Racking (Soutirage)

Racking is the process of transferring wine from one vessel to another, leaving the settled lees behind.

Why rack?

• Remove gross lees after primary fermentation to prevent off-flavours from autolysis
• Introduce controlled oxygen to soften tannins and stabilise colour
• Clarify the wine progressively

Timing

• First racking — 1–2 weeks after primary fermentation ends
• Second racking — after MLF is complete
• Subsequent rackings — every 3 months during ageing