# Degassing after bottling?



## krahm (Nov 29, 2013)

Hi, folks. Forgive my ignorance. This is my first attempt (at wine, that is). It's from a kit--WineExpert Selection International Italian Montepulciano. I thought I'd gotten all the co2 out of the wine at bottling (goodness knows, I beat the bejeezus out of it with the drill and degassing wand while fining), but on bottling day I'd been drinking beer, so maybe I just didn't notice the residual co2 when sampling the wine. After 6 weeks in the bottle, my wife and I decided to pop one to see how it was coming along, and there was noticeable co2 in there. The question is--what to do at this point. I figure I could:

1. Leave it all alone and degas with a VacuVin thingy whenever I open a bottle in the future (unless this will cause problems with flavor along the way for some reason that I'm not aware of).

2. Open everything at this point and degas in the bottle with a VacuVin thingy (or maybe the Mity-Vac brake bleeding system that I use on my cars--I've read up on how to rig it up, and I'll certainly use it on the carboy in the future). Then just re-cork.

3. Open every bottle, pour into a carboy and bulk degas. But this would seem to risk introducing a lot of o2 into the wine. 

What's my best course of action? I'd prefer no. 1, if it isn't going to lead to any major issues. Many thx!


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## sour_grapes (Nov 29, 2013)

I am interested to hear what others have to say; I have this problem on my first 15 bottles. (I bottled half, then figured out the problem, then degassed before bottling the rest.)

It is my intent to execute your #1 option.


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## bkisel (Nov 29, 2013)

I'd say option 1 for the bottles you're consuming at home and option 2 for the bottles that leave the house.

BTW, my wine making, all kits so far, have an added 2-3 day phase for degassing in a glass carboy using a VacuVin. This is in addition to and right after all the stirring I do at stabilizing and clearing phase.


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## cimbaliw (Nov 29, 2013)

Do you think it has refermented or just has residual gas?

If refermented (check SG) I've been there, used option #3. #1 will have you mopping the floor at some point, it's a matter of time. #2 makes my wrists hurt. Option three also lets you add oak if you prefer or any other tweaks you might want to do. I wouldn't be too worried about adding oxygen, option #3 won't ruin your wine.

If just residual gas, I'd echo what sour grapes has to say. Even if fermentation has restarted (doubtful assuming no additional sugar and you added the sorb) keep an eye on the corks and see if they're inching out of the bottle. When refermentation occurs, they don't all explode at some preordained magic moment.


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## krahm (Nov 29, 2013)

I'm 99% certain it's not new fermentation. I'm an experienced homebrewer, and I'm pretty careful about sanitation. But then again, one never knows. I'm going to try opening a bottle and degassing it (and I'll re-check final gravity, just to be sure). If that doesn't give me results, I'll go the carboy route and ... ugh, re-bottle the entire batch. Thx for the advice, folks!

I'm going to take that advice about giving myself a few days to truly degas this next batch. I'll hit it with the wand first, then put it on a vacuum for a few days.


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## cpfan (Nov 29, 2013)

Option #4 ... open the bottle some time before serving, decant, and allow to breathe, thus allowing the CO2 to escape

Option #5 ... after pouring into a glass, swirl gently, and allow the CO2 to escape

Steve


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## vacuumpumpman (Nov 29, 2013)

Consider it is already bottled and not blowing off corks - I would just decanter it prior to serving it.


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## Elmer (Dec 1, 2013)

Once you have bottled, they are bottled. I would not open up 30 bottles, waste 30 corks for something that is already done. Deal with the issue once the bottle is open and being served.

Just last night I bottled 27 bottles of chianti. Even though I had degassed numerous times with the AIO, I got a whole bunch of foam/head in the bottle. I gave the bottles a little shake, let it subside and bottled. I will deal with it when I open and serve!

Best drinking!


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## Simpsini (Dec 1, 2013)

Krahm - I too believe you should leave them alone and decant when you open them. It shouldn't affect the taste and I'm sure no one will notice unless you tell them. Last year I had a Pinot Gris that was a little bubbly when I opened it. It still tasted fine and the CO2 dispersed rapidly. I only have 2 bottles left and it has never been a problem.


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## jamesngalveston (Dec 1, 2013)

I just went through this...My sister called and said she had cork blow off a bottle of recently bottled blackberry.
I pulled them out of the rack..and all had sediment in them...but were very cleark when i bottled.
I emptied all in a carboy, and low and behold, co2 ...the carboy dropped about a 1/2 inch of sediment and is still blowing of co2.


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## cpfan (Dec 1, 2013)

jamesngalveston said:


> I just went through this...My sister called and said she had cork blow off a bottle of recently bottled blackberry.
> I pulled them out of the rack..and all had sediment in them...but were very cleark when i bottled.
> I emptied all in a carboy, and low and behold, co2 ...the carboy dropped about a 1/2 inch of sediment and is still blowing of co2.


The presence of sediment (ie dead yeast) implies fermentation in the bottle. Aren't you the guy who sweetens without using sorbate? If so, this is what can happen.

Steve


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## jamesngalveston (Dec 1, 2013)

not fermenting..its just wasnt degassed enough..
hydrometer reading is exactly the same after 5 days...no change.


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## jamesngalveston (Dec 1, 2013)

and its a very dark red..which i thought was clear..it wasnt.

forgot...when i bottled it was 18 % abv.


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## GlennK (Dec 17, 2013)

I just bottled a nice Winexperts ITALIAN PINOT GRIGIO and I appear to have the same problem. I have also tried the decanting after I open and I also tried the wine pump.

Is this problem common in certain wines?


Different varietals and wine styles work best with different levels of CO2.


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## cpfan (Dec 17, 2013)

GlennK said:


> Is this problem common in certain wines?


 
Not trying to be snarky, but this problem is very common amongst beginner wine makers because they do not realize how much effort is required to degas a wine.

Steve


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## Dugger (Dec 17, 2013)

My experience has been that wine does not age very well when it has not been degassed properly, so I would go the extra mile and re-degas the wine, either by vacuvinning each bottle or emptying into a carboy (with appropriate kmeta) and degassing. The cost of extra corks would be worth it in my opinion.


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## GlennK (Dec 18, 2013)

cpfan said:


> Not trying to be snarky, but this problem is very common amongst beginner wine makers because they do not realize how much effort is required to degas a wine.
> 
> Steve



I've probably been making wine longer than you have and I always pay attention to degassing, as it is very important for clearing as well. I even use the air pump during my 2 days of stirring. And my question still stands???


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