Aging Wine

After fermentation and racking comes probably the hardest part of making wine aging it. It’s one of those necessary evils of wine making. As a society we have trouble with delayed gratification and this will test your patience for sure.

Why Age Wine Prior to Bottling?

Aging prior to bottling is necessary for two reasons. The most notable reason is shaping the flavor with oak barrels or chips. Most every red wine and a few whites are aged in oak for the flavors and tannins it adds to the flavor profile.

Another critical reason to age wines prior to bottling is to make sure all chemical reactions have completed. If wine is bottled while fermentation, malolactic fermentation, or any other chemical process is underway you’ll end up with a funky sparkling wine. Continue reading “Aging Wine”

Racking off the Lees

Racking is the next step, after the initial more vigorous fermentation.

What is racking?

Simply put racking is siphoning your wine off of the dead yeast, known as lees, into a clean container.

Racking wine off the lees involves siphoning from the primary fermenter to a secondary fermentation container.There are two reasons to rack your wine. First it helps clarify your wine but it can also prevent off flavors from the decomposing yeast.

Over time yeast and other sediment will precipitate out of your wine and settle to the bottom. The cloudiness will dissipate with each successive racking until you’ve got a nearly clear wine. Nearly because you do sometimes need to fine the last bit of cloudiness out.

Getting your wine off of the yeast as it decomposes can prevent off flavors. While some wines are aged on the yeast you really need to know what you’re doing to do this successfully. Continue reading “Racking off the Lees”