Worried about c02

[Mollie]

I just bottled up my wine. I only did half cause I was afraid that I was making bombs. Is there a way to tell if there's too much c02? I had to bottle some up cause I am going home for Xmas. I'll be bring the wine down a long bumpy road on a 6 hour drive. I don't want to give my wine to someone and have it burst open. I would much rather have it explode while I have it lol. It is my first time making wine so is this a thing that happens a lot in wine making? Or do you really need to mess something up? While I was bottling it up there was some form/bubbles on the top (like white froth) is this a bad sign? If my wine were to explode how long would it take before that would happen?

 

[Arne]

Bottle an extra bottle. When you get to your destination if they havn't popped the top before, open the extra bottle. Should give you an idea if they are ready to blow or not. I would handle them carefully, maybe gloves and for sure glasses. Usually they will just push the cork, but I have heard of bottles bursting. Good luck with it, Arne.

 

[BernardSmith]

Hi Mollie. If you cork your bottles then bottle bombs are not as likely as popped corks and that can be messy because when a cork pops the pressure that has built up will enable the gas to take with it a fair amount of the wine that is above it in the bottle and neck of the bottle can act like the barrel of a rifle focusing the energy so the erupting wine can go some distance. How likely is all that? It depends on how long you have been aging the wine and how clear the wine is. If the wine is only a couple of months old then the chances are good that there is still a great deal of CO2 in the wine. If you have racked the wine only once or twice since you pitched the yeast the chances are good that there is a great deal of CO2 still dissolved in the wine.
If there is CO2 in the wine and particles of fruit or yeast drop out of suspension there is a tendency for the CO2 to nucleate around those particles that nucleation enables the gas to collect and that collection is what forces the gas out.
You can test to see if there is much CO2 if you have a test tube (you can perhaps use a bottle) . Fill the tube until it is about an inch or so from the top and place your thumb over the top and shake the tube for all its worth then release your thumb while listening. If you hear a "pop" then there was CO2 in the wine.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Just having gas in your wine won't cause bottle bombs. Your wine will be fizzy and have a sharp taste, but that can be fixed by decanting/stirring before drinking. No additional CO2 is being produced.

Bottle bombs are caused by bottling a wine that has not finished fermenting, and the wine keeps fermenting and producing CO2 while the cap is closed. Pressure rises and must go somewhere, most likely all over your wine cabinet floor and walls.

 

[drainsurgeon]

Did you take any steps to de-gass like splash rack or use a whip and a drill to degass? If not, aging will de-gass but takes 6-12 months to do so. Like BernardSmith suggested, put some in a bottle (at least 1/2 full) and give it a shake. If gas is present you'll get some bubbles and foam and a "poof" when you release your thumb from the bottle. Also when you bottle you can usually tell if gas is present by the bubbles/foam in the bottle as you fill it. If you've done none of the above, enjoy your champagne!

 

[NorCal]

open a bottle, pour 2/3 into a pitcher. Put thumb on top of bottle and shake the 1/3. Unless you spray wine all over the place, you should be fine. However, this is a quick way to degass your wine, if you have some co2, time and desire to rid the bottles of the trapped gas.

 

[Scooter68]

This all probably in the past tense since it's past Christmas but you can always transport the bottles in a large plastic bag. Just make sure it's water-tight. Doesn't have to be sealed as long as the bag opening is such that if a cork pops it won't fly out along with wine. I agree, it would take some serious pressure blow a bottle. That usually happens with a restart of fermentation not just pent up SO2 or CO2 gasses.

 

[Floandgary]

FWIW,,,, It takes rather high pressure to push a cork out all the way, and it's not likely your wine would have anywhere near that much! Consider a bottle of Champagne. The cork/stopper does not come out of it's own volition when you remove the wire, so, not to worry!!! If your (red) wine is young, pour to a decanter for 45-60 minutes before drinking. this will help dissipate CO2 and improve mouthfeel!!

 

[Johny99]

FWIW,,,, It takes rather high pressure to push a cork out all the way, and it's not likely your wine would have anywhere near that much! Consider a bottle of Champagne. The cork/stopper does not come out of it's own volition when you remove the wire, so, not to worry!!! If your (red) wine is young, pour to a decanter for 45-60 minutes before drinking. this will help dissipate CO2 and improve mouthfeel!!

In general I agree but a "fresh" champagne cork has a much larger diameter that gets compressed than a dry wine cork. So not quite a good model

 

[Scooter68]

I've seen a few bottles of champagne where once the wire was off. A slight push on the cork was enough and the ceiling WAS marked from that cork. Not to mention that champagne bottles are heavier glass too.

 

[Spikedlemon]

In general I agree but a "fresh" champagne cork has a much larger diameter that gets compressed than a dry wine cork. So not quite a good model

I've purchased some 'sparkling wine' whose cork wasn't cone shaped but, rather, cylindrical under the outer nub (akin to a regular cork - just shorter). Even with the cage off: I've yet to have one shoot out on its own without me prying it to start (but that'll set it off quick)

 

[Johny99]

Never saw any like that, but I don't drink too much sparkling wine. Interesting.