Carbon dioxide - Wine maker's foe
November, 2005 Filed in: Wine making
Proper clearing is very much linked to getting all of the Carbon dioxide (CO2) removed from your wine at stabilizing time. If the wine has a lot of CO2 remaining, it will not clear properly. Why? Here is how:
The CO2 in your wine will bind to the sediment particles in your wine making them like little balloons floating through your wine. These lighter particles will continue to float in your wine, causing the wine to appear cloudy. This binding action makes your finings agents (chitosan, isinglass, kiesosol) job more difficult and can make the clearing process longer or produce unsatisfactory results. Okay, so we have you convinced that it is important to get the out CO2 of your wine at stabilizing time. So what’s the tip to do it? In a past newsletter we introduced you to the Vacuum hand pump, but here is a simple idea that also works. The key to improving CO2 removal is to maintain warm temperatures in your wine from day 1 to stabilizing time. Keep your carboy in a warm place and keep the temperature close to 23 - 25C. Cooler temperatures will make CO2 removal more difficult.
Stirring your wine well is also very critical. Stir until your arm feels like it is ready to fall off, and then stir some more. Alternatively you can use a Fizz-x which attaches to an electric drill.
Carbon dioxide when left in your wine can also leave a flat taste in your wine. So getting rid of CO2 is very important.
The CO2 in your wine will bind to the sediment particles in your wine making them like little balloons floating through your wine. These lighter particles will continue to float in your wine, causing the wine to appear cloudy. This binding action makes your finings agents (chitosan, isinglass, kiesosol) job more difficult and can make the clearing process longer or produce unsatisfactory results. Okay, so we have you convinced that it is important to get the out CO2 of your wine at stabilizing time. So what’s the tip to do it? In a past newsletter we introduced you to the Vacuum hand pump, but here is a simple idea that also works. The key to improving CO2 removal is to maintain warm temperatures in your wine from day 1 to stabilizing time. Keep your carboy in a warm place and keep the temperature close to 23 - 25C. Cooler temperatures will make CO2 removal more difficult.
Stirring your wine well is also very critical. Stir until your arm feels like it is ready to fall off, and then stir some more. Alternatively you can use a Fizz-x which attaches to an electric drill.
Carbon dioxide when left in your wine can also leave a flat taste in your wine. So getting rid of CO2 is very important.