What is racking (soutirage)?

What is racking (soutirage)?

• A. The movement of wine from one vessel to another
• B. The aging in oak
• C. The settling of solids
• D. The act of pressing grapes

Answer: (A)

Racking, or soutirage, is the deliberate transfer of wine from one container to another to leave behind sediment or lees. This step is done after fermentation to clarify the wine and remove solids that could affect flavor or texture as it ages. The transfer is usually gravity-fed or siphoned to minimize oxygen exposure, helping preserve freshness while separating the clear wine from the collected lees. It’s not aging in oak, which is maturation in wood; it’s not simply the passive settling of solids, which happens before or during racking; and it’s not pressing grapes, which is the extraction of juice from crushed fruit.

Racking, or soutirage, is the deliberate transfer of wine from one container to another to leave behind sediment or lees. This step is done after fermentation to clarify the wine and remove solids that could affect flavor or texture as it ages. The transfer is usually gravity-fed or siphoned to minimize oxygen exposure, helping preserve freshness while separating the clear wine from the collected lees. It’s not aging in oak, which is maturation in wood; it’s not simply the passive settling of solids, which happens before or during racking; and it’s not pressing grapes, which is the extraction of juice from crushed fruit.