Hi All.... working on my first batch, Winexpert's Chilean Merlot and I have a couple questions. I've been following the directions and been taking advice posted on other threads but when it come's to degassing I can't tell if I'm done. I racked to my secondary at 1.010 and it continued to drop and steady at .992, its also been at a steady 70 degrees. I first used the drill mixer and stirred and stirred and it passes the "poof test" but if I continued to stir I kept getting what I'm assuming to be CO2 - cascading small bubbles up the side - so I went out to harbor freight and bought the brake bleeder. When I draw a vacuum (20-22") I don't get any bubbles but if I shake it, I keep getting bubbles - this has been going on for 4-5 days - every now and then I spend about 20 minutes of pulling a vacuum, shaking and repeat. It also doesn't hold a vaccum for more than a few minutes but it's now to the point where if I was my drill I don't get bubbles, am I done? My second question is: since i followed the directions, it said to add the metabisulphite and sorbate and to stir for 2 minutes. I stirred for a little longer than that and then added the Chitosan. Looking through some of the other threads I'm noticing that I should have completely degassed before adding the Chitosan and now the wine isn't 100% brillant. My plan originally was to bottle-age instead of bulk age so that I can start another kit but seeing that it's cloudy should I leave it in the carboy until it improves? What about adding another fining agent? Thanks for all your help and recomendations
Done Degassing/Cloudy Wine
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Welcome to the forum.
Degassing is always an issue, especially when one first starts making wine.
One can fill a wine bottle half full of water, shake it really well, and get a poof and some bubbles. Water!
Learn the difference between CO2 bubbles, very small, like what you get when you pour a coke into a glass; and air bubbles - much larger.
When you shake the carboy, you are forcing air into the top layer of the wine. That's not CO2. In this case you will always get some bubbles.
The best test is the taste test. Put a sip of your wine on the end of your tongue. If you feel a fizz (not the same as a bitter taste, which you will get with young wine), likely the wine is not degassed. No fizz on the tongue means the wine is degassed.
After all the degassing you have already done, I would be very surprised if there is any CO2 left in the wine. You can always degas again later, if you still think you have a fizz. I have degassed a second time a year later.
Remember the wine releases the CO2 much easier if it is a little warm, say 75F. If it is really cold it will hold onto the gas.
Degassing is always an issue, especially when one first starts making wine.
One can fill a wine bottle half full of water, shake it really well, and get a poof and some bubbles. Water!
Learn the difference between CO2 bubbles, very small, like what you get when you pour a coke into a glass; and air bubbles - much larger.
When you shake the carboy, you are forcing air into the top layer of the wine. That's not CO2. In this case you will always get some bubbles.
The best test is the taste test. Put a sip of your wine on the end of your tongue. If you feel a fizz (not the same as a bitter taste, which you will get with young wine), likely the wine is not degassed. No fizz on the tongue means the wine is degassed.
After all the degassing you have already done, I would be very surprised if there is any CO2 left in the wine. You can always degas again later, if you still think you have a fizz. I have degassed a second time a year later.
Remember the wine releases the CO2 much easier if it is a little warm, say 75F. If it is really cold it will hold onto the gas.
About the cloudiness, once you have added the clearing agent(s) and the wine is starting to settle, you shouldn't stir the wine.
If you did, you can either wait about a month or two for it to clear again, or add another batch of clearing agents - SuperKlear is a good one and easy to find.
I would just let it set for that month or two.
If you try to bottle too quickly, you are definitely going to end up with sediment in your bottles. The wine can easily drop sediment for the first 2 to 3 months. I know the kit instructions say you can bottle quickly. However, they are more interested in getting your wine sealed up than they are the bottles having sediment in them. Just keep the carboy topped off and under an air lock and your wine will settle on its own on.
If you did, you can either wait about a month or two for it to clear again, or add another batch of clearing agents - SuperKlear is a good one and easy to find.
I would just let it set for that month or two.
If you try to bottle too quickly, you are definitely going to end up with sediment in your bottles. The wine can easily drop sediment for the first 2 to 3 months. I know the kit instructions say you can bottle quickly. However, they are more interested in getting your wine sealed up than they are the bottles having sediment in them. Just keep the carboy topped off and under an air lock and your wine will settle on its own on.
1tonmama
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Quick question on a similar note...
