Does anyone here force carbonate sparkling wine? I have some corny kegs and
lots of Co2 to play with. Right now I have some white wine in the keg at 35
PSI in the snowbank for about a day. I've rocked it back and forth a lot to
help the Co2 dissolve. What pressure do you want to bottle it at? I have
good quality bottles that I just tried at 35 psi (wearing safety glasses!)
with counter pressure bottler and it worked just fine but the wine is still
lacking major fizz. Does it need more time? Also what PSI do most of you
let it soak in at? This site has a calculator that gave me about 30 psi for
4 volumes at 5C, http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/forcecarb.shtml,
how many volumes do most of you use?

On Apr 6, 6:05*pm, "Dirty Harry" > wrote:
> Does anyone here force carbonate sparkling wine? *I have some corny kegs and
> lots of Co2 to play with. *Right now I have some white wine in the keg at 35
> PSI in the snowbank for about a day. *I've rocked it back and forth a lot to
> help the Co2 dissolve. *What pressure do you want to bottle it at? *I have
> good quality bottles that I just tried at 35 psi (wearing safety glasses!)
> with counter pressure bottler and it worked just fine but the wine is still
> lacking major fizz. *Does it need more time? *Also what PSI do most of you
> let it soak in at? *This site has a calculator that gave me about 30 psi for
> 4 volumes at 5C,http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/forcecarb.shtml,
> how many volumes do most of you use?

I dont follow that but I shoot for 90 PSIG, 6 atmospheres. I use
natural carbonation though, not compressed gas.
Joe

Joe Sallustio wrote:
> On Apr 6, 6:05 pm, "Dirty Harry" > wrote:
>
>>Does anyone here force carbonate sparkling wine? I have some corny kegs and
>>lots of Co2 to play with. Right now I have some white wine in the keg at 35
>>PSI in the snowbank for about a day. I've rocked it back and forth a lot to
>>help the Co2 dissolve. What pressure do you want to bottle it at? I have
>>good quality bottles that I just tried at 35 psi (wearing safety glasses!)
>>with counter pressure bottler and it worked just fine but the wine is still
>>lacking major fizz. Does it need more time? Also what PSI do most of you
>>let it soak in at? This site has a calculator that gave me about 30 psi for
>>4 volumes at 5C,http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/forcecarb.shtml,
>>how many volumes do most of you use?
>
>
> I dont follow that but I shoot for 90 PSIG, 6 atmospheres. I use
> natural carbonation though, not compressed gas.
> Joe
I would agree with Joe on that. There are some fizzy wines in the market
place wich are marked Carbonated, meaning that they are force carbonated.

Are you using champagne bottles?


James.

On Apr 11, 9:08*pm, James > wrote:
> Joe Sallustio wrote:
> > On Apr 6, 6:05 pm, "Dirty Harry" > wrote:
>
> >>Does anyone here force carbonate sparkling wine? *I have some corny kegs and
> >>lots of Co2 to play with. *Right now I have some white wine in the keg at 35
> >>PSI in the snowbank for about a day. *I've rocked it back and forth a lot to
> >>help the Co2 dissolve. *What pressure do you want to bottle it at? *I have
> >>good quality bottles that I just tried at 35 psi (wearing safety glasses!)
> >>with counter pressure bottler and it worked just fine but the wine is still
> >>lacking major fizz. *Does it need more time? *Also what PSI do most of you
> >>let it soak in at? *This site has a calculator that gave me about 30 psi for
> >>4 volumes at 5C,http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/forcecarb.shtml,
> >>how many volumes do most of you use?
>
> > I dont follow that but I shoot for 90 PSIG, 6 atmospheres. *I use
> > natural carbonation though, not compressed gas.
> > Joe
>
> I would agree with Joe on that. There are some fizzy wines in the market
> place wich are marked Carbonated, meaning that they are force carbonated.
>
> Are you using champagne bottles?
>
> James.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I need help on this topic too, but for a different reason.

I purchased a 'sparkling wine kit' from my local winemaking store,
along with sparkling wine bottles. Did as instructed, stirred in
priming sugar just before bottling, and purchased the recommended
stoppers and wire cages.

Fast forward about five weeks, when I found one of the stoppers on the
basement floor. I knew I had a spare, thought I had simply dropped it
there and thought nothing more of it. But in the middle of the night
it occured to me what may have happened. Sure enough, checked my
bottles the next morning and found that one had blown its top.

A few days later, my husband and I were doing some work in the
basement and heard another POP. And just this evening we were watching
TV in the living room and heard another dreaded POP from downstairs.
That's three bottles lost now!

I followed the directions as well as I could to securing the stoppers,
ensured the wire was below the rim to secure them in place, and
twisted the metal as tightly as I could. Either this method sucks, or
I suck at installing them. In any case, is there something else I can
use to secure the rest? The kit I bought only makes 15 bottles for the
cost of making 30 bottles of regular wine. I've already lost 20% of
them, I don't want to lose them all!

HELP!

