Well, another story of corks popping out..!!

[geek]

I cannot believe this just happened to me. This is for a DB I started in late March and bottled just recently.
I had stabilized this wine well.

After sitting in carboy for around 2 months, I still noticed some bubbles coming up, so I racked and degassed the heck out of it (again), LOTS of foam and bubbles...!! But then they settled and it seemed to be degassed all the way, again I used the drill and mounted the degasser plastic rod and again I degassed really well...........then used all in one pump and racked again into carboy (degassing one more time).

Bottled wine that night.......a few days after 2 bottles popped the corks out (they were sitting on the side) and the others seem like the corks are a bit out too........WTF?

I had bottled some in screw cap bottles and drank 2 bottles and they tasted really good.
However, when I noticed the corks popping out issue I drank one of them and it was really fizzy and foams in the wine when served.....

I guess the wine went under a 2nd fermentation b/c again I know I degassed the heck out of it but it continued to create CO2.

Time to uncork..

 

[Arne]

Been there. With mine, made em cold, opened them up and it was like drinking champaine. Only had a couple of bottles left as it was only a gal. batch. Think I just got in too big of a hurry in my beginning days. Arne.

 

[jamesngalveston]

dang geek.thats a bummer.....next time you make some, ferment to dry in the primary, make sure its finished before you rack the first time. what i do.

 

[geek]

this DB came down to dry, no doubts.....but something happened.
I poured a few bottles into a 1gal jug and LOTS of foam and bubbles...like a volcano.

This morning almost no activity but I did shake the jug a little bit just to see and here are the bunch of bubbles coming up, lots of CO2..!!

Why wouldn't this DB stop producing CO2????????????????

 

[SpoiledRotten]

Are you sure you put stabilizer in the batch? If you're like me, you may have gotten sidetracked in the process and just thought you put some in.

 

[dessertmaker]

It didn't stop producing CO2 because it probably didn't stop fermenting. Use your hydrometer to track SG readings over a period of 2-3 days before you bottle. SP and DB at the end of their ferment get really slow and quiet. If you stabilized an active ferment with kmeta/sorbate I can definitely see this dragging out over a few months. Especially if you back sweetened.

 

[chrisjw]

Geek,

Assuming that your DB is in active fermentation, you might want to consider pasteurizing the wine (with corks off) to kill the yeast or, if you have room, storing the wine in the fridge to prevent more fermentation.

Pasteurizing the wine might change the flavor so you should do a test first. It does take a good bit of time, however.

Here is a guide to pasteurizing wine.

I have not tried pasteurizing wine but it seems that it would have a better chance of success than cold crashing/racking/stabilizing the wine.

 

[geek]

I did stabilized per my notes using kmeta and sorbate, that was April 9, then racked. At that day the SG was 0.992 and was like it for a couple days, so I know it was done.

I back sweeten on April 29.

My notes:

Date Time SG Comments
March 29 12pm 1.078 initial mix, brew belt on
March 30 9am 1.072 (1 extra lb. of sugar) added yeast
March 31 10am active fermentation
April 1 5pm 1.058
April 2 8pm 1.040
April 3 6pm 1.032
April 4 10pm 1.026
April 5 5pm 1.018
April 7 11am 1.012
April 8 8pm 0.992 discarded fruit pack
April 9 5pm 0.992 Added can of Welches white grapes concentrate. Racked, stabilized, de-gassed and added super-kleer. Transferred to glass carboy.
April 29 5pm racked, added 1 ½ lbs of white sugar and added 1 can of concentrated red grape juice from Walmart then racked back into glass carboy. SG=1.006

I bottled around July 13/14.

..

 

[RCGoodin]

Bottled wine that night.......a few days after 2 bottles popped the corks out (they were sitting on the side) and the others seem like the corks are a bit out too........WTF?

Two things I've learned from this forum. 1. If you're unsure of gas still in your carboy, draw 1/2 a bottle, shake it, and if it fizzes, you still have gas. 2. the all-in-one-pump is still your best friend. I understand you need to pump from one carboy to another at least 4 times, and the gas is gone. Now, if you use the pump for each of your rackings (4 times), the gas is then gone also.

One other thing to mention, is that once you bottle, you should let the bottles stand vertical for 3-5 days for the cork to get adjusted to it's new fit. Not sure if that could cause cork popping. Just saying and trying to help.

 

[saramc]

On 4/9..you fed it sugar & stabilized it on the same day, in that order? If so, there is the problem. Did you take a SG after sugar added on 4/9 and make sure it was the same before you added more on 4/29?

 

[Julie]

Adding sugar to backsweeten on the same day you add sorbate is not a problem. There are a lot of us who do that and I know there are commercial wineries who does the same thing.

I know you guys were all gun ho to believe in a PDF about sorbate that the manufacturer says sill last a couple of years but I'm telling you it will lose potency after 6 months if not stored in a cool dry place and after a year it just doesn't work anymore. Been there, done that! How old is your sorbate and where do you store it?

 

[geek]

Julie, my sorbate is in the refrigerator...cool and dry.

 

[Julie]

Julie, my sorbate is in the refrigerator...cool and dry.

Thank you!!!!!!! There a lot who do not do that. Now how old is it?

 

[saramc]

Adding sugar to backsweeten on the same day you add sorbate is not a problem. There are a lot of us who do that and I know there are commercial wineries who does the same thing.

I guess I am confused because he said he added grape concentrate and then the sorbate...I was taught the order is important. The sorbate(plus k-meta) is added to a dry, well racked/cleared must, and only then do you add your backsweetening agent. Are you saying it matters not if you sweeten first and then stabilize?

 

[Runningwolf]

That's correct. As long as you add everything at the same time and blend it all in well you'll be ok. You do not need to add meta/sorbate a day early or anything like that.

 

[chrisjw]

Geek,

What is the SG right now? If it is lower than 1.006 then it was still fermenting. If it is at .990 the yeast should be spent. If it is still bubbling then something else is causing a reaction to produce gas. e.g. Acid + a base?

 

[dessertmaker]

I'm sorry I gotta disagree. The one time I did sorbate/sulfite/sugar all in the same day I kicked off a secondary ferment. And the stuff was brand new. And it's worked great every other time ive used it, after giving it 12-24 hours to do its thing.

 

[geek]

I remember I checked the SG, dont remember if at bottling or few days before and it was still ~1.006.

Funny thing is that the screw cap bottles seem to be fine, no fizzy, no bubbles really.

 

[geek]

this sorbate has been in the fridge for some time, maybe around 8 months, dont remember for sure.

 

[GreginND]

The wine is way too young. After only 1 month thee is no way it is clear of yeast. Even if the sorbate is perfectly good the remaining yeast will continue working away. You need to age and clear the wine well before stabilizing and sweetening.