Gas question

[DavidB]

I have 10 one gallon jugs of blackberry wine that have a great deal of gas left in them. I have beat the he** out of this stuff and it just doesn't seem to want to give up even though it's at least two months old. Is there a time when this will naturally give up the gas or do I need to be doing something else too it. The SG is 1.000. I have added sorbate and k-meta, back sweetened and one f-pack although I'm still not happy with the taste. Probably going to add another f-pack with some blackberry cider but wanted this to settle first. Should I add more sorbate? Suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Sirs]

did you use the paddle on the inside or the outside of the bottles????LOL

 

[Tom]

U say U beat the @@#&*(^ out of it. So, sounds like you are WHIPPING it. Agressively STIR it not whip or introduce O2 to it. What you see is the O2 you are introducing to your wine.

 

[cpfan]

DavidB:

What temperature was it at when you degassed? Cool liquids hold CO2 more strongly than warm liquids. 74F is a good temp for degassing.

You can pick up a gallon jug and give it a good shake. That will help to degas the wine.

Steve

 

[Wade E]

I agree that temp plays the biggest role in degassing a wine. Can you clarify exactly what your process means by beating?

 

[djrockinsteve]

Probably going to add another f-pack with some blackberry cider but wanted this to settle first. Should I add more sorbate?

NO. Once sorbate is added it is not necessary to add additional unless you increase the volumne. Once sorbate is added you can't take it out.

 

[closetwine]

My blackberry os having the same exact problem, and It's warm (76degrees) I have been vacum degassing and it won't giv up the gas. Maybe its a blackberry thing...

 

[Sirs]

odd my blackberry did fine hardly any gas

 

[DavidB]

I don't have a temperature gauge on this right now so I would only be guessing if I said anything, but the jugs are on top of the fridge and it’s normally warm up there from the heat the refrigerator gives off. Everything else I’ve put up there seems to work okay.

To degas this, when I was adding the chemicals and f-pack, I splash racked it several times between two five gallon buckets. I have also used a wooded paint stirrer to aggressively stir it several times. Since I put it in the jugs, I have aggressively shaken the jugs several times. However, for several months (it’s been at least 3 now that I think about it) I have just left it alone on the top of the fridge. The air locks are still bubbling slowly and if you shake the jugs, it’s like opening up a soda bottle. I thought that if I just left it alone, it would eventually work it’s self out. But I guess not. I think I might rack this to a carboy this weekend (I have to buy some more first) so maybe I can rack it into a bucket, and then splash it around some more before I put it in the carboys. I wanted to add a little more flavor anyway because it’s really not where I want it too be taste wise yet. Close, but not quite there. Other than that, I don’t have any idea what to do differently.

 

[Tom]

Taste it.

If you taste slight carbonation then it needs gentle stirring.

Could be just the air pressure changing

 

[winemaker_3352]

Could it be going through MLF? Sometimes the bubbles released by MLF can look like CO2 bubbles coming out.

 

[mmadmikes1]

Could be still fermenting, at 1. just because you added K-Meta and sorbate doesn't mean it was finished fermenting, once again K-Meta and sorbate will not stop an active fermentation. If it was still(even a little)active and you added a flavor pack and backsweetened then the yeasties are having a meal. That would explain the not so great taste and the gas still coming off. Back to old school, patence patence patence. Check SG for 3 day in a row and if it changes, its still working. If it is lower than the 1.0 it was at then you know this is what is going on

 

[Larryh86GT]

When ever I see these gas questions I say hey it's something I know about and can contribute to but then I open the thread and see it's about wine.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Back to old school, patence patence patence.

i agree with mike. seems a few people here have been trying to push the wine along and get it done faster. more often than not, you are going to run into problems and then it's going to take much longer and the final product may suffer. i encourage this advice. i too am guilty of trying to speed up some batches and it never seems to work.

 

[Sirs]

best thing I've learned is let it do it's thing and forget about it. Seems my best ones have been ones I've forgot about messing with, that just sit quietly and do whats natural for them

 

[DavidB]

So I tasted it and checked the SG again tonight. The SG has not moved from last night and the taste is that of weak blackberry with soda water mixed in.

I'm going to purchase a new carboy this weekend and rack it off into that. I will also be mixing in an f-pack which will be store bought blackberry cider from the farmers market. After that, I'm going to take the advice of Eddie (Sirs) and leave it alone. Maybe it will settle out in the carboy. May put it closer to the door so some sunshine will warm it a little more.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I wouldn't put it in direct sunlight - as that might fluctuate the temps to much.

 

[Wade E]

Not to menmtion that UV light of any kind is not good for wine.

 

[Sirs]

you can wrap it to keep out light and still let in warmth

 

[winemaker_3352]

you can wrap it to keep out light and still let in warmth

Yeah - but i would be afraid that the temps would still fluctuate too much. I would just put it in a room that has sunlight - the room itself will be a few degree's warmer and that should be enough.