WineXpert Fizzy wine - Winexpert Sangiovese

[sstiles]

I made my first wine kit, the Winexpert World Vineyard Italian Sangiovese.
I followed all the instructions and all checks with the hydrometer were at or below the required values. I thought I degassed it enough but the wine has a fizz to it after a month in the bottle. It did have a kinda of a fizz when it went into the bottle but thought it might mellow out.

What did I do wrong and is there anyway to get rid of the fizz?
How can I prevent this with future batches, I just bottled a Viognier and worried it might be fizzy as well.

It taste fine but would like to get rid of the fizz if possible.

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[AZMDTed]

Getting rid of the fizz is the hardest part of wine making in my opinion. I've tried to follow the WineExpert instructions and that never comes close to getting rid of the fizz. My experience is that the fizz won't go away in the bottle, at least not any time soon. One batch I had to stir with a fork after I put the wine in the glass to get rid of it. It works but it's a pain.
Sometimes you can use a wine bottle vacuum sealer and remove some of the fizz in the bottle. As far as avoiding the fizz, make sure the temp is at 75 before you try to degas. But after many batches and stirring with a wine whip for 50 solid minutes, I gave up and bought an AllinOne Wine Pump. A couple of transfers and the fizz is gone.
Hopefully others will have some advice as well. Good luck. Don't get discouraged.

 

[jgmann67]

Ted gives great advice. Temperature is important. And, you're not going to get any real relief if you just leave it in the bottle.

If you don't have the $$$ for an AIO, think about pouring the wine back into the glass carboy and put it under a vacuum for a little time. I use a brake bleeder to get it to 20" of vacuum for about 30 minutes. You can agitate it a while to release the CO2 (a gentle swirl does wonders).

Once you're sufficiently de gassed, rebottle and wait about 3 weeks before you try it.

 

[barbiek]

Never bottle gassy wine you're gonna have bottle explosions! I let my wine age in the carboy and that takes care of the degassing. And the degassing wand that attaches to a drill can introduce air into the wine if not used correctly and systematically. I know this is discouraging but open all the wine bottles and put back in the carboy or drink up! Hope I prevented some clean up
Thanks barbie

 

[sstiles]

I think I'm going to put them back in the carboy, degas some more and re-bottle.


Thanks for the quick replies!

 

[ceeaton]

+1 what Jim says. I actually put mine under 25 inHg vac, shake till it drops to 20 and pump it back up. Nice hand and forearm workout. I sometimes leave it under vacuum overnight. If you have a Harbor Freight store near you they are quite cheap price wise.

The best method in my opinion is time. Just takes a while to learn how to take advantage of it as it is hard not to get that kit into a bottle so you can drink it quicker. I know, I just started making wine last November. 12 months in the carboy should do it, unless your temperatures are real low.

 

[heatherd]

I think I'm going to put them back in the carboy, degas some more and re-bottle.


Thanks for the quick replies!

Glad to hear that you're going to fix it, even though that is more work. I bottled a gassy wine, and it's the truth that age will not take care of it.

There is a test for gas where you take a sample and shake it up with your finger over it. If it pops when you remove your finger there is still gas.

Gas will go away from your carboy over time, or you can stir to get rid of it.

 

[wineh]

I think I'm going to put them back in the carboy, degas some more and re-bottle.


Thanks for the quick replies!

Or, you could pour a bottle quickly (straight upside down) into a decanter and leave it an hour. That will often cure CO2.

 

[kevinlfifer]

Put it in the carboy and bulk age it awhile.

If you are short carboys get a 4 gal water bottle from Sams $3.97. I use them all the time. They are PET like the Better Bottle only thinner.

 

[jurbello]

Decant for a couple of hours or if you can't wait pour into a blender and give it a quick zap, let settle and it should be ok. Don't bother opening all the bottles to degass, not worth the time. In the future bulk age your wine a minimum of 3 months.

 

[buttonsrtoys]

In the future bulk age your wine a minimum of 3 months.

This is an old thread, but I have some very fizzy wine after bulk aging for 3 months. I bulk aged with a solid stopper though. Folks in this thread are bulk ageing with airlocks?

 

[jgmann67]

This is an old thread, but I have some very fizzy wine after bulk aging for 3 months. I bulk aged with a solid stopper though. Folks in this thread are bulk ageing with airlocks?

Time and temps will degas wine. I would have probably gone with a bubbler instead of a solid bung for a wine that still had co2. Bubblers will allow the co2 to leave without letting O2 in. Using a solid bung on a gassy wine could lead to a bad result (like pressure pushing out the bung and exposing the wine to too much air).

I use bubblers for 6-9 months at a time with no worries. Just check your wine every 5-7 days to top them off.

But, now that you're 3 months in, here are my two bits: rack it off the fine lees, dose with kmeta and give your wine another 3 months. You might also search threads for vacuum degassing if you'd like a means to be sure your wine is ready to go in the bottle at the end of the next 3 months. Or, you can just rack again, dose again, and wait again.

Time is you greatest asset.