In article >, Joe Pfeiffer > wrote:
(Doug Miller) writes:
>
>> In article >, Joe Pfeiffer
> > wrote:
>>>Executive summary:
>>>
>>>Tried a bottle of the Shiraz I made in January... it seemed just a tad
>>>fizzy. What did I do wrong?
>>
>> Yes, you did -- you didn't wait long enough. Winemaking is not a hobby for the
>> impatient. Next time, wait to bottle until six months after starting the wine.
>> A year is better. And wait to drink it, too.
>
>Interesting -- that's much longer than any previous advice I've seen on
>how long to wait. Next year I wait longer.

It's certainly drinkable before six months -- the point is, the longer you
wait, the better it gets. And the less likely you'll have dissolved CO2.
>
>> Alternatively, you can degas the wine mechanically with one of these:
>> http://www.amazon.com/Actron-CP7830-.../dp/B0009XQUK2
>>
>> Pump the vacuum as high as you can, and leave it for several hours. The vacuum
>> will decrease as more CO2 comes out of solution. When the vacuum will hold
>> for three hours at 525 mm or more, then you're done. I prefer not to bottle
>> mine until the vacuum is stable overnight at 550 mm.
>
>Though it sounds like just waiting longer is the right answer -- one
>thing I will try is opening one of my bottles, putting a vacuum cork on
>it, and repumping nightly for a while.... best try to salvage what I
>can!

I wish you luck with that one. I assume you're talking about a Vacuvin or
similar; IME, those don't pull a high enough vacuum to really do any good.

If you've used natural corks, some of the CO2 will escape through the cork if
you just wait a few months.

Another option is letting the wine splash into your glass as you pour it, then
before drinking it, swirl it around in the glass as vigorously as you can
without spilling any. If the CO2 level is low enough that you can *just
barely* feel it on your tongue, that will probably release enough of it that
you won't be able to feel it any more.
>
>> I've pulled vacuums as high as 675 mm in glass carboys without damage. I
>> wouldn't try that with one of the plastic carboys, though -- I just don't
>> think they're strong enough.
>>
>> For reference, CO2 bubbles ...
>> .. will be visible at CO2 concentrations of 1000 mg/L or above; to reduce the
>> concentration below this level requires a vacuum of at least 275 mm (or lots
>> of time, or agitation, or repeated racking, or combinations of the above)
>> .. can be felt in the mouth at 700 mg/L or above (425 mm vacuum)
>> .. can be tasted at 500 mg/L or above (525 mm vacuum)
>>
>> [Above figures based on temperature of 20 degrees C = 68 degrees F; as
>> temperature increases, CO2 solubility decreases. At 22 deg C = 72 deg F, the
>> vacuum levels required to achieve the concentrations noted above are 250, 400,
>> and 500 mm respectively.]
>
>Thanks. This is very good information.

A good friend of mine is a chemist, and he dug up a technical paper describing
the effects of temperature and pressure on the solubility of CO2 in wine and
beer. I've had enough college chemistry to be able to understand the paper,
and build a spreadsheet that enabled me to calculate the extent of vacuum
needed to reduce the CO2 levels to the point where it couldn't be detected.
Those numbers came from my spreadsheet (rounded to the nearest 25mm, because
the vacuum gauge doesn't read any finer than that).