Racking off Lees Help

[gonefishin2]

Hey Winemaking Forum,

I am attempting my first country wine--I am using Jack Keller's persimmon wine recipe. In it, he instructs to rack the wine off the lees on a monthly basis. I assume this is to prevent off flavors from autolysis?

My question is this: Is racking on a monthly basis totally necessary?

I come from a homebrewing background, and I am thinking of kegging this after primary fermentation, using the keg as a secondary for 3 or so months, and then cold crashing and fining w gelatin. I would finally package in bottles. In this case, the wine will be sitting on the lees for a period of about 3 months. Will this be detrimental to the final product?

Thanks!

 

[Coffee49]

Racking isn't the issue, it is the introduction of uncontrolled O2 that is the problem. Unless nitrogen is used as a buffer when transferring I would go 3-4 months at a time after primary racking.

 

[gonefishin2]

Racking isn't the issue, it is the introduction of uncontrolled O2 that is the problem. Unless nitrogen is used as a buffer when transferring I would go 3-4 months at a time after primary racking.

Thank you for the reply. I have a CO2 system already set up for kegging. I can use it to preform closed transfers and counter pressure bottling in Oxygen purged bottles. Is this type of process acceptable for wine, or is nitrogen the way to go?

 

[Coffee49]

Nitrogen is an inert gas that takes up space and does nothintg more, C02 will stave off O2 but infuse carbonation in wine which has to be removed through time and degassing prior to bottling.

 

[Mallerstang]

Well I rack after one month, then about every two months, until it's clear and not dropping lees (or until I run out of wine to drink). Sometimes I forget and leave it longer.

I think the main thing is not to let it sit on a ton of gunk for too long, and to always sanitize everything well. A few years in and I'm more relaxed about the whole thing! They have all been good so far.

 

[Coffee49]

I have 13 years in the trade and still have questions. But making wine is a hobby that saves a ton of money, considering a lot of wines out there in retail are just aged 1 year.

 

[gonefishin2]

This is all very helpful information. Thank you. Another question I have--In Jack Keller's persimmon wine recipe, he suggests stirring daily during primary fermentation. Is this to keep the yeast in suspension, degas the CO2, or add O2? Should I be concerned about oxidation at this stage? Wouldn't the yeast uptake any of the O2 dissolved in solution?

 

[Coffee49]

I have used 2 types of vessels when primary fermenting, the carboy (upside down funnel) and a 7 gallon brew pail. The preferred for juices is the carboy. After ensuring juice is 26 C pitch yeast and wait 24hrs. Leaving a small space at the top (3") the yeast will create its own insulation blanket in that pocket of space.The airlock water action will indicate the activity. Problem with stirring is you could have excessive push up out of the mouth of carboy. A pail gives more open area for gas to escape and excessibilty if punching down solid fruit, using a sealed cover with airlock will keep O2 out but after 10 days the fermentation slows if not stop and no more insulator is produced. I am comfortable with the first racking at that point, key is sanitation technique. Topping off to 1" is also key after each racking to keep O2 entry to a minimum. Last I pitch 1/8 tsp. S02 in my 2nd racking to be sure.then wait 6 months.