@cavino -- First, how to degas. The easiest way is to use a drill-mounted stirring rod (which you did).
Stir for 2 to 3 minutes, changing direction every 30 seconds. There is no need or benefit to stir longer. The wine will continue to foam, and will show activity after put back into a carboy under airlock. This is normal.
Stirring is NOT going to drive out all the CO2 -- it drives out a lot and the agitation continues the process. Stirring speeds up the process from months to days.
Folks post about how stirring introduces O2 into the wine. Correctly done, so much CO2 is being emitted that I doubt it. I have not seen credible evidence that stirring introduces O2. That doesn't mean evidence doesn't exist -- just that I am unaware of it.
Did stirring for 9 minutes damage your wine? My best guess is "probably not" but don't degas again. There is nothing to gain and everything to lose.
Degassing is common in kit wines, as their intention is for the consumer to get their wine in the bottle ASAP. This is because the wine is safer in the bottle, e.g., it's not open to contamination like a carboy is. More importantly, from both the vendor and consumer POV, the wine is ready to drink sooner. For consumers it's "wow I made wine, let's drink it!". For vendors it's, "you made wine and are drinking it,
buy another kit!" Everyone is happy.
Paul (
@sour_grapes) is absolutely correct -- wine degasses with time. If you're going to bulk age a year, why degas? Because with the CO2 gone, wine clears faster as CO2 holds sediment in suspension.
I typically rack/press when the SG is between 1.010 and 0.998 (juice/kits vs grapes), and rack again a week later. At that point fermentation is done and I stir to degas. I rack again a week or 2 later, and after that my wine is mostly sediment free. In another 3-4 months I'll rack again, and probably have only a dusting.
I agree that most reds benefit from a year of aging, sometimes more. Some reds, whites and fruits? It depends.
Keep in mind that Paul and I can both be correct -- there is more than one right answer. For the first few kits, follow the instructions. Once you feel comfortable, branch out.
