The Joys of Racking Your Wine

Racking your wine is a necessary evil.

We know it can be tedious, but in the end it is so worth it.

Things to keep in mind when racking:

• Cleanliness: We cannot express this enough. The cleaner your cellar, the less risk you have of spoilage, the better your wine will be. Aka SANITIZE EVERYTHING!! (however if doing MLF rinse with hot water as not to agitate the ML bacteria)
• Primary Racking: Rack after your primary fermentation is complete. This protects your wine from any initial microbial fermentation issues.
• Secondary Racking: Rack after fermentation has finished. At the second racking you will want to rack your wine into an aging vessel. Whether that is a stainless steel tank or an oak barrel. Don’t forget to sulfite, unless you are doing MLF.
• Third and/or Fourth Racking: Is used more clarification purposes.
• Using a pump makes life so much easier. You can pretty much sit back and relax with a glass of wine while your juice in being transferred. If you don’t have a pump the best way to rack is by using a siphon and the gravity method. Put the primary vessel up some place high and rack into your new vessel.