to rack every 3 months during bulk aging. In recent years, I ask myself what I'm gaining from racking a clear wine that has no (or little) sediment? Every racking produces a loss of volume (inefficiencies in racking) and exposes the wine to air, which includes not only O2 but potentially other contaminants.

If I don't perceive a benefit from any action, I don't do it.