Carbonation!!!!!! Help me Stop it!

[mrnot34]

I know my question is simple, but is there an additive i can add to the wine during the bottling process to stop it from carbonating? Also, can I add yeast energizer before the fermenting process to ensure the yeast finishes the fermentation?

Thanks,

 

[Runningwolf]

HOLD ON there. If you have carbonation during bottling you have major issues you need to deal with first. Issues like degassing or finishing the fermentation.

Always make yeast starter first with GoFerm and about a third of the way through your fermentation use Fermaid nutrient to finish up your fermentation.

 

[dangerdave]

Fill us in just a little more. What are you making? At what stage are you? Is the wine carbonated or are you just worried about carbonation? Have you had problems with wine carbonating after bottling, or is this your first wine?

We'd love to help!

 

[mrnot34]

Well this is what I do.

I buy the welches liquid, not the concentrate. I warm it up to wear I can dissolve the sugar and then get my yeast started with some warm water. I add sugar to the juice and let it dissolve. I then pour in the yeast put all liquid in my carboy and start the fermenting process. I give it plenty of time to ferment and sometimes i find when I open a bottle there is some carbonation.

 

[dangerdave]

Ah, Welch's! Good choice for low-cost wine. The carbonation in the bottles is caused by the fermentation not being complete before it is bottled. Do you add any sulphite or sorbate after fermentation? Do you back sweeten before bottling? Are you making dry wine or sweet wine?

 

[mrnot34]

I like to make a dryer wine. No I don't add any sulphite or sorbate after fermentation. Can you explain what those do?

 

[dangerdave]

Certainly.

The term ‘sulfites’ (I often spell it wrong) is a term for sulfur dioxide (SO2). SO2 (in the form of potassium metabisulfite) is a preservative and widely used in winemaking (and indeed most food industries), because of its antioxidant and antibacterial properties. SO2 plays a very important role in maintaining a wine’s freshness by preventing oxydization. It is also used as a sanitizer for wine making equipment.

"Sorbate" refers to potassium sorbate is used to prevent spoilage by yeasts and molds in a finished wine. It does this by rendering these micro-organisms unable to reproduce. It does not kill them! It is added to wines that have completed fermentation to prevent spoilage but also to prevent further fermentation of sugars added after fermentation such as when you back sweeten a wine. Usually you wouldn’t add potassium sorbate to a dry red wine because the sugars have been completely exhausted and the additive is not needed. Potassium sorbate should always be used at the same time with potasium metabisulfite. Together they make for a rather inhospitable place for micro organisms. The sulfites from potassium metabisulfite removes the oxygen from your wine to prevent micro-organisms from getting established while sorbic acid from potassium sorbate renders yeasts and molds unable to reproduce.

If you are making a dry wine, you will not need to add sorbate. You will, however, need to be sure the wine is finished fermenting before you bottle it. This is done with the use of a hydrometer. I would suggest you read some of the great info provided by some of our veteran wine makers. The Beginner's Wine Making Forum section of this web site contains many sticky threads that may answer most of your questions.

Trust me. Do some reading about what you're doing. Even if you never make anything but Welch's wine, you will be making much better Welch's wine.

And if you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

 

[mmadmikes1]

I dont totally agree here. He didnt say he back sweetened so carb in bottles was either from incomplete fermentation or incomplete de-gas. Sorbate and sulfites will not solve that PROBLEM. You need to buy a hydrometer of wait at least 6 months to bottle (hydrometer is easier) to make sure fermentation is complete. De-gassing is done at warmer temps to be sure all the C02 is out. Cold fluid will hold dissolved gasses. If you are not sweeten wine there is no need for chemicals. BTW there is no good or reliable way to stop fermentation other than sterile filtering. If you dont have a hydrometer odds are good you dont have a sterile filter system

 

[Putterrr]

Well this is what I do.

I buy the welches liquid, not the concentrate. I warm it up to wear I can dissolve the sugar and then get my yeast started with some warm water. I add sugar to the juice and let it dissolve. I then pour in the yeast put all liquid in my carboy and start the fermenting process. I give it plenty of time to ferment and sometimes i find when I open a bottle there is some carbonation.

You are getting some good advice here. Most likely Co2 in the bottles. Can you give more info on your process and the time frame of the different steps. How long in the primary, how long in the secondary. How you determined that fermentaion was complete. Your method of degasing. how long for clearing to bottling.

thx

 

[jamesngalveston]

have you bottled that wine all ready...if so you have some work to do.
if not, you should let it ferment out, are degass, are kill the yeast with a spirit additive.

 

[Turock]

Yeah, it really sounds like CO2 in the wine. Yeast produces CO2 as a by-product of fermentation. It sounds like you're doing the ferment in a carboy under airlock. Altho this can be a good tactic for retaining volatiles, most of us do our primary fermentation in a bucket or vat that is open to the air because at this point, the culture needs some oxygen.

It takes quite some time for all the CO2 to come off a wine during bulk aging--at least 6 months and sometimes more. You need to let it sit and age up for you--in the carboy with an airlock--and in that time it will degass naturally.

You should always use nutrient with your ferments or else you can stress the yeast and stressed yeast will make large amount of H2S. Split your nutrient batch in 2 doses. Add the first dose when you pitch the yeast, and the second dose by the 50% dry stage. You should never add nutrient--or energizer--after that because the yeast can't utilize it and it make a good environment for spoilage organisms.