De-gassing - when can I do that

[ViNesv]

Based on wine kit instructions, degassing is done just after secondary fermentation, just before clearing.
Can I do de-gassing at any time after? That is if 2-3 weeks/month after secondary fermentation I notice that wine still has some CO2, can I use my power tool with special wand to de-gass wine? Will I damage anything? I notice that after de-gassing instructions says "add Chitosan then stir gently". So after I add Chitosan and do de-gassing - will I damage anything? When it is too late to do de-gassing? Can I do de-gassing just before bottling?

 

[cimbaliw]

The longer you wait,the more the wine will naturally de-gas itself and make your life easier. The wand will also. There have been many threads about various aspects of degassing.

 

[sour_grapes]

No, you will not hurt anything. The only considerations are that (1) a gassy wine will not clear quickly, and (2) when you vigorously stir to degas, you will re-suspend any particulates that have settled, so you will have to wait yet again.

 

[jgmann67]

What kit are you doing?

Time and temp... There are others who know better than I, but if you're going to bulk age to allow the wine to naturally degas, it should somewhere north of 70* for the CO2 to release. In my limited experience, though, I get better results pulling the CO2 out via a vacuum than I do from whipping the wine.

 

[Steve_M]

Having used a wine whip and drill spending countless minutes stirring in one direction then another I am glad I purchased the AIO.
Do you need either one? No, time will clear and naturally degas.

Steve

 

[richmke]

IMHO, I wait until the latest possible time to degass. The gas in the wine helps protect it (keeps positive pressure in the carboy to keep gas from coming in), and degassing can introduce O2, which is a bad thing.

If you bulk age 6 or more months, the wine degasses itself, and saves you the hassle.

 

[Floandgary]

If you give your juice a good stir twice daily when you start fermentation, you will have begun to expel the CO2 as it is forming. Splash racking to the carboy helps as well. And as you have read in the above posts, when you add that TIME ingredient, remaining CO2 will find it's way to the airlock. There are several means/methods to speed things up, but sooner or later you too will discover the benefit of time