Winmaking is Fun Part IV

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Racking to another carboy
This next stage is relatively simple and involves adding the sodium metabisulfite to the wine after racking it from the secondary carboy to a second sanitized carboy as can be seen in the photo above.

This is called the racking and clarification step. This is done after 8 days and at this point the wine is quite clear.The sediment left behind is a thick dark sludge. Because of the very low level of sulphite in the kit it is necessary to add sodium metabisulfite powder to prevent oxidation if one intends to age the wine for a lengthy period. However, the amount of the powder is very small, only 1/4 teaspoon. This will have no effect on the flavor, nor will it have any effect on early drink-ability.

We leave the wine for 14 days to finish clarifying. the next step is bottling assuming that the wine is completely clear after the settling period.

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