Michael Brill wrote:
> I guess the question is really about how much oxygen is in the wine?
> I was under the impression that there was very little oxygen in the
> wine and therefore stirring up lees in a bunch of oxygen-free wine
> wouldn't do much to oxygenate the lees. But it sounds like this may
> be wrong... that indeed the wine does contain a meaningful amount of
> oxygen that can be absorbed by the lees. Correct?

How much oxygen the wine contains will depends on how much oxygen
exposure it's had. Different methods of stirring will obviously
introduce different amounts of O2, and the amount of lees (amongst
other things) will determine how much of that O2 is absorbed. Without
a DO meter you really can't get an accurate figure on any of this.
However, I think it's enough to just use common sense and your sense
of smell to detect what stage the wine is at (i.e. whether it's in a
more reductive or oxidative state).

Aaron Puhala wrote:
> oxidation. I currently have a 6 gallon batch of Viognier aging sur lie but
> I am stirring it continuously using a magnetic stirrer so I never have to
> open the container. I want to see what happens with this degree of stirring
> when the risk of oxidation is removed.

I have done in-vessel stirring (i.e. without any opening of the
vessel) and have found that if you keep it up for long enough the wine
will become reductive. If I were you, I'd keep close tabs on the wine
(taste it relatively regularly) to check where it's at.

Ben