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[Lisa Kae Van Meter Perry <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>]

On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 5:52 PM, Leslie <cayadopi AT yahoo.com> wrote:

>
> Siphon off "lees".... what's that?
>

I didn't thoroughly explain. You "rack" the wine, by literally siphoning the
clear wine to get rid of the "lees."  You take a clear siphon tube and put
it just above the lees, then begin siphoning from your bucket into a carboy
(the clear glass or plastic jug similar to those used by water companies in
offices).

Racking is often done more than once. I racked the last batch of peach wine
twice, but some rack more often. I learned that once you make the wine, if
you let it sit in a cool spot and don't move it around much, that really
helps. You only stir it well when you add something (tannin, pectin enzyme,
etc.). My peach wine came out pretty clear and I was told that was hard to
achieve.

lkvp