Degassing and aeration

[aryoung1980]

Can someone please explain to me how degassing does not cause aeration problems.




Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[garymc]

If you degas by letting the wine sit in a carboy with an airlock for 6 months, the CO2 goes out and oxygen doesn't come in. Just like a soda going flat if it's not tightly sealed. During the six months if you use a vacuum pump like the All In One to rack, the exposure to air is limited and there is a negative pressure on the wine which should pull CO2 out. Further, if you put some K-Meta in the empty carboy into which you're vacuum pumping the wine, that protects it against whatever oxygen is in the empty carboy. If you pour it back and forth exposing it to air, you get some oxygen. Is it enough to oxidize the wine? Somebody take a guess.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

If you degas by letting the wine sit in a carboy with an airlock for 6 months, the CO2 goes out and oxygen doesn't come in. Just like a soda going flat if it's not tightly sealed. During the six months if you use a vacuum pump like the All In One to rack, the exposure to air is limited and there is a negative pressure on the wine which should pull CO2 out. Further, if you put some K-Meta in the empty carboy into which you're vacuum pumping the wine, that protects it against whatever oxygen is in the empty carboy. If you pour it back and forth exposing it to air, you get some oxygen. Is it enough to oxidize the wine? Somebody take a guess.

Very good answer ! I agree ^^

 

[aryoung1980]

I guess I should have clarified better in my original post. My kit's instructions say to put the handle of my long spoon into the carboy and agitate vigorously every ten minutes for 30 minutes per day. That sounds like a recipe for oxidation but I know people do it without any problems. I just can't seem to wrap my head around it.

I was planning on bulk aging for around 6 months before I bottle. Does this mean I don't need to agitate and it'll off gas on its own?



Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[aryoung1980]

It also sounds like k-meta is an addition I need to invest in.


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[bkisel]

All of the kits I've done had me degas by vigorously stirring with a spoon or drill mounted stirring device. This has never caused an issue other then I usually need to degas more using my VacuVin. My guess is that while the wine is saturated with CO2 there's little concern of introducing another gas.

 

[LittleBearGameFarm]

What happens if you don't degas? Bombs?

Reason I ask, I bottled a WE Shiraz after 2 months in secondary because I needed the carboy. I did not feel any fizz/bubbles in taste tests and it seemed pretty stable. If temps rise at all in my cellar (+10degrees F), could I have problems?

Thanks!

 

[LittleBearGameFarm]

I used up all of my patience on my daughter, none left for the wine

 

[aryoung1980]

My guess is that while the wine is saturated with CO2 there's little concern of introducing another gas.

That makes sense. I guess it's the beer brewer in me that flinches at any introduction of oxygen. I had to read a lot of articles and forum posts before I was comfortable stirring the must daily during fermentation.




Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[DoctorCAD]

It's wine...not beer. It takes a whole lot of time and whole lot of exposure to oxidize wine. In fact, micro-oxygenation happens in a barrel for years and it doesn't hurt the wine.

Don't worry.