Longer than normal times between racking

[EisBerg]

I work offshore and due to my schedule (28 days away and 14 days at home) I am not able to stick to the directions provided with the kits that I bought. After reading through these forums I believe that I should come out of this with something approaching decent however I just wondered if anyone has some advice I could use. I started two kits (instructions were generic and the same for both) and racked them both to a secondary prior to leaving for work. It will be a month before I return to them and I will only have two weeks before leaving again. Do airlocks evaporate? Will changing up the schedule mess with the quality of the wine? Is there something different I should do when I return due to my unique situation? Thanks for everyones help. I am very glad I found this forum. An excellent treasure trove of information.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[Yooper]

Water in airlocks does evaporate, but not usually in 2 months unless you live in a desert or otherwise dry climate.

Keeping the wine in the carboy extra long won't hurt, even though the kits tell you to transfer earlier than that. The only time really matters is when the wine is in the primary, and maybe not airlocked. That shouldn't go longer than 5-7 days at the most. The rest of the time is very variable. In fact, I just commented to my husband today that "winemaking is a procrastinator's hobby." I've had the wine I finally bottled today in the carboy since March 06 and bottled it a few hours ago. It still needs some aging, but it's pretty good!

 

[EisBerg]

Wow...fast reply!! Thanks for the help. I have been wondering just how unattended this stuff can be. From what I remember the instructions saying I will have to rack twice more. They could very well end up being in carboys for close to 4 months before bottling. My hope was that the extra time would just help with a clearer wine in the end.

 

[Yooper]

Wow...fast reply!! Thanks for the help. I have been wondering just how unattended this stuff can be. From what I remember the instructions saying I will have to rack twice more. They could very well end up being in carboys for close to 4 months before bottling. My hope was that the extra time would just help with a clearer wine in the end.

And that's exactly what will happen! You may want to consider purchasing some additional campden tablets (potassium metabisulfite) and add at the first or second racking, to help preserve the wine a bit if it gets to be longer than you intended.

 

[EisBerg]

I believe that the supply kit that I purchased came with some of that in a bag (powder form) for sanitizing. Can't really remember right now but I will order some more just to make sure. How much would I use when racking?

 

[Yooper]

For the powdered stuff, I'd use 1/4 tsp (mixed in a little water) for 6 gallons at every other racking. But check your package to make sure of the strength/dose.

If you buy campden tablets, it's one tablet per gallon at every other racking.

 

[KENfromMI]

IMBIBED, after talking to people on here I found I was actually racking too much. I age my wine in the carboys for a year total before bottling. Of course I do rack, but once you get the wine off the majority of the sediment (the most important right after primary fermentation) let it sit. The only problem I could see is if you arent home and you have a problem due to an infection that you can't fix in time when you finally catch it but so far I've only had one problem with a mild problem fixed with Campden, Ken

 

[EisBerg]

Thanks for the information. I feel a lot more comfortable about stuff I have working away at home now. Especially after all the bragging I did before hand!!! A year in the carboy? That's patience that I don't think that I will be able to muster!!

 

[KENfromMI]

IMBIBED, the first year sucks because you have nothing to drink. Just make sure you make alot more then you think you need, there is nothing better then drinking last years while making this years and tasting along when you taste the young wine so you can see the difference in the taste. Once you realize a year isn't even that long you will start hiding a stash to leave for two years to open on special occasions for instance when you are amking a new batch of wine lol. Good luck and be patient, my wifes famous last words were "you can't wait for anything, you will never be able to be a winemaker if you have to wait a year". I proved her wrong and now she enjoys the wine. I even sent her family home with some from a Thanksgiving visit thats about 16 months old. I asked her parents if they drank it yet and they said that it was so good they are saving the rest for New Years Eve to share with friends. If that doesn't make it worth the time I'm not sure what does, Ken

 

[petes]

Read KEN's first post to this - had understood when I set out that it was almost mandatory to rack every 30 days. So I did it, used to stress when the timespan blew out.
Then I found this forum and realised that I was exposing to oxidation so I changed my ways. And unfortunately after much wishing and waiting what's in the bottle has shown signs of just that, so another year's going to pass before I find out whether or not the problem's cured or I look elsewhere.
(We learn slowly )

 

[KENfromMI]

IMBIBED, I also forgot to mention you can use glycerine in your air locks and never worry about evaporation, it's a bit expensive at around $3.50 per bottle but after fermentation and when you are waiting for your wine to clear it's a good option. It's thick so I'd make sure your ferment is over before putting it in your airlock, Ken

 

[EisBerg]

Glycerine...that's a new one for me. I'll have a look at the airlocks when I get home. I should never be gone longer than a month but it's something to look at for long term, maintainance-free use. Thanks.

 

[Tusch]

Never used glycerine, I used water for a long time without concern. For the past 6 months its been vodka, and neither has evaporated in several months of sitting. But I keep my carboys in either a cabinet or a closet out of light. But keeping it out of light should be common practice anyways.

 

[Texron]

I saw some of the "glycerine" style plugs at the shop I frequent and it just looked like a plug of soft rubber. They described it as "burping" if there was any pressure build-up, but designed in such a way that air could not come into the carboy.

 

[KENfromMI]

I use standard airlocks, I also noticed in the E.C. Kraus catalog they recommend it for airlocks now right in their ads. I was told it was a bad idea to use vodka like many do but not with any real good explanation why, Ken

 

[5327echo]

In fact, I just commented to my husband today that "winemaking is a procrastinator's hobby." I've had the wine I finally bottled today in the carboy since March 06 and bottled it a few hours ago. It still needs some aging, but it's pretty good!

HAHAAHA!!!! right on the money Yooper! As long as my locks don't run dry I have been fine to leave my country wines to "bulk age" way longer than recipes call for (strawberry, pomegranate, apple, blueberry)

I think some of them have actually benefited from this (some of them sitting on oak chips) and it seems to keep things more predictable to age in larger batches.

So based on my vast 1 year of experience in this area I think leaving them to sit in secondary is just fine...and you are also correct about the desert. No way can I leave a lock for 2 mo without looking at it....but I am in southern New Mexico about 20 miles from the Mexican border...it is dry dry dry.

-Ken in NM

 

[brianmp]

I have a simple question about bottling - I just bottled a hard apple cider on the 25th and didn't have enough wine bottles, so I used an old glass peanut butter jar with a metal screw-on lid. As I carried it to my basement, it started to leak a little so I put a plastic bag over it with a rubber band to avoid getting oxygen in it (I think that's a bad thing, but not sure). I now have a wine bottle I can use and am wondering if I would harm anything if I just simply transferred the cider from the jar to the wine bottle. If it comes into contact with oxygen, is it going to affect how long I can age it or will there be no effect? Thanks... I just didn't want to ruin a perfectly good 30oz or so of cider...