We are just making fruit wine out of pineapple juice and we are racking
tomorrow from the bucket to a carboy.
When shall we rack the next time? And is it necessary to add some
campden tablets or something else (or add nothing at all)?

Thanks for advices

Susi

On 3/14/2006 9:49 PM, Suzanne wrote:
> We are just making fruit wine out of pineapple juice and we are racking
> tomorrow from the bucket to a carboy.
> When shall we rack the next time? And is it necessary to add some
> campden tablets or something else (or add nothing at all)?
>
> Thanks for advices
>
> Susi


Susi,

If your fermentation has completed, then the next step is to bulk age
for clarification and maturation. Racking is usually done when the lees
accumulate enough to warrant it, and this is a fairly subjective amount.
A reasonable rule of thumb could be 1/4". Your wine may also benefit
from sur lee aging, and in that case you wouldn't have to rack for
months or even a year or more.

Adding sulfites in tablet or powder form is recommended for protecting
your wine from oxidation. Your campden tablets should come with
instructions on their use, or for powdered potassium metabisulfite a
good rule of thumb is 1/4 tsp per 5 gallons. I use the powder, dissolve
it it a bit of water and add it to the vessel I'm racking into first,
and then let the racking blend it in.


Cheers,
Ken Taborek

After racking off the gross sediment in the primary, I do not rack out of
secondary until a week or two after fermentation finishes. Of course I
expect fermentation to finish within 4 or 5 weeks. Then I rack after most
of the sediment has dropped out (usually a month after racking to the aging
carboy. Then a couple of months later after it has mostly cleared. I do
not mess around with my wines any more than absolutely necessary. This cuts
down on oxidation, racking loss, and then need for topping up.

Ray

"Suzanne" > wrote in message
m...
> We are just making fruit wine out of pineapple juice and we are racking
> tomorrow from the bucket to a carboy.
> When shall we rack the next time? And is it necessary to add some campden
> tablets or something else (or add nothing at all)?
>
> Thanks for advices
>
> Susi