# Racking

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Transfer of liquid (esp. wine) between containers

For other uses, see [Racking (disambiguation)](/source/Racking_(disambiguation)).

Not to be confused with [wine rack](/source/Wine_rack).

Racking red wine

**Racking**, often referred to as **Soutirage** or **Soutirage traditionnel** (meaning racking in French[1]), also **filtering** or **fining**, is the process of moving wine or beer from one container to another using gravity rather than a pump, which can be disruptive to the beverage.[2] The process is also known as *Abstich* in German and *travaso* in Italian.[3]

*Alexis Lichine's Encyclopedia of Wines and Spirits* defines racking as "siphoning [wine](/source/Wine) or [beer](/source/Beer) off the [lees](/source/Lees_(fermentation)) (in the case of wine) or [trub](/source/Trub_(brewing)) (in the case of beer), into a new, clean barrel or other vessel".[4] Racking allows [clarification](/source/Clarification_(wine)) and aids in [stabilization](/source/Stabilization_(wine)). Wine that is allowed to age on the lees often develops "off-tastes". A racking hose or tube is used and can be attached to a racking cane to make the task easier. The racking process is repeated several times during the [aging of wine](/source/Aging_of_wine).[4]

## Process

Soutirage

Soutirage of [Twomey Cellars](/source/Twomey_Cellars)'s Merlot

Racking or soutirage is a traditional method in wine production of moving wine from one barrel to another using gravity rather than a pump. The process is repeated when the casks are moved to the second-year cellar.[5] Soutirage was developed in the [Bordeaux](/source/Bordeaux_wine) region of France in the 19th century at a time when there was no [electricity](/source/Electricity) to power pumps. Many estates such in Bordeaux and some estates in [Pomerol](/source/Pomerol_AOC) and [St. Emilion](/source/Saint-%C3%89milion_AOC) still employ this labor-intensive method. During aging, the wine is decanted several times from barrel to barrel. This process softens [tannins](/source/Tannins_(wine)), clarifies the wine and enhances aromatic qualities. According to [Oz Clarke](/source/Oz_Clarke), "traditionally the wine is 'racked' or drawn from barrel or tank to another empty one on a number of occasions (called soutirage). This helps clarify and freshen the wine by removing the fine lees or sediment which forms and provides a tiny amount of oxygen to help the aging process. The wine may also be 'fined' (*collage*) using [egg white](/source/Egg_white) or other materials to settle out particles in suspension which are then removed through further racking."[6] [Egg white](/source/Egg_white) is often applied to each barrel during the process.[7]

## Equipment

A racking hose is a flexible, plastic hose, used to siphon wine or beer from one vessel to another. It is used in both racking and bottling operations. A racking cane is a rigid tube, often bent or L-shaped, that is attached to the racking hose to make racking easier.[4] A protective cap is placed over the lower end of the cane that allows liquid to be drawn into the cane from above rather than below while keeping most large solids out. The cap allows the tip of the cane to be lowered close to the lees without unduly disturbing them. The lower tip of the racking cane should initially be held about midway between the surface and the lees and gradually lowered as the volume decreases due to the siphoning.[4]

## See also

- [Clarification and stabilization of wine](/source/Clarification_and_stabilization_of_wine)

- [Wine rack](/source/Wine_rack)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Decanter_1-0)** [*Decanter*](https://books.google.com/books?id=O_RIAAAAYAAJ). Decanter Magazine Limited. 1999. p. 60. Retrieved 22 March 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Twomey Cellars"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070701004942/http://www.napavintners.com/wineries/winery_profile.asp?weblogin=twomey). Napavintners.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.napavintners.com/wineries/winery_profile.asp?weblogin=twomey) on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 22 March 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Sutcliffe1988_3-0)** Sutcliffe, Serena (1988). [*The art of the winemaker: a guide to the world's greatest vineyards*](https://books.google.com/books?id=C3fohZX3siYC). New Burlington. p. 252. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-906286-68-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-906286-68-5). Retrieved 22 March 2013.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ALE_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ALE_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ALE_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-ALE_4-3) Lichine, Alexis (1967). *Alexis Lichine's Encyclopedia of Wines and Spirits*. London: Cassell & Company Ltd. p. 428.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DuijkerPublishing1988_5-0)** Duijker, H. (12 December 1988). [*Great Wine Chateaux of Bordeaux*](https://books.google.com/books?id=b6910uWVVPwC). Random House Value Publishing. p. 7. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-517-42605-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-517-42605-0). Retrieved 19 March 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Clarke2007_6-0)** Clarke, Oz (7 May 2007). [*Oz Clarke's Bordeaux: The Wines, the Vineyards, the Winemakers*](https://books.google.com/books?id=wee-TRQyzSEC&pg=PA38). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 38. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-15-101300-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-15-101300-5). Retrieved 22 March 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Ray1969_7-0)** Ray, Cyril (1969). [*Lafite; the story of Château Lafite-Rothschild*](https://books.google.com/books?id=vA8vAQAAIAAJ). Stein and Day. p. 98. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780432121504](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780432121504). Retrieved 19 March 2013.

## Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Soutirage](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Soutirage).

- Blouin, Jacques; Peynaud, Émile (13 June 2012). [*Connaissance et travail du vin - 5e édition*](https://books.google.com/books?id=F6_GxWRCI_EC). Dunod. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-2-10-058330-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-2-10-058330-0).

[Portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals):
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Racking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racking) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racking?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.