Too much CO2

[sampvt]

I have just started to finish my first wine batch. sg of 993 and no more bubbles in the air lock. I added the stabiliser and whizzed it up with my new drill degassing toy and after 2 mins there was a 2 inch head of foam in the barrel. I left it 10 mins and there was still half an inch of foam there but I whizzed again, I got 2 inches of foam.

I have been on this for 30 mins now and whizzed it up 6 times and I am still getting loads of foam (air bubbles) I am beginning to believe that this machine is putting the air into the mix and I am beginning to think I might get oxidisation issues, or am I wrong.

 

[winesilly]

Take a sample with your wine thief and put it in your test jar. Put your hand over the top of test jar and give it a good shake if you here a pop when you take your hand off you still have carbon dioxide.

 

[DoctorCAD]

First, there cannot be "too much CO2". It is a byproduct of fermentation, so without it you would just have grape juice.

Getting it out of your wine requires either stirring or vacuum or time. Warming before stirring help alot. A good vacuum makes it easy. Letting it sit 6 months is the easiest of all.

I know I have stirred every hour for several days, and it just kept foaming. It will eventually flatten, dont give up.

 

[Bergmann]

I cannot tell you how many batches of wine I have made in my lifetime. and with the exception of one batch of Dragon blood, I have never manually degasses a single one. Time is the greatest healer to be found.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

First, there cannot be "too much CO2". It is a byproduct of fermentation, so without it you would just have grape juice.

Getting it out of your wine requires either stirring or vacuum or time. Warming before stirring help alot. A good vacuum makes it easy. Letting it sit 6 months is the easiest of all.

I know I have stirred every hour for several days, and it just kept foaming. It will eventually flatten, dont give up.

I could not of said it better !
I realized some wines can take up to a year or more all depending on temperature. So I feel it is necessary to degass and it is easier to do that everytime you do a racking using a vacuum pump.

 

[sampvt]

This is a 5 day wine kit (Cantina) so I cant leave it for 6 months, or should I. I am confused. It says it needs to be degassed then finned out so it can clear on the same day. If I leave it after stabilising for any time before finning it out, wont it oxidise and go to vinegar.

 

[Floandgary]

In my tasting room, once opened, the contents are consumed within a couple of days at longest. Therefore I have gotten in the habit of pouring to a decanter immediately. Helps release CO2 and does wonders for the taste! Have found that some of my concoctions develop residual gas after bottling despite best efforts to avert it. Never enough to promote cork popping but noticeable mouthfeel. Even easier,,,, pour a glassful then shake bottle like you would a soda-pop..

 

[sour_grapes]

This is a 5 day wine kit (Cantina) so I cant leave it for 6 months, or should I. I am confused. It says it needs to be degassed then finned out so it can clear on the same day. If I leave it after stabilising for any time before finning it out, wont it oxidise and go to vinegar.

No, if it is properly stored, you can store wine for years without hurting it. "Stabilizing" generally means adding potassium metabisulfite ("k-meta") and possibly potassium sorbate. The former protects against oxidation and microbial spoilage, and the latter inhibits yeast reproduction in the event that you add more sugar to sweeten the wine. (If you are not backsweetening, there is no need to add sorbate.) You should store it in a vessel with no headspace, that is, one that your wine will fill to almost the top.

I am not sure if I got your meaning or not, but you can safely ignore the "5-day" part of a "5-day wine kit." You can take as long as you want to complete this kit if you store it properly.

 

[Arne]

When you are stirring with a drill, don't make a vortex. Run it slow and if the vortex starts to form reverse the drill and run the other direction for a while. this way you shouldn't introduce o2 into your wine. Arne.