Degassing Fruit Wines: How Often and When?

[Chopper]

At what points in the process should fruit wines be degassed? What are the consequences, if any, of degassing only once (just before bottling or bulk aging)?
Thanks,


Chopper

 

[Tom]

I degass after the secondary and every time I rack. Keep in ming you need to add k-meta every 3 months.

Waiting to just before bottling to degas you are taking a chance that its not completely degassed. Then you may have "sparkling" wine.

 

[Wade E]

I degas right when its done fermenting so that I can begin the clearing process as a gassy wine will hold sediment in suspension.

 

[Runningwolf]

I currently have four 6 gallon carboys filled with Blackberry, Videl, Isabella, and raspberry blush juice from Walkers. I racked them over from the primary about three weeks ago. Last night I hit each one for a bit with the break bleeded to degas. Even though I will not be racking again for about eight weeks should I be degassing weekly or not? Walker's say to rack after three months and then let it set for another two or three months before bottling. Should I be racking more often?

 

[Wade E]

I always degas when fermentation is done so that it starts clearing up.

 

[Runningwolf]

so then it is not a good idea to keep degassing over time?

 

[ashton Hammar]

From what I have gathered on reading and as I have done it: after every rack, I add my kmeta, let it sit for a day, and then degass w/ little stir action and a break bleeder.

 

[smokegrub]

If fermentation has completed and you have thoroughly degassed and stabilized your wine, no further degassing is needed since no more carbon dioxide will be produced by the yeast.

 

[grapeman]

If fermentation has completed and you have thoroughly degassed and stabilized your wine, no further degassing is needed since no more carbon dioxide will be produced by the yeast.

Nice reply.


Also I will add that if you continue to degas and it is not needed, then you are just introducing oxygen into the wine for no purpose and may end up contaminating the wine. When it is degassed, it is degassed. The only time it should create more gas is if you sweetened the wine without adding stabilizers and it fermented that sugar.

 

[Wade E]

And to add to that if you stir after degassing then you are dispersing S02 which you are trying to keep in your wine to protect it.