Degassing

[Jbuck]

Degassing, I know what it is and I have read how to do it and will most likley get one of the drilled powered degassers, and while I am sure it has been addressed here in the past I can't locate the thread. Ouestion is when do you do it and why? The instructions that came with my kit cover stiring, SG, racking, ect. but nothing about degassing. Working on my first batch and don't want to leave out any important steps. Thanks

 

[Wade E]

You degas your wine after its done fermenting as fermentation produces C02 in your wine and your wine will be loaded with it like a sparkling wine! at this point you rack to carboy, add the silfite and sorbate and degas your wine by agitating it to get the C02 out of suspension, degassing should be done at temps around 75* as cooler temps make your wine hold this C02 and warmer temps help release the gas. If a wine is not properly degassed it will be fizzy and your wine will not clear also cause the C02 will keep the solids in suspension.

 

[Jbuck]

You degas your wine after its done fermenting as fermentation produces C02 in your wine and your wine will be loaded with it like a sparkling wine! at this point you rack to carboy, add the silfite and sorbate and degas your wine by agitating it to get the C02 out of suspension, degassing should be done at temps around 75* as cooler temps make your wine hold this C02 and warmer temps help release the gas. If a wine is not properly degassed it will be fizzy and your wine will not clear also cause the C02 will keep the solids in suspension.

Thanks Wade E, so would this be just before you bottle?

 

[Wade E]

I do this right when its done fermenting so that the wine will clear much better and faster!

 

[skiboarder72]

Right after everything is done fermenting and I rack over I degass... and yes those drill ones work awesome compared to the good ol' spoon.

 

[Slyder73]

I used the spoon on my first batch, and it was about 30 to 40 minutes off and on of a quite vigorous workout. I was sweating at the end and had sore arms.
I went the drill route, which I used on my 2nd and 3rd batches. I've still ran into a problem not being able to completely degass a white I have (see thread in Winexperts section) and it's not clearing. The drill works great but exposes the wine to a lot of oxygen, a bad thing and if you end up with one of those seemingly random neverending degassing sessions... I don't want to drill it again and get too much oxygen in so I'm going to get the hand vacuum pump/brake bleeder suggested by others.

My future degassing will be drill stir for the first majority of CO2, then several sessions over a few days of vacuum degassing to finish it off (less risk of harming wine with oxygen).

This I've already learned by trial and error and great advice and suggestions by the rest of the folks on here. I didn't want to put out the extra money and thought spoon was fine, then drill but I've come to the conclusion that a little extra cost for the right tools at the beginning will produce a lot better wines for a long time.

 

[rawlus]

the degassing drill tool is also a great implement for when you are initially mixing concentrate with water to ensure a cohesive mix and avoid stratification... its also good for mixing in bentonite into suspension at the start for kitmakers who have bentonite in their Step 1, and lastly, a little cavitation and O2 introduction at the start actually benefits the yeast a bit so the drill tool, while i dont use it for degassing much anymore, still gets alot of use.

 

[Larryh86GT]

Being new to winemaking I've been mulling over this degassing process also.
I think this will work using my wife's foodsaver vacuum machine.
Larry

 

[Jbuck]

Being new to winemaking I've been mulling over this degassing process also.
I think this will work using my wife's foodsaver vacuum machine.
Larry

Please let us know how this works for you, have been considering buying my wife a foodsaver, starting to think she needs one right away, that is if it works for you.

 

[Larryh86GT]

Please let us know how this works for you, have been considering buying my wife a foodsaver, starting to think she needs one right away, that is if it works for you.

I ran it with the 3 liter bottle shown in the picture and it definitely pulled a vacuum in the bottle. I am not ready to degas the wine I making now but here is a link to a youtube video that gave me the idea.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQwphCnFdak[/ame]

Larry

 

[Wade E]

That will not last long and be very careful as a friend of mine actually imploded a gallon jug using that foodsaver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is no gauge or regulator on that so you dont know when to stop. Thats why the brake bleeder (Mityvac) or even better the aspirator pump are the best method as you have a gauge so know what is safe and if you are actually done cause when you can hold about 17" of vacuum your wine is degassed and there is actually such thing as degassingtoo much which will leave your wine very flabby and tasteless. You will actually pull the bouquet right out of it!

 

[Larryh86GT]

One step forward, two steps back.

 

[amrad]

So how is this done on a commercial scale? I just cant see a professional wine maker using a friggen drill. ha ha

 

[Dhorton]

I found a youtube video demonstrating the way I degas, [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjL80hXkHdI&feature=related[/ame] I use a different brand vacuum pump, I use a VacuVin which has a different type of stopper. So I just shove the stopper supplied with the VacuVin into the top of my airlock (water removed of course)

 

[Jbuck]

That will not last long and be very careful as a friend of mine actually imploded a gallon jug using that foodsaver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is no gauge or regulator on that so you dont know when to stop. Thats why the brake bleeder (Mityvac) or even better the aspirator pump are the best method as you have a gauge so know what is safe and if you are actually done cause when you can hold about 17" of vacuum your wine is degassed and there is actually such thing as degassingtoo much which will leave your wine very flabby and tasteless. You will actually pull the bouquet right out of it!

Don't think I will go that route, don't want my first batch to turn out like me "flabby and tasteless" lol.

 

[Larryh86GT]

there is actually such thing as degassingtoo much which will leave your wine very flabby and tasteless. You will actually pull the bouquet right out of it!

So if my wine has no gas to begin with it is flabby and tasteless?? I don't understand?

 

[Larryh86GT]

Don't think I will go that route, don't want my first batch to turn out like me "flabby and tasteless" lol.

But not as gassy?

 

[NSwiner]

This somewhat answer a question for me about why soem wines you buy seem to almost have a sparkling effect to them ,they probably don't degas as much . I'm not saying they are really bubbley like sparkling wine but just a hint of fizz forlack of a better word when yuo drink them .If i could find my book that I write down what I think of wines when we try I would tell you the couple we had that were like that but I have no idea where I put when I was cleaning before Christmas .

 

[Wade E]

You can not over degas your wine with a drill mounted stirrer or that vacuvin and I dont think you could do it with the Mityvac either but you surely could with an electric vacum pump. This is the reason I set mine for 17" and when it can hold that for 1/2 an hour its done.

 

[Larryh86GT]

You can not over degas your wine with a drill mounted stirrer or that vacuvin and I dont think you could do it with the Mityvac either but you surely could with an electric vacum pump. This is the reason I set mine for 17" and when it can hold that for 1/2 an hour its done.

Thanks for the info Wade. A wine handpump is a lot cheaper than replacing my wife's foodsaver.

I found a youtube video demonstrating the way I degas, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjL80hXkHdI&feature=related I use a different brand vacuum pump, I use a VacuVin which has a different type of stopper. So I just shove the stopper supplied with the VacuVin into the top of my airlock (water removed of course)

After watching this video I found the Snail handpump online and purchased one. Thanks.