Unexpected CO2

[Zog]

I have a batch of dry apple cider wine that has been bulking aging with some oak for a couple months. Thinking it was time to bottle it, I checked and tasted it today and was surprised to find it quite fizzy. The wine had been degassed when I stabilized it back in January. I had checked it a couple time over the past two months and had not noticed any CO2.

Today I degassed it with a drill mounted stirrer for 20+ minutes and it still seems fizzy. I'll let it rest under an airlock and check it again tomorrow.

Any thoughts on what may be causing this? Has a spontaneous malolactic fermentation started?

I've made this wine many times in the past and have not seen this before.

Other info: SG 0.994, pH 3.45, SO2 had been about 40ppm, dropped to 28 ppm after stirring and racking so I added K-meta to get it back up to 45ish. I've not seen any airlock bubbling since January. Other than the CO2 the wine tastes fine.

Thanks

 

[GreginND]

If its dry, it could be just dissolved gas. But I would worry it may be going through MLF. Spontaneous MLF happened to my apps wine last year.

 

[Zog]

If its dry, it could be just dissolved gas. But I would worry it may be going through MLF. Spontaneous MLF happened to my apps wine last year.

Wouldn't I see some activity in the air lock with MLF?

 

[cmason1957]

You might see some airlock activity, but more than likely you will not. You might see some bubbles around the neck of your carboy, you might not. Neither lack nor prescence are an indication of anything. MLF is nothing like alcoholic.

I just watched a winemaker talk on YouTube about MLF the other day, this pastiche winemaker said the best wine is when MLF lasts until mid spring. They don't even test until Jan or Feb, this is with crush on Sept Oct time-frame.

 

[Zog]

Okay, thanks. If it doesn't settle down over the next week or so, there's a winery nearby that will do a paper chromatography MLF test for me.

Pros and cons for MLF with apple wine. I think it would lose a lot of apple character, but make it smoother and buttery.

 

[GreginND]

Mine turned out great. I like the MLF in it. The only problem is I don't dare sweeten it now. Good thing I like it dry.

 

[dlriggins]

I had this happen to a batch of wine i made from an unknown grape that my mom brought me it was quite tasty but blew the corks out of a couple bottles needless to say we drank those remaining bottles pretty quick too bad tho would love to know the taste after a few years
.

 

[Arne]

If you keep track of posts that folks have problems with refermenting in the bottles, you will find that apple comes out on top. For some reason it will sometimes give a referment. Maybe it is malo going on, but it does it way more than other wines. I have been watching these posts for a long time and apple is usually the culprit. Reason for watching is I had it happen once. Just something kind of interesting. Arne.

 

[Zog]

If you keep track of posts that folks have problems with refermenting in the bottles, you will find that apple comes out on top. For some reason it will sometimes give a referment. Maybe it is malo going on, but it does it way more than other wines. I have been watching these posts for a long time and apple is usually the culprit. Reason for watching is I had it happen once. Just something kind of interesting. Arne.

Well, malic is the dominant acid in apples, so I guess its no big surprise that it is susceptible to MLF. I actually think it may have happened to me with a small batch of pear wine I made a couple years ago. The last few bottles at the end of the year had a little light effervescence - similar to what you find in Vinho Verde. No complaints though, it was delicious.

 

[Arne]

oh yeah, mine was only a gal. batch. I bottled 5 bottles out of it, two blew the corks and I carefully got the other 3 in the reefer. Drank them soon thereafter and they were gooood. lol, Arne.