Raspberry wine pulp removal

[brottman]

Hi everyone, I just finished fermenting a raspberry wine. Even though I used a straining bag, after I transferred over to the carboy, I still had about 6 inches of pulp sitting on the bottom. I don't want to just dump the 6 inches at the bottom (probably at least 20% or more of the entire batch) because I know that that pulp also contains a lot of juice I could strain out.

The question is - how do I separate the fermented juice from the pulp without losing too much volume or oxidizing the wine?

 

[knifemaker]

Time is going to be your friend on this one. It's still in its early stages so just let it sit, keep the airlock filled and wait and let it do its thing. The fruit solids will compact over a period of a few weeks, and you can siphon off of that. Do not dump the lees, pour them into a sanitized jug, and put it in the fridge. You will find that within a couple of weeks at fridge temps, you will be surprised at how much more wine you can pour off of the top of it. Good luck, and happy wine making. Dale.

 

[acorn]

Totally agree with knifemaker. Also, pour your sediment into a tall container(s), such as bottles, so that you can collect as much wine off the top without siphoning the sediment. At later stages of the process you may also experiment with different fining agents that not only clear your wine but also pack the lees in a dense layer. However, you will have to choose wisely, so it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with advantages and drawbacks of different fining agents, and use them according to your preference or circumstances. Personally, I used Sparkolloid on my raspberry wine with great success.

 

[sour_grapes]

You can put a pasta strainer into the lees. Liquid will filter into the strainer, and you can siphon it out of there.