A previous post on stirring caused me to realize that I totally forgot
to stir my last batch which is a Cab-Shiraz. I bottled it about 4
months ago. Now I am bummed that I may have screwed it up! What will
happen if I forgot to stir off the gas? What can I do to save the
batch if anything can be done?

Thanks,

Steven

"Steven" > wrote in message
ps.com...
>A previous post on stirring caused me to realize that I totally forgot
> to stir my last batch which is a Cab-Shiraz. I bottled it about 4
> months ago. Now I am bummed that I may have screwed it up! What will
> happen if I forgot to stir off the gas? What can I do to save the
> batch if anything can be done?

I did a 20 bottle batch of "Sparkling" Zinfandel by not agitating it
enough.
I'd get a bottle now, open it, taste it, then pour it long into a
decanter. By pouring it long I mean cause it to bubble into the decanter. It
may or may not make a difference. Plan on drinking the wine because you have
added a lot of O2 getting it into the decanter.
Good Luck!

--
Galwaf ar fy nhgyd-Gymry i sefyll yn y bwlch!

Casey

You certainly didn't screw it up, don't lose any sleep over it.
Depending on bottling temperature and how much headspace you left you
may not even notice anything. You should always keep at least 1/2 to
3/4 of an inch of headspace if you bottle at room temp, say 65 to 75
F. If it's colder you want more because it expands in the bottle as
temperature climbs. Cold wine holds more gas than warmer wine so that
matters too.

Just open one bottle and pour a glass. If it has a little carbonation
do as Casey said; decant it and shake it up now to remove the gas.
You will not have bottle bombs from lack of degassing; they never blow
up anyway in my experience. Worst case a cork pushes because you left
some sugar in there too.


Joe

Winemaking is a hobby that is not suppose to stress you out. It is also one
of the most forgiving of all hobbies. Most mistakes have little effect on
the finished product.

If you bottled when it was supersaturated with CO2 it will not hurt the wine
at all and as it is not the result of fermentation in the bottle it is not
something to worry about. It will probably just end up picant which means
that it will be sort of like Champaign. Perhapse not so much so that it
will really bubble when pored but you may notice bubbles forming on the side
of the glass and you will notice a prickling on the tounge. Often it is not
even considered a fault. Many people like this in a wine. I do not. If
you do not want it, just open it and pour it roughly into a carfee and let
it set for 30 min's before drinking. Most of it will be gone.

In fact, since it has been bottled for 4 months, I would suggest that your
rush into your wine celler (doesn't that sound nice) and open a bottle and
see if it is picant. If so, see if you like it. If you do not, try
clearing the CO2 as suggested. This will deffinately calm your nerves.

Oh, report on what you find.

Ray

"Steven" > wrote in message
ps.com...
>A previous post on stirring caused me to realize that I totally forgot
> to stir my last batch which is a Cab-Shiraz. I bottled it about 4
> months ago. Now I am bummed that I may have screwed it up! What will
> happen if I forgot to stir off the gas? What can I do to save the
> batch if anything can be done?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steven
>

Just a thought..... If you have a wine-saver vacuum pump then that would
help to draw off the CO2 as well.

"Ray Calvert" > wrote in message
. net...
> Winemaking is a hobby that is not suppose to stress you out. It is also
> one of the most forgiving of all hobbies. Most mistakes have little
> effect on the finished product.
>
> If you bottled when it was supersaturated with CO2 it will not hurt the
> wine at all and as it is not the result of fermentation in the bottle it
> is not something to worry about. It will probably just end up picant
> which means that it will be sort of like Champaign. Perhapse not so much
> so that it will really bubble when pored but you may notice bubbles
> forming on the side of the glass and you will notice a prickling on the
> tounge. Often it is not even considered a fault. Many people like this
> in a wine. I do not. If you do not want it, just open it and pour it
> roughly into a carfee and let it set for 30 min's before drinking. Most
> of it will be gone.
>
> In fact, since it has been bottled for 4 months, I would suggest that your
> rush into your wine celler (doesn't that sound nice) and open a bottle and
> see if it is picant. If so, see if you like it. If you do not, try
> clearing the CO2 as suggested. This will deffinately calm your nerves.
>
> Oh, report on what you find.
>
> Ray
>
> "Steven" > wrote in message
> ps.com...
>>A previous post on stirring caused me to realize that I totally forgot
>> to stir my last batch which is a Cab-Shiraz. I bottled it about 4
>> months ago. Now I am bummed that I may have screwed it up! What will
>> happen if I forgot to stir off the gas? What can I do to save the
>> batch if anything can be done?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Steven
>>
>
>

Do like I did - tell SWMBO to try your latest experiment- sparkling wine.

Except when I did it, I didn't know what I did (or didn't do) so I could
replicate it.

--
Lee Coyle
Columbus, Ohio
04 1600 Classic

"Steven" > wrote in message
ps.com...
>A previous post on stirring caused me to realize that I totally forgot
> to stir my last batch which is a Cab-Shiraz. I bottled it about 4
> months ago. Now I am bummed that I may have screwed it up! What will
> happen if I forgot to stir off the gas? What can I do to save the
> batch if anything can be done?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steven
>