Racking

Racking (French: soutirage ) is a cellar technical process in which the clarified wine from the lees ( dead yeast cells, undissolved fractions of pulp and grape skin, lees ) is disconnected. Most of the tapping is done by pumping or by gentle siphoning into an empty container. In large wineries Abstichtanks are available, the suction are height adjustable and thus is optimally set correctly above the sediment. This allows for a rapid and complete removal of sediment particles during tapping.

One speaks of the first racking ( Grobhefe ) immediately after the alcoholic fermentation and the second racking ( lees ) after the first winter cold after the first Weinstein was precipitated. In some wineries more taps carried out according Schönungsschritten. Recently it takes more distance from this practice the frequent tapping.

In the industrial production of the beverages in question are usually filtered with diatomaceous earth, so you do not have to wait for the expiry of the natural settling process.

In addition to the separation of the sediment from the wine racking still has some useful side effects. At each tapping a small amount of carbon dioxide is released from the young wine. Thus, the wines are less aggressive and round, provided that the amount to less than 300 of bound carbon dioxide - drops 400 mg / L. In addition, the contents of the drum is homogenized again and the wine is added a small amount of oxygen.