To much headspace, what to do?
- Thread starter Morten
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I'd buy some similar wine for topping up.
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Or get a 19 L Carboy. You must eliminate that headspace, one way or the other. I wouldn’t use water though, that’s way too much imo.
A plastic carboy is only 2-3 times the price of a similar wine AND you would have an extra carboy. Stopper size is different for plastic so you'd need that too. An extra carboy is never a bad thing!
* If it stays that way a week I wouldn’t worry, a month you probably will start to taste it.
* I have check valves (took one day to get from Granger) and a vacuum pump. Next I intentionally do not degas early. With my choices I would pull a vacuum > let CO2 bubble out > pull a vacuum a second time > let the vacuum equilibrate naturally and just let it sit.
* I have weighted LDPE one inch rod from Granger which I can fill volume with.
* as noted buy a bag in box wine to top off this wine. Save the bag for next time.
* move the wine to a “bag in box“ bag. it will need to be supported but can be run at zero head space. ( I have fermented in the four gallon size EvOH bags)
* add a polyethylene bag (food grade) fill with water and one marble/ stainless bolt, seal and sink it in the carboy.
* I have check valves (took one day to get from Granger) and a vacuum pump. Next I intentionally do not degas early. With my choices I would pull a vacuum > let CO2 bubble out > pull a vacuum a second time > let the vacuum equilibrate naturally and just let it sit.
(The cyser that was in this test stayed closed up six months and at contest this spring took a blue ribbon.)
* I have weighted LDPE one inch rod from Granger which I can fill volume with.
* as noted buy a bag in box wine to top off this wine. Save the bag for next time.
* move the wine to a “bag in box“ bag. it will need to be supported but can be run at zero head space. ( I have fermented in the four gallon size EvOH bags)
* add a polyethylene bag (food grade) fill with water and one marble/ stainless bolt, seal and sink it in the carboy.
Sometimes it is difficult to utilize a 5 or 6 gallon carboy because of the excess headspace. I have found one of the simplist sollutions is to use a 3 gallon and a couple of one gallons jugs. Sometimes you end up with just 750 ml bottle left over, which you can put an airlock on, or just sip it away.
But DEFINITELY get rid of the excess headspace. It WILL ruin your wine.
But DEFINITELY get rid of the excess headspace. It WILL ruin your wine.
But is plastic carboy ok for long time aging?
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PET plastic is safe, food grade of course though I’m not sure if there is a non food grade PET.
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If you stay in any of the fermented beverage hobbies you WILL spend more money, cry once my friend.
Liked the idea of aging in wine bags. But is that goid enough for long time aging?
Was thinking of that they may let O2 in over time. Glass won't I know.
A wine bag is good enough for commercial folks to age/ warehouse and distribute wine.Look at code dates to see if the BIB folks put two years on the package.
PET and EvOH both have transmission rates in the range of .001 mg/ sq ft.(day?) Glass is rated at 0 but still has some oxygen penetration in the cap area. ,,, What is significant, measurements would say bottling over 5mg/ liter) and racking (about 1mg/ liter) and pressing the juice are significantly higher risk. HUMM ,,, barrels are bad too so never think of a barrel. ,,, If you are squeaky clean you’ll even give up bottling. ,,,
PET and EvOH both have transmission rates in the range of .001 mg/ sq ft.(day?) Glass is rated at 0 but still has some oxygen penetration in the cap area. ,,, What is significant, measurements would say bottling over 5mg/ liter) and racking (about 1mg/ liter) and pressing the juice are significantly higher risk. HUMM ,,, barrels are bad too so never think of a barrel. ,,, If you are squeaky clean you’ll even give up bottling. ,,,
My experience would say bottle shock (bottling) is a major risk but months in a carboy are managed with normal SO2 addition.
Yes, the biggest problem has been supporting the bag. As a flexible it is easy to mix up lees by moving/ touching the bag.
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Transfering to bottles from the bags, now that will be a challenge...
A friend of mine has suggested a trick that is sometimes used when you have too much headspace. which is to take cleaned marbles and drop them in to the carboy until the level of the wine reaches the desired level. More a solution for 1 or 2 gallon carboys, though.
Neil
Junior
I made up some vacuum bags from my vacuum food saver. Attached picture is the first attempt. I made the later ones long and thin, with double seals because I am cautious. If you taper the top its easier to get the bung back in the demijohn. I fill them with water and it takes up the head space nicely.
The only downsides I can see ae the potential for a leak (which hopefully the double seals eliminates) and the possibility of sediment on the bag being disturbed when you empty it for racking.
The only downsides I can see ae the potential for a leak (which hopefully the double seals eliminates) and the possibility of sediment on the bag being disturbed when you empty it for racking.
And I just got a bottle of that cyster, lucky me.
transfer if clean isn’t hard.
transfer if there are lees can be as hard as from a carboy, as in photo from the old post below, it needs to be supported. The container has a squash plate built in to adjust the container volume.
transfer if there are lees can be as hard as from a carboy, as in photo from the old post below, it needs to be supported. The container has a squash plate built in to adjust the container volume.
