Using a Wine Making Kit, Part Three
Clearing, Stabilizing and More Racking
Once your wine is finished with the second fermentation, it’s time to mix in the last batch of additives to clarify the wine and also stop any additional fermentation. We’re going to be racking the wine from the carboy to the fermentation bucket, and then back to the carboy. If you have a second carboy available that’s great, but it’s not necessary. Just make sure to clean and sanitize whatever vessel you use.
Start by sanitizing and rinsing the fermentation bucket and lid, any tubing, the racking cane, the bung and the air lock. Once you’re all set, start racking the wine to the fermentation bucket, taking care not to disturb the sediment in the carboy.
When all of the wine is in the bucket, you need to do two things: You need to start adding the last few packets from your wine making kit – some clarifying agents, some stabilizers and possibly some flavoring agents – and you need to clean and sanitize your carboy (assuming that you don’t have a spare standing by).
Once all that is done, start racking the wine back into the carboy. When it’s all in, put the bung and air lock back on and set the carboy back in its spot. You’re going to want to stir the wine a couple of times a day for the next few days. This is to allow any remaining carbon dioxide in the wine to escape.
After about a week you can rack the wine back into the fermentation bucket to clean out the sediment from the carboy, and then rack it back into the carboy.
Bottling
After roughly two weeks, most wines will be ready for their bottling. Some wines can need up to a month for the clarifying stage, but most will be ready after about two weeks. When you think yours is ready, take a look at it and see if its clear. If it’s still cloudy, then it’s not quite ready.
Once your wine is ready to bottle, start by sanitizing and rinsing everything you’ll be using in the process. This includes your siphon, tubing and bottle filler. Fill your bottles until the wine is touching the bottom of the neck. Make sure to leave room for the cork.
When the bottle is filled, put the cork in using a cork press, or you can gently tap it in using a mallet. Just make your aim is good. Store your bottles upright for one day, and then they can go on their side to keep the cork moist (and tight).
You can go ahead and drink your wine now, but remember that most wines will improve their flavor the longer they’re left in the bottle. Red wines, in particular, generally need to age for at least several weeks to fully develop their flavor. While this is a bit of a drawback, red wines do have the benefit of containing resveratrol, a nutritional supplement found naturally in the grape skins. Many people buy resveratrol to take it directly, but it never hurts to get some in your wine too. In any case, hold out as long as you can before drinking your wine, and then enjoy!