Topping off

[mike48]

Greetings,


I have a question regarding topping off after racking from primary to secondary. Ive read that it should be done and my current batch of Cellar Craft Meritage suggests topping off with water. However, there are about 6-7 inches of empty space to the top of my carboy. Suppose I do as they suggest and top off to within 3 inches of the carboy top. This seems like an awful lot of water to add. Additionally, if I use a like wine to top off it would make my wine a lot more expensive.


Is the topping off mandatory? This is my second batch ever and I should add that I did not top off with the first as I wanted the wine to be my own so I may be a little naive about all this. However, I had no problems with my first batch, a Mosti Caberlot, and it just keeps getting better. Did I just get lucky? I just transferred today so there is time but I'd rather keep the wine as original as possible. Without topping off I also got exactly 30 bottles from that first batch.


Any input/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Even if it means I should 'contaminate' my wine with someone elses


Thanks,


Mike

 

[lieu]

Hey Mike48;
Not an expert by any means but from what I have learned on this site about topping off is that you do it because you dont want the o2 to get to your wine. If you top off till the wine is at the bottom of the neck that there is not really enough wine/o2 contact (surface area) to oxidize the wine.
There are a few options. You can top off with a like wine but then you get the added expense of the topping off wine. (plus like you said it wont be "your own" ).
I dont really think you will find anybody on here to tell you to use h2o to top off with. It sounds like you might have one of the larger "6 gallon" carboys.
I think the best thing that you could do is get some marbles, sanitize them, and add to the carboy. By doing this you displace the wine till it gets up in the neck and then your problem is solved. I think there are some kind of marbles that you want to stay away from so hopfully some one will chime in on that. good luck -Bruce

 

[AlFulchino]

i wont get into how many inches from the top it should me because i will catch some flak but your topic caught my eye because the other night i saw a piece of a tv show called something like In Wine Country or Wine Country...it showed a lady in mendocino county i believe who had a winery ( no vines) on the seashore and it showed what was all her barrels sitting outside in the elements...the rings and racks were rusty and the wood as one would expect was that gray color one would expect of a shingle on a cape cod or nantucket home...she said she had to top it off quite frequently because the salt air and wind did a lot of wicking out of the barrels

 

[ibglowin]

If you top off with a like wine its still in the carboy, you get to drink it at some point. Its not like you poured it down the drain or something. It is not raising your cost and your wine will not taste "watered down".....

 

[rhoffart]

If you top off with a like wine its still in the carboy, you get to drink it at some point. Its not like you poured it down the drain or something. It is not raising your cost and your wine will not taste "watered down".....

and if you add water you might be pouring six gallons down the drain.

 

[Bartman]

If you top off with a like wine its still in the carboy, you get to drink it at some point. Its not like you poured it down the drain or something. It is not raising your cost and your wine will not taste "watered down".....

But, Mike, you know very well it is raising your *total* cost to add commercial wine for topping off, especially if you are making an expensive commercial wine like Amarone, Barolo or Brunello. Sure, you will get it back in the end, but it is still increasing your cost, perhaps dramatically. A $120 Brunello kit that will make 30 bottles topped off with a commercial bottle (or 2) will be increased by ~$40-60 to make 31 bottles; cost goes from $4/bottle to $5-6/bottle.

To be fair, if you are making a cab or merlot or chardonnay, and don't mind using Oak Leaf (Wal-mart's private label) wine at $2.78/bottle, then you might actually lower the total average cost, but then why are you making your own wine??

 

[pm24]

Although many experts don't like my suggestion, I think you ought to go to your local supermarket and ask for some dry ice (solid CO2), crush it enough to be able to drop it into your carboy, and put the air lock on the bottle. The CO2 will displace the air and will protect your wine from oxygen. I am told that this technique is futile and that the CO2 will be absorbed by the wine. But if your wine is still fermenting, this temporary stopgap will serve you well until the fermentation CO2 takes over.

I found that Fermtech has a one-way stopper for a carboy (#7 size) that permits CO2 to exit the carboy but prevents air from entering (as might happen if the temperature of your airspace lowers too much). My wine store charges $5 for this stopper, but I think it is worth it.

Paul

 

[Bacci]

some good thoughts on this subject ina current RJ Spagnols thread about topping off. Racking down to a 5 gal and 1gal or 3 lt. jug is one of the best techniques I've learned in kit winemaking. I had a 6gal Italian carboy and cracked it and glad I did, after topping up with 3 - 4 bottles constantly.