More questions on degassing...

[rawlus]

the wine can taste undrinkable, harsh, volatile, bitter, acidic, etc just before and right after bottling. it's been through alot the past 30-45 days.
try it again in 3 months and see how it's settled down.
it will be even more composed and balanced after a year.
it may still be that undrinkable stuff up to 2 months after bottling, that's fairly normal. although different wines have different schedules for when they want to get right and drinkable.

 

[Courtney]

Thanks!!! That boosted my confidence! I thought that I had done something wrong. I'm excited! I am planning on bottling this weekend!!!

 

[Omerta]

Yup that should mellow out after a bit. I have a WE SO Merlot thats at 11 months and its still changing. WE red kits aren't the best but they are great for learning.

 

[Tom]

You should be OK. What was the starting gravity of this kit? Your BF may mistake it for a strong flavor

 

[Dhorton]

the way I degas is to gently shake the carboy a few times a day, with the airlock on. any issues with this other then just being time consuming?

 

[Tom]

Really not enough agitation. that will not degas much. Invest in a degasser that attaches to a drill. You will be amazed as how much is left your way.

 

[DageonYar]

I picked up one of these bad boys: http://store.defalcowines.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=19927&substring=vacuum

And I'm amazed how well it works. Even after the 3 days of degassing with the drill wand.

The pump fits right over a #7 bung, and then I just pump it up about 30-40 times. The wine looks like a freshly poured beer with all the bubbles coming out of it! I'm sold lol, vacuum degassing is definitely the way to go