Just Racked my first batch!!!

[Ricky]

....Yes, that wasn`t to bad.....RJS WS Super tuscan....18 days and .992 ...temp 72.....and the first time using my all in one pump....that pump is GREAT!!!! don`t have nothing to compair it to...but man that was easy....got some questions....for the last 5 or 6 days there was no activity going on in my secondary.....when i racked it ( that`s right)...i didn`t get much gas...or foaming...watched george`s video...he was foaming like crazy...so i racked,added sulphite,potassium sorbate....then i wiped it with the drill bit....got some very little bubbles,not much....added the kieselsol,and chitosan,and whipped it again .....then i had to top off with 750ml of merlot...seen a little bit of bubbleing when i added that...is the lack of gas normal? ....hope so...i tried a sample of the wine....it was ok....for being green,..like to take a second and tell ya how great that pump is!....it`s a well built piece of equipment,WELL WORTH IT.....ok,gotta few days before my next 2 projects arrive Chocolate raspberry port,and RJS En Primeur Amarone....so, i`m relaxing having a glass, and reading some posts.....so much to learn

 

[derunner]

Congratulations! I'm also new, working on my second batch and hope to bottle my first kit next Friday, a pomagranate zin mist kit. I've got a pinot gregio ready for bulk aging, and will be starting a reisling and Chardonay. I'm definetly looking at the allinone pump soon. Glad to hear a nice review for it. This place is great how so many people are willing to share information and answer questions.

Good luck un you next projects.

 

[TonyP]

Ricky, not degassing properly is one of the reasons for many wine making failures. The challenge you've hit on is figuring out degassing properly. Here's some thoughts from your post, keeping in mind that degassing means removing SO2:

1. Eventually the wine should degass without your help, particularly at temperatures over 70 degrees. If you maintained 72 degrees, it's possible the SO2 dissipated on its own.

2. To be clear, wine activity has little to do with degassing. You can have no airlock activity for months and still have SO2.

3. Racking doesn't do much to deplete SO2.

4. Degassing with a whip or drill stirrer is a good idea. It makes the work easier, but not necessarily faster. Hopefully you degassed for more than a few minutes.

5. Those little bubbles you saw were probably oxygen. Try to minimize that by avoiding a vortex in the wine as you stir.

6. Little bubbling will happen.

Tony P.

 

[Ricky]

Thanks for replying TonyP....the room was maintained at mid 70`s...but shouldn`t i have seen some type of gas releasing?...foam say....i plan on bulk aging for at least 6 months...i hope to get a so2 tester in a couple months....how do i know if i degassed,and if i done it right?

 

[TonyP]

Thanks for replying TonyP....the room was maintained at mid 70`s...but shouldn`t i have seen some type of gas releasing?...foam say....i plan on bulk aging for at least 6 months...i hope to get a so2 tester in a couple months....how do i know if i degassed,and if i done it right?

First, let me apologize. I said SO2 several times and meant CO2. Hopefully I didn't confuse things much.

CO2 gas is a by product of fermentation and that was what you saw coming out of the airlock. The fact the airlock stops bubbling does not mean there's no more CO2 because CO2 can be trapped in the wine; that's why you degas. At warmer temperatures it's less likely the gas will be trapped. Also, when you degass at warmer temperatures it's easier for any trapped gas to be released.

One common way to test is to put some wine in a vial, cover the opening with your finger and shake. You should not see foaming. There will be a small pop when you release it, but nothing more. There's some videos you can see on this.

Also, if you have a Vacu Vin, you can use it to pull remaining gas from the wine. This is what I use and I love it.

Overall, though, if you degas with a drill for 10 minutes and nothing happens, you're probably fine.

Tony P.

 

[dangerdave]

Ok, Ricky. You have a vacuum pump, now. You don't need to use that whip anymore! You racked it under vacuum, sucking most of the CO2 out while you did. That's why you couldn't whip out much after you racked it. I usually rack mine back and forth several times between carboys, and when it no longer produces bubbles, you're done. Since this one will be sitting for a while---hopefully---just rack it with the pump when it needs racking, and it will be CO2 free at bottling time!

Congrats on the new allinone! I have had mine for over a year---and have not used my whip since. It still runs like new after hundreds of rackings and 1000+ bottles filled. Rack on!

 

[geek]

Same thing happened with my red wine batch this past Friday, even though I don't have the pump, I racked into pails and then back to carboys, then I used the drill and stir and honestly I had almost no foam or activity at all...!!

Next day, I added a bit of sorbate and used the drill again and this time I got some foam coming up, not sure why since I know I used the drill stir a few times the day before even in reverse mode.

Anyhow, my red wine shows no bubble activity whatsoever, it de-gassed mostly by itself after staying in carboys for exactly 2 weeks (2nd fermentation).

The temp is my basement is about 70~72, I have a pellet stove and have it running to keep that temp constant.

 

[Ricky]

First, let me apologize. I said SO2 several times and meant CO2. Hopefully I didn't confuse things much.

CO2 gas is a by product of fermentation and that was what you saw coming out of the airlock. The fact the airlock stops bubbling does not mean there's no more CO2 because CO2 can be trapped in the wine; that's why you degas. At warmer temperatures it's less likely the gas will be trapped. Also, when you degass at warmer temperatures it's easier for any trapped gas to be released.

One common way to test is to put some wine in a vial, cover the opening with your finger and shake. You should not see foaming. There will be a small pop when you release it, but nothing more. There's some videos you can see on this.

.

Overall, though, if you degas with a drill for 10 minutes and nothing happens, you're probably fine.

Tony P.

Also, if you have a Vacu Vin, you can use it to pull remaining gas from the wine. This is what I use and I love it.........Lol....i undersood what you meant.....How the hell you degas with the vaca vin..... i use it to seal my open bottles....intresting

 

[TonyP]

Also, if you have a Vacu Vin, you can use it to pull remaining gas from the wine. This is what I use and I love it.........Lol....i undersood what you meant.....How the hell you degas with the vaca vin..... i use it to seal my open bottles....intresting

I use the vacu vin with a 3-part airlock but have tried it with a carboy cap and it works fine. Here's a video to show it. Slide the round thingee toward the end.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z1FMHrX0Bo&feature=related[/ame]

Tony P.

 

[Ricky]

Thanks again TonyP.....seems simply enough...And Dave with pump is a keeper for shore....