bubbles in my wine

[bighooligan]

So I started bottling my wine and noticed it was almost carbonated. There was bubbles that were a tickle on the tongue. I filled the bottles and put my thumb over them and shook the crap out it to get as much of it out as possible but I am afraid that my bottles might blow up. I shook them until they didn't fizz any more and corked them. Any suggestions this was my first time bottling. Let me tell you that corker isn't very easy to use but I got it figured out. Do I dump it back in my carboy and age it more to make it flat or just leave it? I just don't want it to taste like crap after a couple months or blow up. I drank a bottle of it because I am inpatient it turned out great I just want it age and the flavors of the fruit to come out properly. Please help. LOL

 

[prandlesc]

I'll qualify my comments with "I've only made wine from juice and skins kits", but I have made about 8 - 6 gallon batches. It sounds as if you didn't agitate the wine enough as you clarified and stabilized your wine. My very first Merlot had a little sparkle in it, and that's what I attributed it to. I use a drill powered wine whip to degas the wine during the clarification and stabilization steps, and run it for at least two minutes each time. That has worked for me to release the trapped CO2. If you've stabilized the wine, it shouldn't create any more CO2, so it shouldn't get worse in the bottle. And my guess it that the cork would push out from the pressure before the bottle would explode. I don't think aging in the carboy will help, I think it's a trapped CO2 issue, not an aging issue. You may end up with a great tasting wine with a little bit of carbonation.

 

[Yooper]

Wine has lots of c02 in it, since the yeast produce it. Much of it goes out of the airlock over time, but not all of it. In young wines, they should be bulked aged until they are no longer dropping any lees at all over at least 60 days, and they would naturally degas during that time.

If the wine is rushed to bottle, it must be degassed before bottling otherwise corks will pop out and/or bottles explode. It's usually better to age the wine a bit first, so you don't get any sediment in the bottle and then the wine will degas itself naturally during that time.

 

[bighooligan]

I clarified it and there was no longer bubbles in the air lock. I only waited about a month. I tried my best to agitate the wine as much as possible. It was kind of like shaking a soda until it was flat. Then I corked it. I did this with another bottle and then I drank it rather than corking it. I have to say it was pretty good. I have had young wine before that was horrible but this actually came out nice rather than tasting like hooch. This is the first batch I have ever bottled and I am just worried about doing everything right. I guess time will just have to tell.

 

[Yooper]

I clarified it and there was no longer bubbles in the air lock. I only waited about a month. I tried my best to agitate the wine as much as possible. It was kind of like shaking a soda until it was flat. Then I corked it. I did this with another bottle and then I drank it rather than corking it. I have to say it was pretty good. I have had young wine before that was horrible but this actually came out nice rather than tasting like hooch. This is the first batch I have ever bottled and I am just worried about doing everything right. I guess time will just have to tell.

Next time, don't even think about bottling until the wine is totally clear, and then it is racked to a new carboy and allowed to sit at least 60 days. If there are NO lees at all, not even a dusting, it would be ok to bottle but not preferable. If there are ANY lees at all, it is not ready to bottle and should be racked and then another 60 days later checked for lees. Repeat as necessary.

Degassing, by agitating the wine, means that the wine will be oxidized and should be drank ASAP, especially if no sulfites were added as an antioxidant at that time.

 

[bighooligan]

Next time, don't even think about bottling until the wine is totally clear, and then it is racked to a new carboy and allowed to sit at least 60 days. If there are NO lees at all, not even a dusting, it would be ok to bottle but not preferable. If there are ANY lees at all, it is not ready to bottle and should be racked and then another 60 days later checked for lees. Repeat as necessary.

Degassing, by agitating the wine, means that the wine will be oxidized and should be drank ASAP, especially if no sulfites were added as an antioxidant at that time.

Ok so this wine will not last too long even though
it is in the bottles?

 

[Yooper]

Ok so this wine will not last too long even though
it is in the bottles?

If you didn't ever use campden/sulfites, and it was oxidized from all the stirring, that is correct.

 

[bighooligan]

This batch I didn't but I do on my newer ones. I am slowly learning wine making. I am doing a lot of fruit wines because I have a lot of fruit trees and also have friends that have fruit trees so I get a lot of good organic fruit like every season.