While oxygen is necessary in the early stages of fermentation it is also the mortal enemy of wine makers once a wine has gone still. Topping up your wine after fermentation is complete is the best way to minimize how much oxygen your wine is exposed to.
As our wines ferment we rack it from one container to another to get it off the lees. Each time we do this though we lose a bit of wine and increase the surface area of the wine we have left. This can leave us with too much head space at a time when our wine is most susceptible to oxygen exposure.
Topping up is the process of adding wine to your carboy, barrel, or tank to reduce the amount of head space (also known as ullage). This serves two very important purposes. Continue reading “Topping Up Your Wine”