How do your top off? So I I take a can of concentrate and make 2 gallon of wine. After primary fermentation I can get 2 gallon filled. But then after 60 days once you rack off lees you end up with less liquid. What do you add to top up to control headspace? If you add water don't you run risk of weakening the wine? If you add more concentrate (making s point to buy 2 or more cans for wine and top off) wI'll you not just keep fermenration going? At least until the yeast fails. So what do you do? What's the best method? I was going to plan to make say 2.5 gallon and set .5 gal aside. Ferment all and use the .5 gal for topping off as main wine reduces with each racking over six months. And I was going to buy a second can of concentrate to top up the .5 gal bc let's face it there will be head space there once you start using it to top up the main wine. So what do you all do?
Topping up/off
- Thread starter PTS_35
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
jgmillr1
Well-Known Member
You can top off with a similar wine, perhaps from something you've bottled and have still sitting around. This is probably the best solution for the initial racking off the lees where you will lose the most volume of your wine. Later rackings shouldn't leave as much head-space you'll need to fill and you should be able to top off with a little distilled water and not dilute your wine noticeably.
Another option I've used is that I've connected a blow gun attachment to a tank of inert gas (nitrogen or CO2) and use the gas to purge out the air. This is also a great way to displace oxygen from your carboy before you rack. Nitrogen is better since it won't dissolve into the wine as much as CO2 but that is better than having air in there for sure.
Another option I've used is that I've connected a blow gun attachment to a tank of inert gas (nitrogen or CO2) and use the gas to purge out the air. This is also a great way to displace oxygen from your carboy before you rack. Nitrogen is better since it won't dissolve into the wine as much as CO2 but that is better than having air in there for sure.
bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
How about aiming to make a batch size slightly larger than your secondary. I use a bucket as my primary and so my target volume might be an additional half gallon and so when it comes time to rack I have more wine than my carboy will hold. I fill wine bottles with the excess and refrigerate them and use them to top up the next and subsequent times I rack...
Mallerstang
Let it go
Start collecting extra glass containers in various sizes - I've been doing this for a bit over a year and have about ten glass jugs in sizes from 1.9 litres to 4.6 litres, plus 1.5 litre and 750 ml wine bottles. I got most of them for a dollar or two at the recycling depot. And you'll need bungs that fit them all.
Then when I start a 3-gallon batch, which means I aim to bottle from a full 3-gallon carboy, I start with a 3.75 gallon recipe, which might go in the 3-gallon carboy and a 4.6 litre jug. After 3 rackings, using successively smaller additional containers, I'm usually down to just the carboy.
If you need a tiny bit more at racking time you can always add water (and make notes to make a bigger recipe next time) - and if there is extra then of course you drink it!
Then when I start a 3-gallon batch, which means I aim to bottle from a full 3-gallon carboy, I start with a 3.75 gallon recipe, which might go in the 3-gallon carboy and a 4.6 litre jug. After 3 rackings, using successively smaller additional containers, I'm usually down to just the carboy.
If you need a tiny bit more at racking time you can always add water (and make notes to make a bigger recipe next time) - and if there is extra then of course you drink it!
Ok. I'm making note already to make more and set aside. Might need to get some bungs for 750ml bottles and go that route once half gal gets low. Let's face it, even if I use concentrate to top off half gallon it would ferment in a week or so compared to the 60 days I'll be letting the main wine sit. I'm gonna try that method. So far my wines haven't turned out that good. Idk if it's the lack of sulfite from the very beginning or the head space or both. My guess is both. I racked a pinot I let sit 60 days, racked, sat on wood for 30 days and when I racked it off wood it was great imo. But when I added sparkalloid and racked it, it fell sour and changed. Now I find it not so good. Is it sparkalloid? Would it change the flavor? I'm gonna skip it with the blackberry and see. Also do the pinot again and skip it and see why happens there.
jonereb
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2014
- Messages
- 236
- Reaction score
- 19
I top off with the wine I'm trying to emulate (Muscadine in my case). When I eventually get my wine to my satisfaction (yeast, water, acidity, sweetness, etc.), I'll start using my wine to top off. I think this year or next I'll reach my level of satisfaction. I'm close now. My current batch may be close enough, but I won't know for another year because of aging. Only been making wine for a few years.
So here's a confusing story. My 2nd try at blackberry is damn terrific. I used sweet mead yeast and didn't add camden unail just recently when the wine was about 3.5 months. Little headspace in one gallon and quite a bit in the 2nd. I needed to rack it so I did and reduced it to 1.5 gallon with zero headspace. I had about half a wine bottle left over so I drank it. I expected sour but it was clean in appearance and very good. I'll bottle in a month (6months mark) and add sorbate along with camden. Figured I'd add the sorbate due to residual sugars. Wine tested at 1.010
