RJ Spagnols Cru Select California Old Vine Zin - Degassing

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

jtd1216

Junior
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Messages
25
Reaction score
0
Ok, did some researching, and I couldn't find an answer to my specific situation. As mentioned, I'm doing a cru select ov zinfandel. I've been following directions exactly; it's my first wine ever, so I don't want to steer away from the directions at all. We degassed (using a drill mounted whip) precisely to directions for a good 5 minutes. We then added the clarifying agents as stated in the directions. It says to degas again for another 5 minutes. We did this.

About two weeks later, we racked. This was siphoning into our primary container, cleaning the glass carboy it was in, and then siphoning back into the carboy. We tasted a bit as we were siphoning the first time here (couldn't help it), and it wasn't bad, but we noticed a little carbonation on the tongue! We tasted the wine as it was siphoning out of the carboy, so we're wondering if the process of just racking into the primary bucket, and then again into carboy would free up that little carbonation (we didn't taste again because we had limited amount to top up to the neck). And if NOT, then what do we do come bottling time (about two weeks--and we're not bulk aging) if it's still a little carbonated?
 
You can keep degassing as you se fit and could degas again right before bottling. I use a vacuum pump which does a much better job at degassing and I also use it to rack my wine and to bottle maiking life really easy. I have a bad back and this electric pump for $100 with shipping makes it so that i never have to lift a full carboy off the floor ever agin and also saves me from lots of work and time bent over when bottling and corking. It takes me 15 minutes to bottle up a 6 gallon batch compared to around 45 -1 hour of just using the wand to fill the bottles.
 
I understand. So I'm able to degas the same day/time I'm ready to bottle? I will taste again at this point, but I'm guessing the two racks didn't make a difference? Would they normally?? The wine splashing into both containers could be a form of degassing, no?
 
If you're seriously splashing all the wine on racking, I would be slightly concerned about oxidation. If you're just splashing the first little bit on the bottom (my preferred method), I don't see it helping a lot with carbonation.

Personally I find that going round-and-round with the drill mounted stirrer (I use a Fizz-X) or the paddle of the spoon is not very effective. I feel that I get better results going back-and-forth with the paddle.

So, I use the Fizz-X to stir to dissolve the standard additions, and the paddle back-and-forth to degas. OH and I take a lot more than 10 minuttes to do it.

If you find that there is still some CO2 in the wine after bottling, you can decant the wine prior to bottling. The large surface in the decanter allows the CO2 to dissipate. Or you can swirl the wine gently in the glass. The surface area and swirling action seems to encourage the Co2 to exit the wine.

Steve
 
Last edited:
Well that was a concern of mine also. However, it's not splashing around all over the place inside the carboy. I kept it controlled along the edge of the glass.
 
Well that was a concern of mine also. However, it's not splashing around all over the place inside the carboy. I kept it controlled along the edge of the glass.
Sounds like you could use a longer piece of hose.

Steve
 
OK, was not very descriptive. Along the edge of the glass IN the wine :h
 
Would degassing again right before bottling put the wine at risk for oxidation? ... I hope not because I did it with my chardonnay last night!
 
Not if it is still filled with CO2.
Use your thief and fill a bottle half full. Put your thumb over then end of the bottle and shack it really well. If it pops when you remove your thumb, you still have CO2. Degas it agin by splash racking it one more time.
 
I would also say you need to stir again and warm the wine to 75 degs. It really helps to get the CO2 out. I have made 30 kits so far and if they taste like that there is still CO2. Stir again and wait for a few days and then try again. The 75 deg really helps.
 
Harris is right. You have to get the temperature up, else the CO2 will not all come out at splash racking.
 
I will try this before bottling. I tried something I saw online with a vacu-vin (pump to preserve an open bottle of wine). In theory, it works... I think anyways. You hook up a vacu-vin saver to your air lock (emptied of course) and you pump 10-15 times. I have two wines in carboys, one only bubbled a little, but the other looked like Soda. A rush of bubbles came up the sides of the carboy. If I do this over the course of 2 or 3 days, do you think it will do a good job?
 
Last edited:
The vacuvin works well.
You would not have gotten that fizz had the CO2 not been there. You should be glad you tried it because it definitely works.

If you repeat this several times, until you get no bubbles, you will be good, provided you have the temperature up over 75 F. If it is cold, it just won't all come out fast.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top