6 July 2007
[Epi 6] TintoTV - Blackberry's first racking
Add to del.icio.us! – Digg this! – Twit this! – Subscribe 
Tinto TV marks the end of its primary fermentation with this show on the blackberry wine’s first racking! “Racking” refers to the practice of moving wine from one container to another, and in our case, it is from our primary fermenter (bucket) to our secondary fermenter (1-gallon glass carboy). During the winemaking process, a wine will be racked a few times (usually from carboy to carboy or carboy to barrel, etc…) in order to rid the wine of sediment (separate from the lees) and aid the wine’s clarifying process. Today, though, we end primary fermentation and move on to secondary fermentation!
The secondary fermentation will be less “violent” with less foaming and subtle micro-bubbles that will fizz on the wine. As the volume and intestity of carbon-dioxide expelled from the wine calms, it becomes more susceptible to over-oxidation with air-contact. For that reason, it is important to minimize this air exposure by filling up the carboy and capping it with a stopper and airlock; this will allow the carbon-dioxide to escape but prevent the ambient air from entering into contact with the wine.
Some thoughts in retrospect from the show:
So, our recipe did call for racking when our specific gravity reached 1.030, and even though our SG reached about 1.007, I have since read that many winemakers prefer to wait out their first racking till the SG drops to this range. With the fermentation still fairly active, the wine is not as sensitive to air exposure. I do not think our wine was in a risky state and I do think we had a successful racking!
Also, the horrible punchy “alky” taste: our fruit juice has undergone a very rigorous and violent transformation, and, based on my readings, it would be almost miraculous if it resembled anything even close to wine. I actually read somewhere that it could taste like jet fuel! Stephany and I were a little discouraged with the flavor profile at this point, but this news renewed our hopes for a great batch of blackberry wine! Readers, sage winemakers, what are your experiences here??? Comment below!
Any questions about what we did? Would you have racked differently? Advice for future batches? Want to say hi? Comment below please!
— Sergio Rodriguez Jul 7 #
— Bob Jul 9 #
— Missy Jul 9 #
— Stephany Jul 10 #
— Obislob Jul 13 #
— Juan Carlos Jul 25 #
— Heinz Aug 26 #