When to rack?

[BobbyHardy]

Hi,

I'm new to this winemaking milarky and have read a few books and info on forum sites. But I'm still confused as when to perform the first racking. Any help would be appreciated.

I started a nettle wine on the 6th may. For around the first 4/5 days it fermented vigourously and then slowed down. After 8 days (or so - I'm terible with notes!) I poured through a funnel and muslin into a demijohn and airlocked. No sign of fermentation there after. Checked the SG and it was around 992. I've left it and its cleared a fair bit compared to what it was at the start, with a deposit on the base. I'm not sure when to rack it off the lees into another demijohn. The books I've read (CJ Berry etc.) have said to rack when the wine's cleared. But I don't thin it will ever clear completely. I can't read newspaper through it. Any advice?

Confused with how quicly the nettle wine has fermented. I've made a dandelion wine a week earlier and that is still slowly fermenting in the demijohn. Also I have a hawthorn wine I've made is now sitting idle (no fermentation) in the demijohn. I though fermentation was supposed to take quite a number of weeks - not between one and two.

Cheers,
BobbyHardy

 

[stylis]

At 992 it has probably finished fermenting. The time it takes to ferment out can be different for each brew. It depends how warm it was. How much sugar was there in the first place etc.

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

Some wines take longer to clear than others, and most wines will eventually clear on their own although you can speed the process along using finings. If you do decide to use finings, it's generally wise to rack into a clean, sterilised demijohn before you use them so that you don't stir up any sediment when you add them, but unless you need the wine cleared and bottled quickly it's generally best to be patient and let the process happen naturally.

 

[oldbloke]

You can rack whenever you like, really, but it's rarely necessary before fermentation is done and is an opportunity to infect or oxidise your stuff.
My current nettle was started on May30 and is still going, but very slowly, and still pretty opaque. Has a layer of dead stuff about 5mm thick on the bottom.
I'm just leaving it, for now. If it's not cleared by the time I head to Spain at the end of the month I'll rack it before I go, if it has cleared I'll bottle it before I go.
There's no rush.
When it clears, then the sugar's all gone and maybe the yeast might start eating the dead yeast and maybe that might give off flavours. So I rack when clear, before that only if there's massive amounts of stuff on the bottom I want shot of.
If you think it's done (992 sounds done) and the remaining opacity is haze rather than yeast, racking would be a good idea, to get it off the dead stuff so the finings - if you use them - have less to deal with. Just racking can sometimes push clearing along a bit. As can putting the stuff somewhere cold.

 

[BobbyHardy]

Cheers for the info fellas.

@oldbloke - I think it is hazey as opposed to yeasty so I'll have a go at racking. Think I understand what the difference is now. I bet this warm wether is not helping the clearing either?

Cheers,
Dave

 

[oldbloke]

Part of the haze may be solids help in suspension by CO2, as well as or instead of racking you could give it a damn good shake to get the gas out. Cheap and quick!