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pp

wrote:
> I am making port and I have french cubes in the 5 gallon carboy
> according to the instructions. We put the port in Oct and we have
> racked it once. I have three questions:
> 1) should I rack again - how important is that to do with Port?
> 2) if I rack I will have more head space. Should I top off with another
> port or not worry so much because of the alcohol content?
> 3) As for the french cubes, I was planning on leaving them in there for
> a year, but I am wondering if they will need that long before maximum
> extraction.
>
> thanks
> marc

3) Real port is typically processed in big old oak containers, so it
doesn't pick up oak flavour. You're speaking of instructions - is this
a kit? Other than that, cubes should be fully extracted in 3-4 months.

1 & 2) Racking is important for clarification and development. Port can
handle oxidation better than wine because of higher alcohol content,
but it will oxidize too if kept with a significant headspace for some
time. A week is probably ok but I wouldn't go much over that. If you
don't want to top up with real port, a big red will work fine - you can
add some Everclear if you have it or vodka if you're concerned about
losing alcohol, depending on how much top up you need. Same for sugar.

Pp