De gassing wine with a vacuum also fining and stabilizing

[nicklausjames]

I have previously added the metabisulfite and patassium sorbate and stir 5 mins to degas.

Than I add chitosan and keisosol in whatever order they go and stir another 5 mins.

I now have a vacuum pump and am trying to figure the order to do this in.

Should I degas, stabilize, than clear? Or stabilize, clear, than degas? Or some other combination?

 

[Elmer]

If this is a kit, Follow the directions.
If not
Stabilize, degass than clear, than degass some more.

it is usually written that degassed wine clears quicker, However using the chitosan and keisosol I have never had an issue clearing.

If you plan on bulk againg chances are the wine will clear on its own.

My usual process is to add kmeta, add chitosan and keisosol than let it clear.

Once it is clear rack off the muck and degass.
Or you can just rack in between 2 carboys with the vacuum pump if you are not going to bulk age and want to degass quickly.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Excess CO2 in your wine will greatly slow down the ability to clear. You should either splash rack once your wine is fully fermented, or transfer using a vacuum pump which will also degas the wine.

I will add to my carboy the potassium metabisulfite and then add my wine. Then I will add sparkolloid to clear my wine. Then top off and add a bung with an airlock.

Within a few hours you should see the wine begin to clear. I allow my Wines six weeks to clear, some folks just allow four weeks. Either is fine.

After that time. I will transfer using the vacuum pump again and allow the wine to age. Once it has aged I will then transfer off of any tartaric acid and fine settlement, add sorbate, potassium metabisulfite and back sweeten. If refermentation does not occur I will then bottle in a few weeks.

 

[bkisel]

I do stabilizing agents stirring after adding each one, then ~5 minutes stir degassing, then clearing agents with stirring after each one, then another ~5 minutes stir degassing. This however still, for me, leaves a lot of CO2 behind wich I'kll mostly get out by Vacu Vine hand pumping over the course of a day or two when I pretty much stop seeing the tiny bubbles and big bubbles start coming right out of the sediment that has begun to settle.

 

[cimbaliw]

Here's how I approach what I have come to term "Step 3" based on WinExpert kit instructions:

After fermentation is complete, I vacuum rack off the gross lees then a second splash rack for more degassing. Before the third racking, I add the sulphite/sorbate mix. Before the fourth racking, I add the clearing agent.

I'm sure there must be other techniques out there but this seems to work well for me.

BC

 

[Elmer]

Here's how I approach what I have come to term "Step 3" based on WinExpert kit instructions:

After fermentation is complete, I vacuum rack off the gross lees then a second splash rack for more degassing. Before the third racking, I add the sulphite/sorbate mix. Before the fourth racking, I add the clearing agent.

I'm sure there must be other techniques out there but this seems to work well for me.

BC

I have a WE Eclipse Pinot Noir that is about at "step 3"
But I do none of what Cimbaliw does.
I leave everything in the carboy and just stir it up. I add the k-Metta and Stir, as the Pot Sorbate and STIRR, Add the supper kleer and STTIR somemore.
(in all honesty, I get my 4 year old to stir)
once it has cleared I rack off the mucky muck!

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Elmer -
I believe Nick is asking how to do it with a vacuum pump using the same procedure.

I believe cimbaliw has a good approach - the most important thing is to have it degassed before adding your fining agents

 

[ibglowin]

WE instructions clearly states you should not remove the gross lees before you add the fining agents otherwise your wine may not clear.

Here's how I approach what I have come to term "Step 3" based on WinExpert kit instructions:

After fermentation is complete, I vacuum rack off the gross lees then a second splash rack for more degassing. Before the third racking, I add the sulphite/sorbate mix. Before the fourth racking, I add the clearing agent.

I'm sure there must be other techniques out there but this seems to work well for me.

BC

 

[Elmer]

Elmer -
I believe Nick is asking how to do it with a vacuum pump using the same procedure.

I believe cimbaliw has a good approach - the most important thing is to have it degassed before adding your fining agents

In that case,
keep racking back and forth. Goop and all (since WE Instructions indicate to NOT rack off the goop)

once you have racked a bunch of times to degass add your K-meta/Pot Sorbate/Superkleer!

 

[Putterrr]

despite the WE instructions, I have always racked off the lees before proceeding to Stabilize/degass steps.

Recently i assisted a friend with his WE kit and he left the lees in the carboy as per instructions. We used my Vac pump for degassing and I found that the wine had way more co2 than any of my kits. It took forever and I had to start at 10 and work up to 18 inches or it would have foamed out the top. Might be a coincidence but i will stick with racking first.

cheers

 

[DoctorCAD]

I think you just had so many more nucleation points with all of those gross lees, that the foam was excessive.

Next time you rack off the lees and vaccum rack, stick a clean bottle brush head in the wine. You will see the same effect. Tons of nucleation points for the gas to form a bubble on.