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This might be TMI (too much information) but the following is why we are not doing any events until September 11.
August 25 - 31, Wednesday - Tuesday
RACKING MACPHAIL PINOT NOIR
The fourth essential step in winemaking is to siphon the wine off the sediments (lees) into another clean secondary, reattach the fermentation trap, and repeat. This procedure is called racking. The rule is, as long as there are fresh deposits on the bottom after a regular interval even if they are just a light dusting, the wine should be racked. Only when that interval passes and there are no fresh lees -- AND the specific gravity is 1.000 or lower -- is the wine ready to be prepared for bottling.
It is not necessary that the interval between rackings be 30 days, 45 days or 60 days, but it should not be less than three weeks. It is perfectly okay to leave the wine on the lees for three months. Beyond that and the wine enters a danger zone caused by dead yeast cells breaking down -- rotting. While this can cause off-flavors and odors if allowed to go on too long, the bigger danger is the formation of hydrogen-sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs and can be the death of the wine. But if the lees are stirred every week or so, neither the off flavors, off odors nor hydrogen-sulfide gas form. Indeed, the wine is actually improved by extended contact with the lees as long as they are stirred frequently.
As in the transfer of the wine from the primary to the secondary, during rackings the wine's exposure to oxygen-lade air should be minimized. This is much easier to do during racking than during the initial transfer, as the downward end of the racking tube can easily be directed against the inside wall of the carboy or under the surface of the transferred wine.
Racking is not as difficult as many new winemakers make it. There is no reason to agonize over racking at an exact interval, or leaving the wine in contact with the lees an extra week -- or even a month. But is is prudent not to be sloppy about it, and to sanitize all equipment with sulfited water or a specialized sanitizer before and after use. Cleanliness in winemaking is everything.
September 1 - 3, Friday - Sunday
BOTTLING MACPHAIL PINOT NOIR
November 6, Saturday, 2 - 3:30
WINEMAKER LUNCHEON @ CUCINA URBANA
505 Laurel Rd., San Diego, CA 92101
619.239.2222
www.cucinaurbana.com
Would you like to have the winery experience in your own home?
How about your own private dinner here at the winery?
Winemaker James MacPhail and Chef Bruno Billiet have teamed up to bring this experience to you.
Here's how it works: Bruno cooks, James pours - the rest is up to you. We can serve up to 12 people in our winery or in your own home. For details, contact Kerry at kerry@macphailwines.com, or call 707-433-4780.
(Our radius is limited to the Bay Area at the present time.)
Come taste with us!
We're open Mon - Fri, and most Saturdays 10 - 5
Schedule a tasting appointment by calling 707-433-4780
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