Racking

‘Racking’ is the process of transferring your wine from one demijohn (carboy) to another, leaving behind the build-up of mucky sediment (the lees). We usually rack after around 1 month, when fermentation has significantly subsided or stopped altogether. A wine left too long on the lees is likely to pick up unwanted flavours. Racking also has the benefit of awakening sluggish yeast to finish the job of fermentation, and will start to bring a bit of clarity to the liquid. Some wines may need racking a second or even a third time at monthly intervals if there’s a subsequent build-up of lees.