Yeast kicks off the fermentation process in wine making. After adding it to your must, it begins to consume the sugar, producing equal amounts of ethanol and carbon dioxide.

There are wild yeasts everywhere around us, including on the skins of grapes if you’re making wine from fresh fruits. Generally, winemakers discourage these yeasts from fermenting by adding sulfites to kill them off before they can get started. This is done so the winemaker has more control over the fermentation and can produce a consistent wine from batch to batch.

There are basically two types of wine available to home winemakers; liquid and dry.
Most homemade winemakers prefer to use dry yeast. It’s easier to store and to work with.
A subject of debate among homemade winemakers is whether or not to re-hydrate the dry yeast you’re working with. I’ve found that re-hydrating is really not necessary and in fact can lead to problems if the process is not done exactly right.

Two things that can adversely affect the performance of your yeast are the temperature and also the oxygen level. In order to achieve a proper, vigorous fermentation the temperature needs to be maintained between 70 -75 degrees. There are exceptions and variations to this. Some white wines are fermented at lower temperatures to enhance certain flavors, but special yeast is used to do this.

Oxygen is needed during primary fermentation because the yeast are multiplying rapidly during this stage and without air this multiplying can be severely restricted. During primary fermentation the use of an airlock is discouraged so the wine can get all the oxygen it needs. Primary fermentation lasts approximately 7 days and 70 percent of the fermentation is complete at this point.

During secondary fermentation the wine is usually placed in another vessel with an airlock attached. The airlock is to allow carbon dioxide to escape while preventing bacteria and other micro-organisms. The reduced exposure to air also gets the yeast to stop multiplying and put its energy into making alcohol.

Yeast is a crucial part of homemade wine making. The more you learn about yeast and the fermentation process, the more you’ll be rewarded wine batch after batch of consistent, delicious homemade wine.

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Racking your homemade wine is vital to producing a high quality product. Don’t be put off by the term, though. When winemakers rack their wine, they are simply transferring it from one vessel to another. A typical batch of homemade wine will be racked at least 2 times, and can sometimes need to be racked up to 4 times.

The most important aspect of racking wine is to leave the sediment behind. This will help the wine clarify and can also prevent the wine from picking up unwanted flavors and odors that can come from sitting too long on the sediment.

When to rack your wine is an important consideration. When you start a batch of wine, the initial fermentation will be very vigorous as the yeast consume the sugar in your must and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide. This is called primary fermentation and usually takes 5-7 days. Approximately 70 percent of the wine’s fermentation will take place during this stage.

After primary fermentation slows down, your wine can no longer protect itself from contamination and needs to be protected by an airlock. This is the first racking, and a simple siphon method through a flexible food grade plastic tube will accomplish it. Gravity does all the work, so carefully place your primary fermenter a couple feet off the ground and start the siphon process.

There are items available to assist with racking. One is called a racking cane. This is a rigid piece of plastic about 2 feet long. One end is specially made to sit on the bottom of the vessel while not drawing excess sediment into the tube. You can get by without one, but it’s a great tool to have in your wine making toolbox.

For the first racking, try to leave as much sediment behind as possible. If a little is transferred into your secondary fermenter, don’t panic. It’s not as important on the first racking, so get as much liquid as you can.

The second racking should take place after your fermentation is complete. This can be a week or two or even 6 or 8 weeks, depending on how your fermentation progresses. This time you can be a little more careful about leaving sediment behind, even if it means losing a little liquid. Again, the same procedure as above applies. Start a suction and let gravity do the work for you. Don’t forget to put the airlock right back on the wine, as exposure to air will oxidize your wine.

The third racking should take place after your wine has completely cleared. Remember, it will not clear in the bottles so be patient with this step and don’t rack until you’re sure it’s as clear as it can be. Leave every bit of sediment behind during this racking. This is also the time you can add Sodium Bisulfite to the wine. This will drive off any excess oxygen that was created during racking.

Racking is an important step in homemade wine making. The better you understand and perform this vital step, the better your finished product will be.