Sparkling without disgorging?

[Adam Beck]

So I'd planned on making a sparkling pineapple wine in the champagne style, but recently realized that our tiny freezer (it's the kind where the freezer is just a drawer under the regular fridge) won't fit bottles upside down. So I can't really do the whole riddling and disgorging method usually used. I'm wondering if anyone's ever just not disgorged their sparkling wine? I've had plenty of pet nats which weren't disgorged, it's not what I originally had in mind, but it gives me hope that I could still pull off something palatable.

Would it be terrible? Or worth a shot?

 

[salcoco]

add 3/4 cup sugar per 5 gallons stir well assuming you have not added k-meta or sorbate. place in champagne bottle or beer bottles cap or cork let stand in dark place for about a month. put in refrigerator before opening. be careful when pouring any sediment will be in bottom of bottle just don't pour to the last drop.

 

[Intheswamp]

I've wondered the same thing about disgorging/not-disgorging...I might could find the room in the freezer, but...I'm sure I'd end up making a big mess. I'm not very neat.

My thoughts...
No fast movements. Moving bottle from storage to table should be "smooth". Tilt the bottle slowly while bringing it to an upright position to remove the cork/cap. Tilt slowly as you pour. No fast movements (did I already say that?). Once finished pouring do not stand the bottle upright if wine remains in the bottle...lay it down at an incline. Standing the bottle back upright can cause the movement of the wine washing back into the bottom of the bottle to stir the sediment up pretty good. Leaving it tilted over in an ice bucket or cooler won't disturb the sediment as much.

Keep us posted on what you do!
Ed

 

[Trick]

I did a few Pet Nats without dosage or disgorging. Actually, I really enjoy them so far. During secondary fermentation in the bottle, the wine can be pretty clear in three months. However, no matter how carefully I open the cap, the bubbles rising from the bottom of the bottle will stir up majority of the sediment and make the wine cloudy.
If that is a concern, you have to disgorge it. I don't care about the cloudiness. One big downside with the pet nat is that you cannot make sparking wine with residual sugar. Force carbonation with counter pressure filler should be the way to go.

 

[Intheswamp]

Maybe, to dodge the bulk of the cloudiness formed by the bubbles you could quickly decant it, leaving behind the sediment in the bottom that wasn't lifted up by the bubbles during the opening and decanting. It wouldn't cure the problem 100% but maybe help a bit....???

 

[winemanden]

Could you not make a salt & ice solution and stand the bottle in a shallow tray till the yeast freezes at the bottom before pouring? You would be doing the same as if you were disgorging, but at the opposite end. It should chill the Champers a bit as well.
Regards Den

 

[stickman]

I haven't made any sparkling wine, but a friend does and his instructions for opening is to put the bottle into the freezer for an hour or so, this is to drop the temperature as low as possible without freezing, this way the release of co2 is delayed or reduced enough to allow time to pour. With the specific case of pineapple the acids present are mainly citric and malic which remain dissolved, but if anything with tartaric acid is added, including acid blend and grape concentrate etc., the possible formation of tartrate crystals in the bottle would cause faster co2 release making the chilling step very important.

 

[Sailor323]

It is possible to pour the wine off the sediment but you need to our about 6 glasses without tilting the bottle back to upright. I've done this many times and get nice clear wine. On the other hand, a little cloudiness doesn't really ruin the wine, it's mostly cosmetic. One serious drawback of not disgorging is that if the wine sits on the sediment for a prolonged period (several years) it will become yeast bitten. Drink it early.