Fizz in wine

[Tkametz]

Last year, 2010, I made some Syrah from grapes. The brix was low so I added 10 lbs of sugar to 600 lbs of grapes to bring the Brix up to 24. Fermentation went nicely. I racked two times before aging in oak barrels for four month. Because of a move, I bottled in August, 10 month after the process began. When I opened the barrels, the wine was under pressure and had a fizz to it. I could sware that fermentation had ended back in December. I racked again before bottling but now when I open a bottle it has a fizz yet. The wine has a somewhat acidic taste after the fizz is gone. Any ideas?

 

[Rocky]

Sounds like an incomplete de-gassing. The wine has retained CO2 in small enough amounts not to blow the cork but enough to fizz.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Sounds like an incomplete de-gassing. The wine has retained CO2 in small enough amounts not to blow the cork but enough to fizz.

x2. A good splash racking usually fixes that.

 

[robie]

Surprised you have a CO2 problem with a wine from fresh grapes. I guess it could be MLF.

The presence of CO2 makes the wine a little tart/bitter to the taste.
Sounds more like CO2. If so, you will need to decant each bottle for 2 to 4 hours before you drink it. Swirl it around a few times during decanting. It's a pain, but not much else you can do, unless you want to pour all back into a container, degas, then bottle again.

You likely will find the aroma of the wine will be much better after decanting for awhile. CO2 seems to block the aroma sometimes.

 

[Rocky]

Not a bad idea to decant/aerate reds anyway. I feel I get a really good result when I do. We have a decanter (I think it is called a 'ships decanter' with a wide base and narrow neck) and it allows the wine to really breathe. I should also add we always finish the entire bottle so there is no danger of oxidation.

 

[Tkametz]

Thanks guys. I've been making wine for five years and this is the first time this happened. After I de-fuzz it it is drinkable. It's not the best I ever made but it is drinkable.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Next time, splash rack and let it sit. The bubbles keep particles in suspension and then there is the gas that can leave bad tastes/aromas. If you get the gas out BEFORE bottling and let it sit, it can fix itself. Sometimes that works and sometimes it's just a bad batch. It's possible that there was a "bug" in it of sorts.

I know you were in a bind, so that's what hurt this batch. Over the years of making wine (just over 7), my dad and I have had to fix many experiments with trial and error. If I would have just been on here earlier, I'd have known more of what to do with some of them.

 

[Flame145]

Last year, 2010, I made some Syrah from grapes. The brix was low so I added 10 lbs of sugar to 600 lbs of grapes to bring the Brix up to 24. Fermentation went nicely. I racked two times before aging in oak barrels for four month. Because of a move, I bottled in August, 10 month after the process began. When I opened the barrels, the wine was under pressure and had a fizz to it. I could sware that fermentation had ended back in December. I racked again before bottling but now when I open a bottle it has a fizz yet. The wine has a somewhat acidic taste after the fizz is gone. Any ideas?

Sounds like it could possibly ML Ferment that start on its own. That would give you the pressure and that little fizz on the tongue.

 

[Nobody_Special]

You didn't mention whether you MLF'd originally, or tested for completion of MLF... if not, I'd agree with the probable spontaneous MLF being a good possibility here.