Time to rack

Alex has determined that the Solaris white has stopped bubbling and the Rondo red is settling to the bottom rather than the top, both indicators that it is time to rack -- decant the clearer liquid at the top of the Solaris. We'll have to press the Rondo first as the skins and seeds are still in there and this is the time to separate them. 

We've decided to rack into demijohns for the next stage. I think we'll need two for the Rondo and 3 or 4 for the Solaris. Then we'll wait about 2 months before we rack again. I think I will heat the demijohns with red to 22C on the heating mat to restart fermentation. 

Both of the vats have temperature indicator strips now and both vats stand at 20C. That's fine for the Solaris the red needs 22-24C. 

The destemming, bottle washing etc equipment is stuck in Italy, along with the plastic tubing for siphoning the liquid out of the tanks. So we don't have a long enough piece of plastic tubing to rack the Solaris from the vat. We'll have to improvise. 

I'll sterilise the demijohns and ancillary equipment in the morning and we'll rack when we're ready tomorrow. 

Outside, Storm Agnes brought over smoke from the Americas turning the sun into a bluish orb this morning. The rain is periodically lashing, the wind is howling, the tide is over the road, but Agnes is gone with minimal impact here and life is grand. The high tide will also deposit enough seaweed to fertilise the vineyard.