Sediment during bottling

[Capecodderbrewing]

I'm fairly new to the home wine making process. Yesterday I bottled my 3rd kit, a malbec. Wine I got to the end of filling the bottles, I realized I forgot to put the small cap on the bottom of my suction tube and saw some sediment had been sucked up during the bottling process. Should I empty all the bottles back into the carboy and let the wine clear again? I don't want to have a bunch of bottles with sediment in them. My gut is telling me I should but wanted to ask anyway! Thanks in advance!!

 

[Rocky]

I'm fairly new to the home wine making process. Yesterday I bottled my 3rd kit, a malbec. Wine I got to the end of filling the bottles, I realized I forgot to put the small cap on the bottom of my suction tube and saw some sediment had been sucked up during the bottling process. Should I empty all the bottles back into the carboy and let the wine clear again? I don't want to have a bunch of bottles with sediment in them. My gut is telling me I should but wanted to ask anyway! Thanks in advance!!

It is your call. The sediment will always be there and it wont go away by itself. On the other hand, other than aesthetics, a little sediment will not spoil the taste of your wine to any great degree. If it were I, I would keep it as it is and carefully decant the wine before drinking. You will lose a little wine in decanting, but save a lot of time and expense.

 

[Johnd]

If you can’t tolerate the sediment, then yes, you should. If you can tolerate it, then let it slide.

Big lesson isn‘t about remembering the sediment cap on your racking cane. ALWAYS rack off of sediment to a new carboy before bottling, then there isn’t any sediment to mistakenly get into your wine.

 

[Capecodderbrewing]

It is your call. The sediment will always be there and it wont go away by itself. On the other hand, other than aesthetics, a little sediment will not spoil the taste of your wine to any great degree. If it were I, I would keep it as it is and carefully decant the wine before drinking. You will lose a little wine in decanting, but save a lot of time and expense.

I didn't know if the sediment would taint the taste of the wine over time. This is definilty a hard leasson learned for me. I read the instructions over and over and yesterday was running short on time so I was in a bit of a rush and as John D just said, I should have racked off to another carboy. I'm learining you just can't rush anything in this wine making process! I think I will leave it as is and mark the bottles to remind me to decant the wine first! Thanks for your reply!

 

[Capecodderbrewing]

If you can’t tolerate the sediment, then yes, you should. If you can tolerate it, then let it slide.

Big lesson isn‘t about remembering the sediment cap on your racking cane. ALWAYS rack off of sediment to a new carboy before bottling, then there isn’t any sediment to mistakenly get into your wine.

I agree! As I mentioned to Rocky, I was trying to rush and knew better. Thought I could get way with the racking cane until I saw the cap missing. I will rack to a new carboy from here on out! Thanks for your reply!

 

[Rocky]

I didn't know if the sediment would taint the taste of the wine over time. This is definilty a hard leasson learned for me. I read the instructions over and over and yesterday was running short on time so I was in a bit of a rush and as John D just said, I should have racked off to another carboy. I'm learining you just can't rush anything in this wine making process! I think I will leave it as is and mark the bottles to remind me to decant the wine first! Thanks for your reply!

CC, if this is the biggest error you make, you are way ahead of all of us. Maybe I should not speak for everyone, so I will just note that you are way ahead of me!

 

[Johnd]

CC, if this is the biggest error you make, you are way ahead of all of us. Maybe I should not speak for everyone, so I will just note that you are way ahead of me!

I‘ll second Rocky, I’ve done just what you did, once..... Put the whole batch back into the carboy and started over.

 

[hounddawg]

I agree! As I mentioned to Rocky, I was trying to rush and knew better. Thought I could get way with the racking cane until I saw the cap missing. I will rack to a new carboy from here on out! Thanks for your reply!

i use a 6&1/2 gal carboy that's sitting under my pump, i rack into it clean the freshly emptied carboy then rack back init it, filtering boh was and degassing both ways, then come bottling time i rack back into my designated carboy, still filtering, pull splash rack bung drop bottling cane in ,which has a filter on it as well, and bottle away, 2-1/2-by 10 inch poly spun filters, 5 microns for reds and 1 icron for whites, and they will do several musts, but them by the case and they run about $1.50 each or $60 a case, of buy single filters for $3 to $4 each, ouch, buy bulk, on ebay the got 2 places one has cases of 26 the other has cases of 50
Dawg

 

[winemaker81]

How much sediment are we talking about? If it's a dusting, I agree with the consensus that rebottling is unnecessary unless you want to.

If it's a lot of sediment? Then I'd put it back in the carboy and let it clear.

I recommend that you ensure the wine is clear 2 weeks before bottling -- this avoids mishaps with sediment. As you noted, patience is the key.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Bottling bucket...this is your answer.

 

[KCCam]

i use a 6&1/2 gal carboy that's sitting under my pump,

Just to make it crystal clear (um, OK, pun intended), hounddawg does his racking, degassing, filtering, and bottling under vacuum. Sounds like he has a pretty nice setup. I’m not sure how well those filters work with just gravity, but they are awesome when used with a vacuum pump.