How long would you recommend waiting after the first degas and clearing to rack the wine? The WE instruction says 8 days. If the wine has not cleared by then would you recommend racking anyways and let it settle in clean carboy or keep in the same carboy and wait for it to continue to settle? I'm concerned with the lees sitting in the wine for too long. After the 8 days of clearing, the lees from the ferment would have been in the wine for approx 3 weeks.
How long would you recommend waiting after the first degas and clearing to rack the wine? The WE instruction says 8 days. If the wine has not cleared by then would you recommend racking anyways and let it settle in clean carboy or keep in the same carboy and wait for it to continue to settle? I'm concerned with the lees sitting in the wine for too long. After the 8 days of clearing, the lees from the ferment would have been in the wine for approx 3 weeks.
1tonmama
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Oh so many questions...
Let's say it really is the case the wine has not been degassed enough and let's say it's been 8 days since the initial degas and chitosan. Should one then further degas and add more clearing agent or would the additional degassing be enough?
Let's say it really is the case the wine has not been degassed enough and let's say it's been 8 days since the initial degas and chitosan. Should one then further degas and add more clearing agent or would the additional degassing be enough?
jswordy
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Keep it in the same carboy and let it settle. The lees would have to really build up over an inch or so and the wine would have to be on them for months to get any effect positive or negative from the lees.
Don't worry if it does not clear right when the instructions say, just let it clear. Many people use time alone to clear their wines. Kits are generally made to appeal to people in a hurry, and that is reflected in the instructions. You know the ads: "Drink in 28 days!" (Yeah, right, it will taste like doo-doo but you CAN drink it.) Time is your friend in winemaking, nearly always.
Your wine is degassed. Period. If you used the drill and whip method, that did the trick. But then you also did a whole lot more, all of which also added oxygen into the wine to a degree. I'd leave it be now. You are in the final stretch to bottling. Let it clear up well.
Trust me, by the time you do your third batch, you'll be like *yawn* "Yeah, I've seen all this before. No worries!"
Don't worry if it does not clear right when the instructions say, just let it clear. Many people use time alone to clear their wines. Kits are generally made to appeal to people in a hurry, and that is reflected in the instructions. You know the ads: "Drink in 28 days!" (Yeah, right, it will taste like doo-doo but you CAN drink it.) Time is your friend in winemaking, nearly always.
Your wine is degassed. Period. If you used the drill and whip method, that did the trick. But then you also did a whole lot more, all of which also added oxygen into the wine to a degree. I'd leave it be now. You are in the final stretch to bottling. Let it clear up well.
Trust me, by the time you do your third batch, you'll be like *yawn* "Yeah, I've seen all this before. No worries!"
Eight days is not nearly long enough. The wine may look clear at that point, but I guarantee you it will drop more sediment over the next 6 weeks or so.
Don't mess with the wine while it is clearing. Once it looks very clear, you could rack then degas some more. However, I would just let it set until you are about ready to bottle, then rack and if it still is gassy, try degassing again.
Bare in mind the wine may not clear well if it is still very gassy. If you did degas, even if a little is left, it should go ahead and clear. Just don't mess with it to stir anything up until it is clear and racked. If a month after the clearing agents were added, the wine is still not clear, you may have a haze problem or maybe the wine is still really loaded with gas. In that case, you will need to figure out why it isn't clearing, solve that problem, then either let the wine clear on its own over several more months or go ahead and add some SuperKlear. Just make sure you know why it didn't clear the first time and solve that problem first.
Wine clears a little easier and faster if its temperature is 70F or so, rather than very cold.
1tonmama
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Thanks Robie!
I'll let the wine alone and forget about it for awhile then. I have an inkling of worry that I may not have degassed sufficiently (I'm starting to see a bit of stratification between the clear wine and layers of suspended sediment) but since the chitosan is already in I'll let it seat for a month and see what it does.
The wine is kept at a cozy 75F with a heat wrap. I don't think the temperature would be an issue.
Cheers!
I'll let the wine alone and forget about it for awhile then. I have an inkling of worry that I may not have degassed sufficiently (I'm starting to see a bit of stratification between the clear wine and layers of suspended sediment) but since the chitosan is already in I'll let it seat for a month and see what it does.
The wine is kept at a cozy 75F with a heat wrap. I don't think the temperature would be an issue.
Cheers!
