Degassing-again

[madmatt]

Hi all, I know this has been discussed a thousand times already but there seems to be many trains of thought as to what is right etc.
Today I checked both of my kits( a 30 bottle merlot and a 6 bottle Pinot Grigio , both Beaverdale) and both were perfect at SG990, so I added the stabiliser and got to work degassing.
With the better bottle I placed the tennis ball and swirled for 5 mins then used the whip in my drill for 5 mins (alternating fwd/rev at 30 sec intervals) trying not to incorporate air. With the DJ I added stabiliser and shook for 5 mins ,with this obviously air gets into the wine, but I released pressure on my hand letting the gas escape but not all,hoping O2 comes out ,lessening the chance of oxidisation.
I then put the airlock back in both expecting a fair bit of activity, but... Nothing!

Is this a good sign, and is it possible to over degas? Should I keep the airlock in while swirling to allow co2 out but no O2 in?

I'm looking at doing this for 3/4 days then clearing/ bottling. Is this right?
Thanks to all for advice,
Matt

[Duffbeer]

Do not worry about incorperating air at this stage, it is long term exposure that will cause oxidation & the sulphite in the stabilising pack will prevent oxidation.
What you have described is probably enough, though rule of thumb is if after a good adgitation if there is no hissing and the foam subsides quickly then it is likely de gassed.

[madmatt]

So you can really shake them about with no problems? Ok great, many thanks for your reply, I will carry on as described above.

Matt

[rjb222]

Make sure the temperature of the wine is up around 21C around 70 F this makes the job of degassing easier and more successfull.

[goldseal]

I've never had oxidation problems with my wines (other than undre-dosing with sulphite, but that's another issue), and I shake everything.

With 23l Better Bottles I draw off 4l or so into a 5l plastic bottle, and shake that to degas. The slightly-emptier Better Bottle gets picked up and shaken (if I'm in the mood), or agitated on the worktop.

IMO much more effective than drill-mounted degassers.

The above opinion will now spark off another long degassing discussion. It's a bit like mentioning Kit Taste on Winepress .

All good fun

[krakowmike]

I've never had oxidation problems with my wines (other than undre-dosing witdh sulphite, but that's another issue), and I shake everything.

With 23l Better Bottles I draw off 4l or so into a 5l plastic bottle, and shake that to degas. The slightly-emptier Better Bottle gets picked up and shaken (if I'm in the mood), or agitated on the worktop.

IMO much more effective than drill-mounted degassers.

The above opinion will now spark off another long degassing discussion. It's a bit like mentioning Kit Taste on Winepress .

All good fun

I used to shake but now I use a drill mounted stick. I don't know which 1 is betterbut I know the drill is easier for me.

[robwrx]

The above opinion will now spark off another long degassing discussion. It's a bit like mentioning Kit Taste on Winepress .

All good fun

Lol!

I have tried a wine whip but for large quantities you can't beat vacuum. Demijohns still get the shaking treatment but carboys get vacuum racked which degasses at the same time.

Some of my early kits still had a little co2 in them after a couple of sessions with the wine whip which is one reason why I prefer vacuum. After 2 or 3 rackings the co2 is completely gone, no amount of shaking in a bottle can induce any sort of pifft noise.

[madmatt]

Lol!

I have tried a wine whip but for large quantities you can't beat vacuum. Demijohns still get the shaking treatment but carboys get vacuum racked which degasses at the same time.

Some of my early kits still had a little co2 in them after a couple of sessions with the wine whip which is one reason why I prefer vacuum. After 2 or 3 rackings the co2 is completely gone, no amount of shaking in a bottle can induce any sort of pifft noise.

Thanks for the info, what do you use to vacuum rack?
As it seems you can't over degas I'm using a whip and shaking for 5 mins each, 3 times a day. Hopefully by mon/Tuesday it should be ready for clearing/ bottling

Matt

[robwrx]

I have a similar vacuum pump setup to Northernwiner http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/s...de-wine-filter See post number 4 in the link for a photo.

You can buy the vacuum pumps on eBay etc and with a few different size 2 hole bungs, carboy/dj/bottle you can rack up hill which means no more lifting heavy carboys, degas and even bottle finished wine without buying an expensive Enolamatic type device.

[madmatt]

Thanks for info guys. For now I think I will stick to wine whip and shaking as these are my first kits, so want to keep costs down(the reason for brewing in the first place!)
If these come out ok then will look at vacuums etc then.

Cheers

Matt

[Original Mac]

Shaking even four gallons in a fermentation vessel is a serious upper body workout and frankly downright dangerous if using glass. However it is all about what works for you. My method for five and six gallon ferments is to rack half off to a large bucket, then pour into another bucket 20 times. Followed by the other half. Then sulphite and back to demijohn for clearing. Whole job done in about 15/20 minutes and little risk to your back if you lift correctly. I do however covert the electric pump which degasses as you rack. I believe Cellar Rat has a self priming jobbie that prevents stoppages due to co2 bubbles in the system. Time to start dropping hints.....

[goldseal]

Agreed. I shake 4 gals in BBs, never glass. The BBs are lighter, and won't cut you to ribbons if you drop it.

The secret it to get the wine sloshing so it hits the ends of the carboys hard. This doesn't necessarily involve much effort, it's just getting the frequency right. Agreed though, not ideal for those with dodgy backs.

[krakowmike]

I used to roll the bb in a rocking motion. Easy on the back and did the job. But the whip entertains me lol so that's what I use now.

[Cellar_Rat]

I do not actively degass my wine. However, I have always used small submersible pumps when racking - so perhaps i do it inadvertently.

They are brilliant. HEre the piccy again.

Pump.jpg

[lockwood1956]

For degassing better bottles see here

http://www.better-bottle.com/products_master.html

click the "how to" and then select "mixing oxygenating and degassing"

hope that helps

regards
bob