What happens if you don't degas

[Sashie]

I made a dessert plum wine that is about ready to be bottled. It is clear, smells nice and tastes great. It was stabilized and i would like to bottle. However, I now see tiny bubbles rising to the top and I'm assuming the wine needs to be degassed. My questions are:

Do I need to degas? and what happens if I don't?

Will not degassing change the taste of my wine?

I've read a lot about how to degas (but how do you get the spoon in the carboy??) but not a lot about why except to get rid of the bubbles. I'm assuming it is more than the look - will the wine become carbonated?

thanks

 

[robie]

I made a dessert plum wine that is about ready to be bottled. It is clear, smells nice and tastes great. It was stabilized and i would like to bottle. However, I now see tiny bubbles rising to the top and I'm assuming the wine needs to be degassed. My questions are:

Do I need to degas? and what happens if I don't?

Will not degassing change the taste of my wine?

I've read a lot about how to degas (but how do you get the spoon in the carboy??) but not a lot about why except to get rid of the bubbles. I'm assuming it is more than the look - will the wine become carbonated?

thanks

Yes, you do need to degas. CO2 gas is generated by the yeast fermentation.

If not degassed, the wine will have a fizzy/tingly feel on your tonque, like champaigne, but not as heavy. Yes, it will taste carbonated.
The wine will have a slight bitter taste to it. Degas it and it will not have a fizz or the bitter taste associated with it.

You can use a small Vacuvin pump, which many stores sell to help preserve an opened bottle of wine by pulling out the exces air from a wine bottle.
You can use a spoon or somthing small enough to go into the carboy to stir it. As long as when stirred, the wine creates small bubbles and the wine tastes fizzy, continue to stir it. You can go mainly by the fizziness.

 

[Rocky]

Sashie, all that Robie said and if you do not de-gas your wine will be difficult to clear because the CO2 holds particles in suspension. Also, if you have the standard spoon, invert and stir with the handle side. De-gassing is very important and should not be skipped.

 

[Flem]

Hi Sashie! I just want to add one more thing to what these guys have told you. You didn't say how clear your wine was and how long it has been aging. Please, please don't rush into bottling. What appears to be a perfectly clear wine (especially at an early stage) will actually have a lot of sediment held in suspension. This, over time, will fall out to the bottom or side of the bottle. Since you are probably now going to degas, it's going to take quite awhile for it to clear completely.
Another downside of not degassing is that the pressure may push your corks out. Good Luck!!

 

[Sashie]

Thanks all for the great information.
Believe me, I've been patient. The wine has been aging in the carboy for almost a year and a half.
So this is the last step....I guess I will use a slender spoon attached to a long stick of some sort and start stirring.
thanks

 

[Arne]

Get your temp. up in the mid 70's and rack it. It should help get rid of a lot of the gas. Splash racking helps get rid of a lot of gas, but as old as your wine is, I think I would rack it to the bottom of a clean carboy instead of splash racking as you will introduce a lot of oxygen. You can get by with the oxygen getting into a early wine, but don't believe I would add it to one that has aged for over a year. Arne.

 

[arcticsid]

If you dont degas you may feel bloated!

Sorry Sashie, I just HAD to say it! LOL.

 

[mmadmikes1]

Corks will come flying out of your bottles if there is a high pressure system or the temp rises to summer heat

 

[djrockinsteve]

Seeing small bubbles. If you have back sweetened are you sure it's not refermenting?

 

[Sashie]

I didn't back-sweeten after stabilizing. The carboy is in our basement...temperature around 60. I don't think I want to take the chance of moving it to a warmer room.

thanks again

 

[robie]

I didn't back-sweeten after stabilizing. The carboy is in our basement...temperature around 60. I don't think I want to take the chance of moving it to a warmer room.

thanks again

If you don't find a way to warm it up, it will never degas fully at such a low temperature as in your basement.

Most LHBS sell brew belts, which when put around a carboy and plugged in, will easily warm the wine.

 

[Sashie]

but what about madmike's comment about popping corks?

 

[BillZ]

I have a long handled spoon that I cut the sides off of in order for it to fit into the carboy. I place it into a drill, hit trigger and work the spoon around the container. It makes degassing quick and easy.

 

[mmadmikes1]

Almost every person who has made wine for a while has stains on floor from cooks flying out of wine not completely de gassed before bottling. When the cooks fly, the sudden release causes foam as well and wine is everywhere. I am talking from experience as so will dozens of other members if you ask them. This is why Champlain corks are wired in. If you want to try it I would suggest keeping bottle in fridg. as long as they are chilled you should be ok.Maybe

 

[wood1954]

degas

Well, yesterday i went down to the cellar and found 2 bottles of hard cider with their corks across the room and half their content spilled all over. I didn't degas and it turns out they hadn't finished fermenting.

 

[Sammyk]

Related question.

Will the air locks pop off if there is gas in the carboy? Or does this just happen with corks?

 

[djrockinsteve]

Airlocks (bungs) will lift and maybe fall off it it doesn't have a tight seal against the glass. I push them in at an angle then straighten, and give a twist to seat them good.

If you have excess CO2 in your carboy the gas will escape through the airlock. If you use a solid bung then yes that can pop off.

 

[Sashie]

hey Billz - i like that idea...

 

[Geronimo]

After a year and a half I'm very surprised there's any CO2 left in it. I'd rack it gently once and bottle it. If it sat on the yeast all this time, the bubbles are from the yeast decomposing. If it tastes good at this point, you're golden.

 

[Sashie]

OK, now I'm not sure what to do...