How do I taste my wine while it’s fermenting?

[tommy24]

If I remove the lid and pour it into a glass will oxygen ruin the rest of the wine? Or does that only happen if it’s exposed for a long time to oxygen? Thank you!!!

 

[wood1954]

If it’s still fermenting it’s ok to lift the lid.

 

[BernardSmith]

Oxidation is equivalent to rusting. How long does it take for a piece of metal to show signs of rust? You are talking weeks if not months. And as Wood1954 suggests , if the yeast is still pumping out CO2 then that gas forms a blanket atop the wine and prevents O2 attacking it. After the yeast has ceased active fermentation one typically racks the wine onto K-meta and the free sulfur in the K-meta acts to prevent oxidation (it binds with the O2). Oxidation is more a problem when you are talking about long term storage and aging (and the more tannins (appropriately) in the wine the longer its shelf life will be)

 

[tommy24]

Oxidation is equivalent to rusting. How long does it take for a piece of metal to show signs of rust? You are talking weeks if not months. And as Wood1954 suggests , if the yeast is still pumping out CO2 then that gas forms a blanket atop the wine and prevents O2 attacking it. After the yeast has ceased active fermentation one typically racks the wine onto K-meta and the free sulfur in the K-meta acts to prevent oxidation (it binds with the O2). Oxidation is more a problem when you are talking about long term storage and aging (and the more tannins (appropriately) in the wine the longer its shelf life will be)

THANK YOU! I tasted it and was surprised at how little taste of alcohol there was. But I loved the flavor.

 

[hounddawg]

look into a wine thief, no lifting just stick it in pull out and pour whats in your wine thief into,,,,,, well i put mine from my thief into a shot glass,,,,
Dawg

 

[BernardSmith]

look into a wine thief, no lifting just stick it in pull out and pour whats in your wine thief into,,,,,, well i put mine from my thief into a shot glass,,,,
Dawg

A wine thief is a great tool but a turkey baster (dedicated as a wine thief ) can be far less expensive and every bit as useful. I use one to fill the cylinder I use to measure the gravity of my mead and wine as they go through active fermentation. And that's because many of my batches are single gallons and so they are not deep enough for me to drop my hydrometer directly into the bucket to monitor the SG.

 

[tommy24]

look into a wine thief, no lifting just stick it in pull out and pour whats in your wine thief into,,,,,, well i put mine from my thief into a shot glass,,,,
Dawg

HAHA I put mine into a shot glass! Thanks for the tips

 

[NorCal]

While the wine is still fermenting you still have some residual sugar (RS), so the wine will taste fruity and appear like it is full of flavor. This will change when the wine is done fermenting. The sweet fruity flavor is broadly appealing and is the reason that most the low cost wines have RS.

It is when the wine stops fermenting that you will need to be careful about protecting the wine from oxygen. I have never experienced an oxidized wines from getting an occasional (ok, maybe more than occasional) sample, but leaving partially filled container that is exposed to oxygen for long periods of time is when you will compromise a wine

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

A wine thief is a great tool but a turkey baster (dedicated as a wine thief ) can be far less expensive and every bit as useful. I use one to fill the cylinder I use to measure the gravity of my mead and wine as they go through active fermentation. And that's because many of my batches are single gallons and so they are not deep enough for me to drop my hydrometer directly into the bucket to monitor the SG.

I bought myself a long metal baster and it works great for filling my hydrometer tube and for stealing tastes!

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

look into a wine thief, no lifting just stick it in pull out and pour whats in your wine thief into,,,,,, well i put mine from my thief into a shot glass,,,,
Dawg

I guess I'm a bit more "country"...I put my samples in a Mason jar

 

[hounddawg]

I guess I'm a bit more "country"...I put my samples in a Mason jar

no ma'am, my cabinet is filled with masons for drinking, i got around another 20 cases for canning, a 30 qt American pressure canner, the shot glasses were given to me from across the states from bars because, well back then a quart then fifth of tequila was just the starter, no ma'am your in good ole country boy's company,,,
dawg

 

[hounddawg]

I guess I'm a bit more "country"...I put my samples in a Mason jar

i got several wine thieves, backups, i use them both to taste as well as get my SG,
dawg

 

[hounddawg]

I guess I'm a bit more "country"...I put my samples in a Mason jar

no i'm pretty well set i got a splinter valve on my vacuum pump, i just switch a couple levers to go from racking to bottling, 2 resaviore bottles, 2 whole house filters, since i use one at a time i only need one pump, just 2 sets of tubing hooked to a T valve so i turn the lever for which side i'm using, AIO has every thing and got my valve from ebay,
dawg

 

[Johnd]

I bought myself a long metal baster and it works great for filling my hydrometer tube and for stealing tastes!

Try out this wine thief, it fits inside of a carboy, fills as you submerge it, and stops filling as you pull it out. Your hydrometer will fit inside of it for a reading. Sanitize before use, and you can simple return the sample to the vessel by depressing the trigger at the bottom against the side of the vessel. You can also dispense the sample into a glass for a taste if you like.

https://www.amazon.com/Fermtech-Win...d=1&keywords=wine+thief&qid=1593180935&sr=8-2

 

[hounddawg]

Try out this wine thief, it fits inside of a carboy, fills as you submerge it, and stops filling as you pull it out. Your hydrometer will fit inside of it for a reading. Sanitize before use, and you can simple return the sample to the vessel by depressing the trigger at the bottom against the side of the vessel. You can also dispense the sample into a glass for a taste if you like.

https://www.amazon.com/Fermtech-Win...d=1&keywords=wine+thief&qid=1593180935&sr=8-2

that's how i do it,,
dawg