 

[hounddawg]

Just to make it crystal clear (um, OK, pun intended), hounddawg does his racking, degassing, filtering, and bottling under vacuum. Sounds like he has a pretty nice setup. I’m not sure how well those filters work with just gravity, but they are awesome when used with a vacuum pump.

oh no, i use steves AIO, I PUT a tee switch on it, got from steve a second hose splash rack bottling the entire set up times 2, even 2 filter housings, so to go from racking to bottling by turning one off then the other on, 2 reservoirs except i use 2 - 1 gallon jugs they use 6.5 bung steve has them ,when i'm done i fill all lines and filter housings with potassium metabisulphite solution , then next time i need to use i turn pump on, out goes all the solution, and i'm racking or bottling,, just buy from steve his complete set, then go to ebay and buy a hose barb tee fitting with a shut off on each end, hook center to pump and all you have to do is turn on steve's pump, i marked each hose at the fitting with a B an a R (bottle--rack) yes ever rack, every bottling both filtered, now by using only one 6.5 gal carboy is you rack in, clean other carboy and rack back into it, thats double the vacuuming and doubled filtering. slicker than sliced bread, yes you are right i got a slick setup. you can too, just get in touch with vacuumpumpman (Steve) ,,you'll be able to sit in a chair,( wood chair i recommend) around all them carboys,,,
Dawg

 

[KCCam]

Like I said... Dawg has a nice setup. I'm not so lucky. My only access to a sink and water is our kitchen, so my playground is the kitchen. (My wife doesn't like that so much.) She's not a drinker (at all) so I don't have that going for me either. But i DO have one of Steve's AllInOne Wine pumps! Best investment I ever made into this... I keep wanting to say hobby... but it's much more than that. One day maybe I'll give Dawg a run for his money... but not yet. Haha. I'll have to print his comment out as a blueprint to keep for when I'm ready. I want to be just like him when I grow up. I'm almost a senior now, but still an infant when it comes to wine.

 

[hounddawg]

Like I said... Dawg has a nice setup. I'm not so lucky. My only access to a sink and water is our kitchen, so my playground is the kitchen. (My wife doesn't like that so much.) She's not a drinker (at all) so I don't have that going for me either. But i DO havee one of Steve's AllInOne Wine pumps! Best investment I ever made into this... I keep wanting to say hobby... but it's much more than that. One day maybe I'll give Dawg a run for his money... but not yet. Haha. I'll have to print his comment out as a blueprint to keep for when I'm ready. I want to be just like him when I grow up. I'm almost a senior now, but still an infant when it comes to wine.

you got a bath room near your work area they make a screw in adapter for hooking up portable washing machines, you remove you aerator that thing with the screen where the water comes out of faucet the adapter screws right in the other end for the washing machine is the same threads that are on your washing machine, so connect water hose to faucet on other end put a shutoff on that end of your water hose, get a white water hose from a boating store or other stores white marine grade water hoses are food grade, you can even run it out the window and hook to your outside spigot,
Dawg
Dawg

 

[KCCam]

Work area? What's that? LOL. Anyway, we're kind of hijacking this thread. I like your thinking. Will keep all that in mind. Until then, I'm just REALLY nice to my lovely wife while I'm making wine. "3 or 4 weeks - tops, Honey." Then it takes longer to ferment, then it doesn't clear quickly, then... "Well, next time, dear... I promise!"

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

I agree! As I mentioned to Rocky, I was trying to rush and knew better. Thought I could get way with the racking cane until I saw the cap missing. I will rack to a new carboy from here on out! Thanks for your reply!

I did the exact same thing once when I was just starting to make wine (trying to bottle before racking off the fine lees). I realized the error of my ways though within a couple of bottles as I was bottling under vacuum and when you do so the wine drains back down into the carboy between bottles. I think I only did a few before I realized my mistake so I just had to let the wine clear again before I could resume.

I have had some wines drop sediment after bottling even though they looked clear and had been filtered before. I bought a nice decanter just for that reason

 

[DizzyIzzy]

If you can’t tolerate the sediment, then yes, you should. If you can tolerate it, then let it slide.

Big lesson isn‘t about remembering the sediment cap on your racking cane. ALWAYS rack off of sediment to a new carboy before bottling, then there isn’t any sediment to mistakenly get into your wine.

John, could one rack into a primary if a carboy is not available?.............................Dizzy

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

John, could one rack into a primary if a carboy is not available?.............................Dizzy

I'll offer an opinion on this for what it's worth. I would think it would be okay to rack into a primary vessel if that's all you have as long as you're going to bottle it immediately after that.

 

[winemaker81]

John, could one rack into a primary if a carboy is not available?

I always rack to an intermediate container, typically a primary fermenter. You can rack into a carboy, just ensure the new container is at least as big as the old one so you don't have an overflow. [I learned the hard way to NEVER leave a racking unattended.]

I rack excess wine (in secondary containers) into the main batch to keep them homogenized, add sulfite and any other additives (such as fining agents), then rack back into the carboy and excess into secondary containers.

At the current time I have 2 carboys each of 3 different wines. At each racking for a wine, I rack half the first carboy into each of two 8 gallon primaries. Then do the same with the second carboy. This keeps them homogenized so I won't have 2 different wines.

It is also a valid choice to keep the carboys separate, if desired.

 

[KCCam]

It probably goes without saying, but at this point you want to avoid splashing as much as possible, unless you have a vacuum pump.