Degassing

[Mango Madness]

Thankyou

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

I think I’ve read every post in the beginners thread and every post in the country fruit thread and many many others.you learn so much here by reading these threads.

 

[Mango Madness]

I have nowhere near the experience many people on thus site have, but I can tell you that for degassing there are a few popular thoughts/methods. Time will degas naturally. If you don't want to wait weeks or months for that to happen, you can whip the wine with a drill attachment, use a vacuum pump, or splash rack it. Also, many people say that temperature is important and that 75 degrees and higher helps degas.

Wow thanks

 

[winemaker81]

I have nowhere near the experience many people on thus site have, but I can tell you that for degassing there are a few popular thoughts/methods. Time will degas naturally. If you don't want to wait weeks or months for that to happen, you can whip the wine with a drill attachment, use a vacuum pump, or splash rack it. Also, many people say that temperature is important and that 75 degrees and higher helps degas.

Adding to @globalnavigator's advice, degassing is NOT eliminating all CO2 from the wine. I use a drill-mounted stirring rod, stirring for 20-30 seconds in one direction, and then changing direction 3 to 5 times. The max duration of the stir is 3 minutes.

The stirring jump-starts the process -- while a lot CO2 is expelled, the wine will continue to degas over the following days and weeks.

I started degassing all wines a few years ago, as CO2 will hold sediment in suspension. Eliminating excess CO2 early helps with clearing, and I find that I don't rack the wine as much.

 

[Mango Madness]

Adding to @globalnavigator's advice, degassing is NOT eliminating all CO2 from the wine. I use a drill-mounted stirring rod, stirring for 20-30 seconds in one direction, and then changing direction 3 to 5 times. The max duration of the stir is 3 minutes.

The stirring jump-starts the process -- while a lot CO2 is expelled, the wine will continue to degas over the following days and weeks.

I started degassing all wines a few years ago, as CO2 will hold sediment in suspension. Eliminating excess CO2 early helps with clearing, and I find that I don't rack the wine as much.

Cool thanks for that. What about stirring the must on the primary brew?

 

[winemaker81]

Cool thanks for that. What about stirring the must on the primary brew?

Most of us ferment in an open bucket, covered with a towel. I stir 2-3 times per day during ferment.

Do you have a hydrometer? If not, you want one. Rack to a carboy when the SG is below 1.010, leaving the fruit behind. At that point, no stirring.

 

[Mango Madness]

Yes I have a hydrometer but did not know what reading to look for. Thanks so much.

 

[winemaker81]

Yes I have a hydrometer but did not know what reading to look for. Thanks so much.

In general, starting gravity is between 1.080 and 1.100. Too low and the wine will be weak -- generally speaking, wines below 10% ABV are not as long lived. Too much, and the wine may not only be too strong, but there may be too much sugar and the yeast will not grow well, e.g., too rich an environment.

At the finish, if the final SG is <= 0.998 and stable for 3 days, the ferment is considered done. Mostly the SG <= 0.996, but I've had fruit wines finish at 1.002 for no reason I know of. This assumes a relatively normal OG and a yeast capable of consuming the available sugar.

 

[Mango Madness]

In general, starting gravity is between 1.080 and 1.100. Too low and the wine will be weak -- generally speaking, wines below 10% ABV are not as long lived. Too much, and the wine may not only be too strong, but there may be too much sugar and the yeast will not grow well, e.g., too rich an environment.

At the finish, if the final SG is <= 0.998 and stable for 3 days, the ferment is considered done. Mostly the SG <= 0.996, but I've had fruit wines finish at 1.002 for no reason I know of. This assumes a relatively normal OG and a yeast capable of consuming the available sugar.

Just wondering if I have the right Hydrometre?

 

[winemaker81]

Just wondering if I have the right Hydrometre?

It looks like a triple scale hydrometer -- the last photo shows the SG scale. Look at this thread for instructions regarding using a hydrometer:

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/how-to-read-hydrometer.10346/

 

[Mango Madness]

It looks like a triple scale hydrometer -- the last photo shows the SG scale. Look at this thread for instructions regarding using a hydrometer:

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/how-to-read-hydrometer.10346/

Thanks heaps