Lee wrote
This question concerns how often to rack. I'm referring
to making grape wine from fresh red grapes, in carboys.

My routine is to do the primary fermentation in an open
tub. I'll often innoculate with ML just prior to the
completion of the primary. Once the primary is
completed, I'll press, let the wine settle, and then
rack after a day or so. But once the ML is completed,
which usually takes about a month, I'll be left with a
filled carboy with about 1/2 to 1 inch of debri on the
bottom. Do you all rack at that point? Or do you let
the wine age on its lees? I usually cold stabilize in
my garage over the winter (in Maryland, we can count on
3 weeks or so of consistently cold weather). Then I
usually rack at the end of winter.

Only three weeks? I also live in Maryland - just west of
Ballmer The City that Slurs - and I get 10 to 12 weeks of
consistently cold weather.

Does this sound about right? I'm wondering what the
effect of letting the wine sit on 1 inch of dead yeast
cells for 3-4 months does.

I make Mead, not wine. My experience with letting the must
sit on the dead yeast cells is called "autolysis". Call it
"auto lee sis" or "auto ly sis". It is still a foul odor
and a foul taste.

Also, I'm not sure if the debri in the bottom of the
carboy can accurately be called "lees". It's really not
old grape skins or stems...it's just dead yeast.

It's still garbage by any other name.

Any thoughts?

I rack when primary fermentation is complete. My Meads do
not need an ML fermentation. I rack again two months later.

Dick