Co2

[Jim Welch]

Isn’t argon not heavier than air? As a Noble gas it seems to be 1.38 times heavier than air. So if most of the headspace is filled with argon, it will sink and sit right on top of the wine to protect it from any air left in the carboy. At least, this is my theory, but might not be valid

Gas molecules by their nature are highly energetic and mix readily. Intuitively it may seem like something heavier than air like argon would sink but this is not the case.

 

[winemaker81]

I also have argon, but when I use it I have no idea when/if the headspace has enough argon to do the job. The lit match method apparently doesn’t work - and I’m always afraid of dropping ash or burned match fragments into the wine. Does anyone have any good ideas on knowing when enough is enough? Thanks!

Without serious lab equipment, I'm fairly sure the answer is "no", no one knows. I got all excited about the match test, but reality asserted itself. Top with wine and you are sure, otherwise no.

 

[sjjan]

At least it was a good try

 

[Fenderstrat]

Can someone help me? I am currently in secondary fermentation for a homegrown 75% Zinfandel-25% Muscadine blend. After racking, I topped off the carboy with 750ml of store bought white zinfandel 5 days ago. Yesterday I noticed a collection of foam at the top of the headspace and tiny bubbles coming up from the bottom (see video). Is this latent CO2 escaping or just continued fermentation? This did not start until the addition of the back-fill. Thank you!

 

[stickman]

Most likely the sugar brought in with the white zinfandel is starting to ferment.

 

[Fenderstrat]

Ah, I would have thought that all of the yeast had been expired by now?
Also, the carboys were moved from an area that was 72 degrees to my basement, which is a constant 67 degrees

 

[winemaker81]

Ah, I would have thought that all of the yeast had been expired by now?
Also, the carboys were moved from an area that was 72 degrees to my basement, which is a constant 67 degrees

"Life finds a way" -- Ian Malcolm. Be thankful you've got yeast and not dinosaurs -- that rarely turns out well.

Yeast can live in the wine up to 9 months, and you're well within that time frame. Take a hydrometer reading, it's likely the SG is at least a point or 2 higher than it was.

This is not a problem. The wine fermented out once, it will do so again, probably in a few days.

 

[HillPeople]

Let it do its thing. Things will grind to a halt in good time.

 

[Fenderstrat]

Thank you, Sages of the grape!