| "Marbles for home winemaking?" you ask. "What | | | | where the diameter of the carboy is smaller at |
| on earth would marbles have to do with making | | | | it's opening. |
| wine?" | | | | Once you have your bag, throw in a few marbles |
| Well, marbles certainly won't impart any flavors to | | | | first (you should test to find out how many |
| your wine (unless of course you have not | | | | marbles you will need if you are submersing oak |
| sanitized them first - and that would be a bad | | | | to ensure they sink below the surface). Then add |
| thing), but marbles can come in very handy. | | | | your additive ingredients. Tie a knot in the top of |
| Marbles don't seem to be as popular in the school | | | | your bag, and then attach a string that is long |
| playgrounds as they were when I was in grade | | | | enough string that can extend from the top of |
| two, but we used to have fun with both the large | | | | the submerged bag to hang outside of the |
| and small size marbles. Both sizes can be very | | | | carboy. For this, 10 lb. test fishing line works well, |
| handy in your winemaking endeavors. | | | | and you will still have a tight fit for your bung and |
| Some winemakers love to make use of additives | | | | airlock assembly. |
| such as oak cubes, oak chips, or elderberry | | | | Marbles can also useful after you have racked |
| flowers to their carboys while their wine is | | | | your wine from one fermentation vessel to |
| fermenting and/or bulk aging. The problem is, | | | | another. Sometimes, when trying to avoid |
| these additives will float on the top of the wine | | | | syphoning the sediment from the bottom, you'll |
| and much of their effectiveness is lost. So what | | | | lose a small quantity of wine and end up with too |
| can you do to increase the effectiveness of your | | | | much head space (officially referred to as ullage |
| oak or dried elderberry flowers? Use your | | | | When this occurs, home winemakers are often |
| marbles! | | | | told to "top off" the wine to decrease the head |
| You can purchase nylon mesh bags in various | | | | space between the carboy opening and the top |
| sizes or you can make your own like others who | | | | of the wine. Topping off with the same style of |
| make wine at home with some imagination using | | | | wine is preferred when this happens, but often |
| cheese cloth, thread and needle. For the carboy | | | | you might not have any available. Some wine kits |
| which has a small opening, you'll of course want to | | | | advise to top off with water. What you can also |
| make or purchase smaller bags that will easily fit | | | | do is use the marbles to displace the air. Don't |
| through the mouth of the carboy when you want | | | | just simply drop your marbles into the carboy, |
| to remove it. If you're planning on using oak | | | | though! Use the nylon bag as described above. As |
| cubes, consider that it will be easier to remove a | | | | the marbles are submerged into the wine, the |
| bag with oak cubes the closer the width of the | | | | head space will be reduced. |
| bag is to the size of the cubes. Pulling a bag out | | | | As always, be sure to use glass marbles that |
| through a small opening, even though you | | | | have been sanitized thoroughly in a sulfite water |
| managed to squeeze them in, will be much more | | | | solution. |
| difficult when the cubes all bunch up together | | | | |