Degassing after 5/6 months

[StBlGT]

So i have a cru international merlot and a passport cab franc/cab sauv sitting for around 6 months. I just racked them and added a little kmeta. Also, put some in a bottle and shook it up and wow! the co2. I degassed with the whip on a drill for a good bit before the clearing stage and figured the 6 months would help it degas.....nope!

My question....can i degas with something like a vacu vin or fresh saver (or some other vacuum) after it has sat for so long without damaging the wine in any way? I have to get the co2 out! I bottled a sauv blanc that was still gassy before and never want to do that again.

Any help is appreciated....thanks.

 

[AZMDTed]

In my experience you can still use any method to degass now. I've unbottled wine after nearly a year and whipped it, it will be fine again after bottling and a little rest.

I recommend putting the wine in a warm dark place, preferably over 75 degrees, for a few days before you try degassing again. Heat is the only thing that I've found to truly help degassing.

You are right, you have to get it out before bottling. It won't degass after you bottle. And whipping or vacuuming shouldn't hurt the wine.

Best of luck, I know how frustrating it is.

 

[StBlGT]

Thanks for the response. I feel better knowing i can attack it again. I am looking at the vacu vin.....is this a good tool to degas with? I don't really want any big vacuum. Just something tiny.

Anyone recommend the vacu vin?

 

[Johnd]

I used it when I started, but switched to a manual brake bleeder, then to an electric vacuum pump. You can get it done with the vacuvin, just takes elbow grease and determination.

 

[Mismost]

heat...that is what I am going to try next time I degas. Think I'm going to sit the carboy on a heating pad and warm it up to try and release more gas.

I just did the shake test on a Pinot that finished in April....still has more gas than a fat lady after a burrito eating contest.

 

[drainsurgeon]

heat...that is what I am going to try next time I degas. Think I'm going to sit the carboy on a heating pad and warm it up to try and release more gas.

I just did the shake test on a Pinot that finished in April....still has more gas than a fat lady after a burrito eating contest.

AAahh man, did ya have to? I was just sitting down for breakfast!

Actually, I'm going to try the heating pad thing also. I brewed upstairs in my kitchen for years..in summer...where it was nice and warm.

I've moved my brewery into the basement this summer to try and keep my ferments a little cooler. I am now a little worried that the cooler temps are the reason my degassing is taking a little more effort. I think warming will help. Thanks!

 

[Mismost]

AAahh man, did ya have to? I was just sitting down for breakfast!

Actually, I'm going to try the heating pad thing also. I brewed upstairs in my kitchen for years..in summer...where it was nice and warm.

I've moved my brewery into the basement this summer to try and keep my ferments a little cooler. I am now a little worried that the cooler temps are the reason my degassing is taking a little more effort. I think warming will help. Thanks!

Haha..I am thinking of running my next two red wines in my fermenting chamber (chest freezer) and using the cool end of yeast temp range, but running longer....frankly, I'm getting mixed signals about doing it that way....some say don't...some say not required...some say good idea.

I'm in Texas and we keep our house about 70 degrees in the summer...the winter, we rarely turn on the heater we just put on more clothes...so it's coolish year round....don't think that helps degas.

Opened a bottle last night that had enough gas in it to float the Goodyear Blimp! It was gone in an hour or so after opening...the gas was gone...then we drank it. Not a big deal, but it is a mistake on my part...I just want to stop doing that!

 

[Floandgary]

When mine goes to the carboy, it gets splash-racked. Then every 3 months, so about 4 times before I bottle. Usually little to no CO2 by then. When I pop the cork on a bottle I give it a shake test and sometimes get a little gas. Glug, glug, into a decanter for a while and all is good.. Have not used the drill/whip or vacuum or anything else for years

 

[Mismost]

When mine goes to the carboy, it gets splash-racked. Then every 3 months, so about 4 times before I bottle. Usually little to no CO2 by then. When I pop the cork on a bottle I give it a shake test and sometimes get a little gas. Glug, glug, into a decanter for a while and all is good.. Have not used the drill/whip or vacuum or anything else for years

Yeah, I hear you! The wines I am drinking now are some of the first ones I made....and I followed the instructions to degas and bottled pretty much on schedule...and bought another kit. I just walked right into the bear trap!

These days, I use my schedule, the instructions are more like general suggestions, and I am in no hurry to get anything in the bottle! The wine seems to appreciate it too...none are really "ready" yet, but they seem pretty promising. (except that one I made out old jams and jellies...don't know about that one!).

 

[ceeaton]

I'm in Texas and we keep our house about 70 degrees in the summer...the winter, we rarely turn on the heater we just put on more clothes...so it's coolish year round....don't think that helps degas.

Though I'm in PA, I have the same issue. My basement varies from 55*F in Winter to 68*F in Summer. I bring the carboy up into a corner off the kitchen where it might hit 76*F for a few weeks, then degas using a drill mounted device, and then with a manual brake bleeder pump, using both during multiple sessions (while drinking a glass of something, or course). I've pretty much decided to give up bottling in the Winter, so either I have to get busy here the next few months or buy 5 or 6 more carboys.

I have a Dornfelder that I want to oak 1/2 of the batch a bit more, but I'll start getting into Winter and will have to wait to degas & bottle. It's been in the basement since last September and still has a bit of gas in it, so I agree, a warmer temperature is vital, unless we want to experience that lady and burrito thing in the posts above.

 

[heatherd]

I make wine in my kitchen, which is 76 in the summer and 69 in the winter. I find that aging my wine 6 months gets rid of the gas.

