Oxidation in wine

[Killinger]

I'm new to winemaking. I'm making my first batch now, if fact. It's Jim Karr's raisin wine recipe in the DB. The recipe calls for strain or squeeze the raisin pulp when transferring to secondary to extract the last of the wine.

I've heard that oxidation is a bigger concern in wine than beer. Knowing how careful you have to be with beer, how can you strain the sediment without introducing more oxygen into the mix?

I don't want to screw it up. A litt help, please?

Thanks,

 

[Yooper]

I'm new to winemaking. I'm making my first batch now, if fact. It's Jim Karr's raisin wine recipe in the DB. The recipe calls for strain or squeeze the raisin pulp when transferring to secondary to extract the last of the wine.

I've heard that oxidation is a bigger concern in wine than beer. Knowing how careful you have to be with beer, how can you strain the sediment without introducing more oxygen into the mix?

I don't want to screw it up. A litt help, please?

Thanks,

I've never made this recipe, but when you put wine in secondary, it's usually about day 5 of fermentation. At that point, it's usually still fermenting well, so aerating it isn't to much of a concern. After it goes into secondary, though, you don't want to splash or aerate it at all. I keep mine topped up to within an inch or two of the bung once it leaves primary.

So, I would rack the wine to secondary, then squeeze the pulp and add that to the secondary as well with as little splashing as possible. After that, I'd simply rack.

 

[Killinger]

Thanks.

Yeah, I screwed that up. I waited until fermentation slowed. Well, it's past that point now even. I didn't have a chance last weekend to transfer. I won't have a chance until late this weekend or early next week. Hmmm.

Opinions on recovering? I'm thinking maybe using a sanitized splatter screen to tamp down the pulp and then draw from above.

Shoot. Oh well.

 

[Yooper]

Thanks.

Yeah, I screwed that up. I waited until fermentation slowed. Well, it's past that point now even. I didn't have a chance last weekend to transfer. I won't have a chance until late this weekend or early next week. Hmmm.

Opinions on recovering? I'm thinking maybe using a sanitized splatter screen to tamp down the pulp and then draw from above.

Shoot. Oh well.

Well, that sounds like it might work. You can also try adding one crushed campden tablet (dissolved in a little boiling water) to the receiving carboy, and then racking the wine into it. Smash up the pulp, and gently rack/pour that it. The campden (sulfite) will help keep the o2 from binding to the wine, and will disapate over the next few weeks. I use sulfites at every other racking to help protect the wine from oxidation.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

Ray, this is why I make only kit wines.

Glad to see you're all settling into the new digs and "brewing" again.

 

[Killinger]

Ray, this is why I make only kit wines.

Glad to see you're all settling into the new digs and "brewing" again.

Hey, Jason! Thanks, man. I hit the ground in STL running. This is my 6th batch since we got here!

 

[giligson]

Don't worry too much - "raisin" wine will be oxidized to begin with, the dried raisins are already super oxidized. That's what gives raisin wine its kind of musty cherry like taste. Oxidation is mostly a concern with grape and fruit wines.