Sparkling Apple Wine?

[Zog]

I have a 13 gallon batch of apple wine made from heirloom apples, which is just about done fermenting. This batch is exceptionally carbonated. Normally I would totally degas the wine before finishing it, but I was thinking about setting aside about 3 gallons and not degassing it at all in hopes of making a dry sparkling wine. I wasn't going to prime it with additional sugar or anything like that... just make sure it was done fermenting then clear it and bottle it with what ever natural fizziness it has. So a couple questions: Has anyone tried this, and do I need to go with champagne style bottles and corks, any other advice? Thanks.

 

[NorCal]

It reminds me of my days at a major CPU company when they would find a flaw...they would figure out how to make it a feature I've had wine that I did not degass fully and it was quite stable in the bottle. If it is done fermenting and you do not add any priming sugar, I wouldn't hesitate bottling it with a #9 cork and a regular bottle. It should be stable and remain fizzy for a period of time and I don't think that enough could come out of solution where it would be a danger of breaking the glass or pushing out the cork.

 

[Scooter68]

Get some of the ez-cap bottles, they should hold the pressure fine. I have 3 x 1 liter bottles of hard cider sitting in our spare fridge. We went through a 4 one already and each time I opened it after a day or two of sitting, we got a nice pop from the release of pressure. Cold storage would also be wise as well, especially if you don't use champagne or heavier glass bottles made for that extra pressure.

 

[Zog]

Get some of the ez-cap bottles, they should hold the pressure fine. I have 3 x 1 liter bottles of hard cider sitting in our spare fridge. We went through a 4 one already and each time I opened it after a day or two of sitting, we got a nice pop from the release of pressure. Cold storage would also be wise as well, especially if you don't use champagne or heavier glass bottles made for that extra pressure.

I picked up a case of EZ Cap bottles yesterday. They look sturdy enough! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Quin]

I tried this 3 months ago after the apple wine was crystal clear. I used 12-ounce beer bottles, and did add an extra teaspoon of sugar per bottle. I tried my first bottle yesterday. It turned out really well. The carbonation was spot on. The apple wine flavor developed nicely in the high CO2 environment.