I used to age whites 3 months, but found gas and sediment in my bottles, so now everything is 6 months.

On the six month schedule, I don't have to do anything, the wines degass on their own.

 

[drainsurgeon]

This is not an easy adjustment for me. I've been brewing kits for 7+ years and I think in weeks (4-6) before bottling. Not months! With clearing agents (chitosan), the wine is usually ready to bottle in 4-5 weeks after starting. They don't need much "tweaking" so not sure bulk ageing would help any. Never find any floating crap in the bottles either, so they are done dropping lee's of any sort.

Not sure I totally understand the 6-12 month wait when you can bottle in a few weeks with clearing agents. Do some people feel that clearing agents "taint" the wine?

 

[Johnd]

This is not an easy adjustment for me. I've been brewing kits for 7+ years and I think in weeks (4-6) before bottling. Not months! With clearing agents (chitosan), the wine is usually ready to bottle in 4-5 weeks after starting. They don't need much "tweaking" so not sure bulk ageing would help any. Never find any floating crap in the bottles either, so they are done dropping lee's of any sort.

Not sure I totally understand the 6-12 month wait when you can bottle in a few weeks with clearing agents. Do some people feel that clearing agents "taint" the wine?

I don't think the wine gets tainted, but clearing agents can strip your wine of color, flavors, and aromas. Note that I said "can", not "will". Applied judiciously, there shouldn't be many issues. But if the wine will do it on its own, without the risk of those things, my preference is to let it happen naturally. Whenever doing grapes or really nice kits, nature is my way, but still use them on some lesser stuff to keep carboys free in the rotation.

 

[drainsurgeon]

I don't think the wine gets tainted, but clearing agents can strip your wine of color, flavors, and aromas. Note that I said "can", not "will". Applied judiciously, there shouldn't be many issues. But if the wine will do it on its own, without the risk of those things, my preference is to let it happen naturally. Whenever doing grapes or really nice kits, nature is my way, but still use them on some lesser stuff to keep carboys free in the rotation.

Carboy's isn't really my problem. Going south for the winter IS! I'm very reluctant to leave a carboy full of wine for 5 months unattended. Even if topped up properly, the wine should be racked and K-meta added every 3 months from what I've read here. We leave the heat on at 50 in the winter, but if the furnace should go out....don't want to think about that.

I pretty much need to be bottled before Nov 15th so that limits my long term commitments as far as wine making goes.

 

[Scooter68]

You are right about not leaving it unattended for 5 months. That's not a workable idea. The aging in bulk simply makes it easier to adjust any changes that may occur. Make sure that all precipitation is done and the acidity remains where you need it. Some wine varieties are higher in citric acid which can break down. If you are talking about natural fruit/berries the issue is just that changes happen over that time with natural berries/fruit. If you can get it cleared, degassed and stabilized in time then you can bottle and let the aging take place in the bottle. Your kit wines are prepare with careful controls that take out some of the variables of a natural fruit/berry wine.

That's not to say you cannot be successful with a shorter aging time but just that the risk is somewhat higher that the results in 6-12 months down the road may not be as good or as enjoyable to drink or that you may have some precipitation in the bottles.

 

[Floandgary]

This is not an easy adjustment for me. I've been brewing kits for 7+ years and I think in weeks (4-6) before bottling. Not months! With clearing agents (chitosan), the wine is usually ready to bottle in 4-5 weeks after starting. They don't need much "tweaking" so not sure bulk ageing would help any. Never find any floating crap in the bottles either, so they are done dropping lee's of any sort.

Not sure I totally understand the 6-12 month wait when you can bottle in a few weeks with clearing agents. Do some people feel that clearing agents "taint" the wine?

Gets us back to the carboy/bulk vs. bottle aging topic. The 6-12 month wait has benefits in a number of ways but again personal choice is in control. I'll take a stab and say that most (home)winemakers have learned a few things about the value of TIME in the process

 

[Johnd]

Carboy's isn't really my problem. Going south for the winter IS! I'm very reluctant to leave a carboy full of wine for 5 months unattended. Even if topped up properly, the wine should be racked and K-meta added every 3 months from what I've read here. We leave the heat on at 50 in the winter, but if the furnace should go out....don't want to think about that.

I pretty much need to be bottled before Nov 15th so that limits my long term commitments as far as wine making goes.

That's certainly an understandable constraint, sounds like you are handling it well, don't see any reason to change that process............

 

[StBlGT]

I just got my vacu vin today....my question is: when using this to degas, i will put the stopper they gave me inside of a bung (with hole) and pump. Now, do i move that release at the top of the stopper or do you leave the stopper alone?

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Well using the allinonewinepump - will aid in the degassing process - so when ever your transferring you are degassing at the same time.

option #2
by the headspace eliminator and a hand vacuum pump this will keep the carboy under constant vacuum as it will pull out CO2 at the sametime.

If you do not like to pump by hand - go back to step #1 - take a look at the allinonewinepump

 

[StBlGT]

Ok, so i tried the vacu vin and it seemed like if i pumped and didn't hit the release at the top of the stopper, no co2 rose up (after the initial co2). However, if i pump, co2 rose, i hit the release on the stopper, i pumped again, co2 rose, hit the release, etc.....is this the correct way?

I know hitting the release on the vacu vin stopper technically allows air in, but with as much co2 that i have coming up, i am not worried. But, is this the right way to do it, or is there an easier way?