Ray Calvert wrote:

>..... After 5 days I racked each. The Niagra continued
> fine.
> The Concord bubbled for a few days and stopped. I let it sit for a week
> or
> so and checked it . It was at 1.030, right where it was when I racked it.
> I repitched it. Nothing.

Ray, when making wines from frozed juice or kit wines, you might consider
carying over the lees when you rack the first time and possibly every time
- until ready to bottle and then rack off the lees.

With concentrated juice there are no organic particles that could possible
cause H2S problems and therefore the lees are probably sweet and will only
help the wine. You may have thrown out whatever small ammount of nutrients
were in the wine when you racked. In your subsequent rackings and adding
lees, it took awhile for the nutrients in the lees you added to help what
few yeast cells were left.

My method is after the initial racking off the gross lees - even wine with
fresh grapes - in subsequent rackings, if the lees smell sweet and no bad
orders - I include them and stir them back into the wine. My initial
racking - when making wine from fresh grapes - is several hours after I
press. By that time most of the "heavies" have settled out.

I do not understand why so many people rack, rack and then rack some more -
especially in kit wines.