Wine de gassing

[yppaul]

Hello,

I finished my first batch of Pinot noir and we tried it we can still feel some small bubbles in the wine.

Now that I'm doing my second batch of wine (Cabernet Sauvignon) I used a drill and also tried manually to degass. However it took my about 30 min to stop see bubbles come out.

My question is did I over do it? Did I leave the wine open for too long and exposed to air?

Thank you again for all your invaluable help!!

 

[NorCal]

Your wine will benefit greatly by letting it age and degass on its own accord. Give it 12 months of time in the carboy and your patience will be rewarded with far superior wine.

 

[bkisel]

Hello,

I finished my first batch of Pinot noir and we tried it we can still feel some small bubbles in the wine.

Now that I'm doing my second batch of wine (Cabernet Sauvignon) I used a drill and also tried manually to degass. However it took my about 30 min to stop see bubbles come out.

My question is did I over do it? Did I leave the wine open for too long and exposed to air?

Thank you again for all your invaluable help!!

I don't believe you over did it. For much of that 30 minutes your wine was saturated with CO2.

I do some whip degassing but followup with vacuum degassing. I'm opening my first bottle from any batch I make 5-7 months from pitching the yeast. This is not to say there aren't benefits to aging ones wine longer, I just don't want to wait that long before I start consuming.

 

[Bodenski]

As a noob, I may be wrong about this, but it seems that when you are using a drill to degas it works by causing cavitation within the liquid. These bubbles then don't completely collapse but instead rise up and exit via the top. And although you are also turning over the liquid on top that is exposed to oxygen, you should have enough CO2 off-gassing to displace most of that during the time you are actively degassing. That might not be real science, but it makes sense to my mind at least

I totally understand the not wanting to wait. I've got several wines going right now. One of them is Dragonblood since I understand it to be ready much sooner than my Blackberry port that won't be ready until after next Christmas! (Heck, I don't like to make cheesecake since waiting overnight to eat something I've made is hard. This is torture!)

 

[Floandgary]

IMHO,, the most common misconception about bubbles seemingly coming out of the wine after 30 minutes of using a whip is actually a result of infusing O2 through the whirlpool caused by spinning the whip at high speed!!! How long would it take to expel the CO2 from a 2 liter carbonated soft drink?? A couple of good shakes might be enough right? Keep the speed down when using a whip, or even better use the paddle to agitate the wine. Further progress will have you owning a vacuum degasser! Best of all, if you can wait, is the time-degasser. Use a decanter when ready to drink for a treat..

 

[Bodenski]

Further progress will have you owning a vacuum degasser!

I know I don't do this enough to justify the expense yet. I wonder if a Vacu Vin winesaver could be used in a pinch Not the strongest vacuum, but I don't think it could hurt. I might try this tonight since everything i do is in 1 gallon jugs.

Best of all, if you can wait, is the time-degasser

This one has a high cost in patience!

 

[Scooter68]

Haven't had any gas issues with the wines I make lately but if I decide to do something I'm probably going to get a brake bleeder. For the quantities I make that little hand pumping effort isn't going to be a headache. Just can't justify a full fledged vacuum pump for my wine at my level of wine making.

 

[tjgaul]

I think Bodenski hit it right on the head. According to Tim Vandergrift, you want that whip running at high speed. As soon as you get a whirlpool going switch directions and go full speed the other way. This technique gives maximum cavitation which is exactly what you are after. It should only take a few minutes to break the CO2 loose. Then you still have to put it under airlock and wait for the degassing to finish. Going at the carboy with the whip for an extended period may put some O2 into the wine, but only if you allow the whip to rise to the surface and agitate it.

There's a great instructional video by Tim on YouTube and elsewhere.

 

[bkisel]

I've been using the Vacu Vin (I'm on my second one) to degas my wine for the past 3 1/2 years or so. It is labor intensive but it does get the job done.

Matter of fact I'm in the process of degassing batch two of this seasons apple cider to wine...
.

 

[Johnd]

Bought a $100 vacuum pump years ago, at 75 F, my wines degas in minutes and never worry about it again.

 

[AZMDTed]

As someone who has had issues with degassing throughout my wine making time, I think (hope) I have finally figured out what works for me. Whipping with a wine whip for an hour over two days will do it, but at a risk as discussed above. I've done the vacuvin route. I've tried the AllinOne, with and without headspace eliminator, and I've done the Harbor Freight electric vacuum pump.

For me (and this is only for me as I know what works for one may not necessarily work for all) what seems to work best is a combination of agitation, vacuum, and time. I will use a wine whip until I get a good head of pinhead size bubbles released, that can be between 5 and 10 minutes usually. Then I switch to the vacuum pump. I will hit the vacuum until just before I suck bubbles into the line, then stop. I will continue this cycle as I pull bubbles out. After about 10-15 minutes of that I can usally leave the vacuum on full time without foam getting into the line. Once the bubbles go from small and foamy, to pea size I'll give it another 30 seconds and then stop. The final phase is to barrel or carboy age the wine another 4-6 months.

I've tried the vacuum pump by itself and it wasn't very effective, for me. But when the whip loosens the bonds between the CO2 and the wine it becomes very effective. If you use the vacuvin I urge you to stir first, then use the vacuvin. Even then, as you put it under vacuum rock the carboy back and forth and that will help you pull out the CO2 more than leaving the wine still. It will probably take a few days to get much of the CO2, and even then letting it sit as long as you can is even better.

Best of luck.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

A big factor in the process of degassing is the temperature of the wine - It is recommended to be between 72-75 degrees.

 

[Mismost]

Haven't had any gas issues with the wines I make lately but if I decide to do something I'm probably going to get a brake bleeder. For the quantities I make that little hand pumping effort isn't going to be a headache. Just can't justify a full fledged vacuum pump for my wine at my level of wine making.

I thought the same thing Scooter...I was wrong. Best tool on the bench.

 

[Scooter68]

My total equipment investment is under $200.00 and so far that's been enough.

 

[Bodenski]

I just used the Vacu Vin on three of my 1 gallon batches. I was shocked how much gas I got out, and had to quit since I was getting tired! Granted, they are all very young (oldest one is three weeks at this point) but two of them I actively degassed with a wand. I guess every couple of nights I'll just bring 'em back to the kitchen and pump while waiting on dinner. The vacuum pump is starting to sound a little better!

 

[malfrune]

I use headspace eliminators from allinonewinepump.com/ and a handheld vacuum pump used for doing brakes on a car. Only done 3 batches but have had very good results, it's a little labor intensive as you have to pump it down to 15-20 inches several times. I usually do it before I go to work and a couple times after I get home and find gas stops coming out of solution after a few days. If the carboy is really full, like all the way to the stopper, cant even get a spoon handle in there without overflowing full, it takes a couple weeks.

Really hoping for an electric pump for christmas though.

 

[drainsurgeon]

I started a batch of Apple wine about 2 weeks ago. I've racked the batch twice and added sulfite on the second racking and also splashed racked with the Allinone. I added some bentonite 2 days ago and stirred it in with my whip and drill. I was very careful because the carboy is topped up to within a couple of inches of the bung. I was waiting for the mountain of foam to come rising up and nothing. I mean nothing. I gradually sped up the drill and still nothing. One splash racking with the AIO pump and it is almost completely degassed. I am aging this batch for at least 8-10 months so wasn't too worried about degassing anyway, but WOW! Did I mention that I didn't have to lift a heavy carboy back up to the counter either? Best tool in my cellar now.