White wine is brown

[Philly]

What do I do with the coat hanger? Just stir with it? How's that any different to a long plastic spoon or paddle?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Put it in a drill (preferably cordless) and give it a second in forwards then a second in the reverse, keep doing this for a minute and it'll be done.

 

[Philly]

Put it in a drill (preferably cordless) and give it a second in forwards then a second in the reverse, keep doing this for a minute and it'll be done.

Ok thank you. I've just been out and stirred it up again. It is indeed full of gas. How disappointing to see all the sediment mixed in again

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You will need to do it a lot to get the CO2 out, that's why i went for the drill and home made wand.

You can buy them from home brew shops and they come in different styles but all do the same job.

 

[Philly]

You will need to do it a lot to get the CO2 out, that's why i went for the drill and home made wand.

You can buy them from home brew shops and they come in different styles but all do the same job.

On making one now :thumb:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Philly]

Let us know how you get on.

I've managed to make one from a coat hanger and used it with my drill. Wine is brown again lol. Will update in a few days when it clears again.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Did you get a lot more CO2 escaping?

 

[Philly]

Did you get a lot more CO2 escaping?

Yes loads. Looks like you were right

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Let us know how it clears.

 

[bigboots]

Is degassing essential or can the wine just be left for longer until it has cleared?

 

[Scaff]

I degass mine by pouring it from one FV to another about 30 times




Scaff

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Is degassing essential or can the wine just be left for longer until it has cleared?

I always degas my wine and it clears in two days, i have never tried a non degassed wine and as you are string it to dissolve the fermentation stopper and finings i don't see the point in not degassing.

See if this helps you decide. :thumb:

There seems to be some controversy about whether degassing your homemade wine is necessary. In one camp are those that say that it is vital to creating a wonderful wine that you'll enjoy in the months and years to follow. In the other camp are those that suggest that degassing is not that important, that the amount of carbon dioxide that remains when you bottle your wine is negligible. They assume however that you will be bulk aging your wine for a few months, which will supposedly allow the carbon dioxide gases to dissipate.

I'm with the first camp and it has been my experience that degassing wine is important. I'm not worried about pressure build up in the bottle due to the presence of carbon dioxide, but rather I'm concerned about taste and visual appearance. Who wants to pour wine for guests that foams up in the glass?

Degassing is an important consideration for those winemakers that will be entering their wines into competitions. Wines are not judged on taste alone, but also on appearance and odor. If the wine has a haze like look to it caused by the presence of carbon dioxide, it will not score well.

Most people who make wine these days use wine kits - kits that come with grape juice and grape juice concentrate. These kits are made in such a way that the winemaker can bottle their wine in 4 to 8 weeks, if they want to. Of course, bulk aging the wine will benefit it, but many are not interested in the characteristics that might develop in a year or two - they want to enjoy their wine now! For those winemakers, degassing the wine is very important. For winemakers that plan on bulk aging their wines under an air lock, degassing may not be as vital as much of the gas should dissipate during the bulk aging process. However, there are times when simply bulk aging the wine will not be enough to rid it of excess carbon dioxide. Cooler temperatures and high air pressure may result in wine with excess carbon dioxide if not degassed.

Although it is unlikely the winemaker will completely eliminate carbon dioxide from their wine, having too much of it can affect the taste of the wine negatively. In water, carbon dioxide is perceptible to our taste buds when it is present in a ratio of 200 mg per liter. In small amounts, it can act as an enhancer of the tannins in wine but too much carbon dioxide can produce off tasting still wines.

There are several ways to degas wines, including manual vigorous stirring, using a device attached to an electrical drill and using a vacuum pump. I've covered some here that will be especially helpful to those who make wine from commercial wine kits.

 

[Philly]

I degass mine by pouring it from one FV to another about 30 times




Scaff

That must take ages. Seems like a lot of work compared to the drill wand.

 

[Scaff]

Naaa,

Less than 10-15 mins. And a free workout.



Scaff

 

[Philly]

Let us know how it clears.

Racked it into 2 glass demijohns so hopefully that will help as well

 

[Philly]

Well here is the finished product. It's a bit darker than I expected but nice and clear now.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Looks good.

A word of warning, too much head-space is not good unless you are going to drink it soon, it should be kept to a minimum to help stop oxidisation.

 

[Philly]

Looks good.

A word of warning, too much head-space is not good unless you are going to drink it soon, it should be kept to a minimum to help stop oxidisation.

I know. There wasn't enough to fill that bottle so I'll drink it tonight. Got a load of full bottles that I've corked.

 

[Philly]

I left another Demi John full in the garage for a further week and it has lightened up a little more and looks great.