First time attempt - is it ruined?

[dannyhall1987]

Hi

I bought a Beaverdale Shiriaz kit (30 bottles). I have been extremely thorough with sterilisation. Per the instructions I performed primary fermentation in a bucket provided and transferred to a fermenter when the gravity reached 1010 (down from 1075). After a couple of weeks (when the gravity was about 993/992) I transferred back to the bucket (which I'm not sure was a mistake or not) to get rid of more of the sediment but also to make it easier to stir in additives (finings / stabiliser).

I have shaken the bucket vigorously for up to three minutes a time to expel the gas, which I am doing in accordance with the instructions. Every now and then I open the lid to the let the gas out.

When racking the wine, the wine pouring was exposed to the air as the siphon did not reach the bottom. Also the surface of the wine has had some exposure to open air.

When shaking the wine, the wine still has a healthy pink froth (as opposed to a brownish colour). Although siphoning, the wine did appear to be slightly brown.

Does it sound like my wine is oxidised? I had a taste of the wine when performing the last siphon and it was quite palatable despite having some way to go in terms of maturing.

 

[saramc]

How long was it in the bucket you transferred to after it was dry and you were degassing?

To check for oxidization vs browning...pour sample into wine glass, tilt glass against a solid white background, paper works fine...look along the outer most edge of the wine, as it thins out to the glass. Do you see a clear ring that blends to the color of your wine or a brown ring that blends into the color of your wine? If you have ever seen blood separate you know what I am comparing to.
If you have the clear halo effect then wine is not oxidized. If brown tint, it is oxidized.
But, a color change could be fermentation related and it will likely shift back as it clears and ages. And it always appear darker in carboy and sometimes tubing. A glass tells a lot.
That is my take...and I sincerely hope someone chimes in.
...Sara

 

[dannyhall1987]

Hi, thanks for the reply. It has been in the bucket for about 4 days, the last of the finings went in today. I poured a sample into a glass and held against paper, but the wine is still too murky (I guess it needs to clear for your method to work?). Once again I had a cheeky taste and it tastes okay. I'll try your method again when the wine has cleared.

 

[Honda88]

its probably fine, as long as you dont have any strange alien looking growth im sure its gonna be okay. wine does not oxidize as fast as people think it does. the biggest concern you have when making wine is conversion to vinegar. The reason why people dont want you exposing your wine to air is because bacteria like acetobacter need oxygen to convert alcohol into vinegar...other bacteria that infect wine need oxygen too. this is why its important to try and minimize the exposure of air to wine when it gets below 1.010. don't freak out yet, you will know if its good or not when it clears.