Q&A for How to Rack Wine

No, it's not normal.

That's carbon dioxide from the fermentation process. The yeast is still working, so that's good.

You can add sterilized marbles, this will use up some of the airspace left after racking.

I was told some wine makers use glass marbles to use up some of the airspace, thus not adding unwanted flavors to their wine. Just make sure you sterilize them prior to adding to your carboy.

Whether bottling or beginning the fermentation, it is a good idea to leave some room in a bottle. It will drastically expand, depending on temperature, and when fermenting, it will cause a lot of bubbles.

It might just be a stuck fermentation, so you should add more yeast and maybe some yeast nutrient.

It's up to you. Some people keep the free run juice separate from the pressed juice and will blend them later on for taste. If you are new to wine making, it's probably easiest to just blend it all together when pressing the must.

Yes. It's all about letting the yeast eat the sugars in whatever you're trying to ferment. In the case of wine it's grape juice, while in the case of mead it's the honey sugars.

You'll know when you need to rack your wine 5-7 days after pitching the yeast.