KD

On Apr 12, 1:36*am, KD > wrote:
> On Apr 11, 9:08*pm, James > wrote:
>
>
>
> > Joe Sallustio wrote:
> > > On Apr 6, 6:05 pm, "Dirty Harry" > wrote:
>
> > >>Does anyone here force carbonate sparkling wine? *I have some corny kegs and
> > >>lots of Co2 to play with. *Right now I have some white wine in the keg at 35
> > >>PSI in the snowbank for about a day. *I've rocked it back and forth a lot to
> > >>help the Co2 dissolve. *What pressure do you want to bottle it at? *I have
> > >>good quality bottles that I just tried at 35 psi (wearing safety glasses!)
> > >>with counter pressure bottler and it worked just fine but the wine is still
> > >>lacking major fizz. *Does it need more time? *Also what PSI do most of you
> > >>let it soak in at? *This site has a calculator that gave me about 30 psi for
> > >>4 volumes at 5C,http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/forcecarb.shtml,
> > >>how many volumes do most of you use?
>
> > > I dont follow that but I shoot for 90 PSIG, 6 atmospheres. *I use
> > > natural carbonation though, not compressed gas.
> > > Joe
>
> > I would agree with Joe on that. There are some fizzy wines in the market
> > place wich are marked Carbonated, meaning that they are force carbonated..
>
> > Are you using champagne bottles?
>
> > James.- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> I need help on this topic too, but for a different reason.
>
> I purchased a 'sparkling wine kit' from my local winemaking store,
> along with sparkling wine bottles. Did as instructed, stirred in
> priming sugar just before bottling, and purchased the recommended
> stoppers and wire cages.
>
> Fast forward about five weeks, when I found one of the stoppers on the
> basement floor. I knew I had a spare, thought I had simply dropped it
> there and thought nothing more of it. But in the middle of the night
> it occured to me what may have happened. Sure enough, checked my
> bottles the next morning and found that one had blown its top.
>
> A few days later, my husband and I were doing some work in the
> basement and heard another POP. And just this evening we were watching
> TV in the living room and heard another dreaded POP from downstairs.
> That's three bottles lost now!
>
> I followed the directions as well as I could to securing the stoppers,
> ensured the wire was below the rim to secure them in place, and
> twisted the metal as tightly as I could. Either this method sucks, or
> I suck at installing them. In any case, is there something else I can
> use to secure the rest? The kit I bought only makes 15 bottles for the
> cost of making 30 bottles of regular wine. I've already lost 20% of
> them, I don't want to lose them all!
>
> HELP!
>
> KD

From what I have been told so far, if the pressure is at a safe enough
level you could probably use a crown top to cap bottles which have
blown. Just an idea as I am 2 months away from my own method
champenoise experiment...

Jim

"James" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Joe Sallustio wrote:
>> On Apr 6, 6:05 pm, "Dirty Harry" > wrote:
>>
>>>Does anyone here force carbonate sparkling wine? I have some corny kegs
>>>and
>>>lots of Co2 to play with. Right now I have some white wine in the keg at
>>>35
>>>PSI in the snowbank for about a day. I've rocked it back and forth a lot
>>>to
>>>help the Co2 dissolve. What pressure do you want to bottle it at? I
>>>have
>>>good quality bottles that I just tried at 35 psi (wearing safety
>>>glasses!)
>>>with counter pressure bottler and it worked just fine but the wine is
>>>still
>>>lacking major fizz. Does it need more time? Also what PSI do most of
>>>you
>>>let it soak in at? This site has a calculator that gave me about 30 psi
>>>for
>>>4 volumes at 5C,http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/forcecarb.shtml,
>>>how many volumes do most of you use?
>>
>>
>> I dont follow that but I shoot for 90 PSIG, 6 atmospheres. I use
>> natural carbonation though, not compressed gas.
>> Joe
> I would agree with Joe on that. There are some fizzy wines in the market
> place wich are marked Carbonated, meaning that they are force carbonated.
>
> Are you using champagne bottles?
>
>
> James.

Thanks for the responses guys. I am using very high quality champagne
bottles (the glass on the bottom is about 1/2 an inch thick!) When you say
90 psi are you using Cornelius kegs for your secondary fermentation or doing
the secondary in the bottle itself? I have a counter pressure bottle filler
so I can pre-pressurize the bottle to what ever psi I want before starting
to add the liquid, however I'm afraid to go over the 40 psi mark as I could
see myself getting a face full of glass lol. (I wear safety glasses when
filling) hmm let me get my questions into an easier to understand format:
1:Are you doing your 2ndary in a corney keg or a bottle, and if in a bottle
how are you measuring your psi?
2:When using a counter pressure bottler what is a safe max psi to work with?
I've heard many times champagne bottles are good to 90 psi but to me it
seems crazy to pump it up to 90psi when I'm only a few feet away.
3:For those that do counter pressure bottle what psi do you use?

A few more notes when I bottle I have the bottles in a freezer before hand
and the keg is only a few degrees above freezing (4-8 aprox). I am told
this helps keep the Co2 from coming out of the liquid.

4:I guess I could pump the Co2 up to 90 psi while in the corney and then
drop the pressure down to 35 or so psi for bottling, would this work and be
safer?

"Dirty Harry" > wrote in message
news:W78Mj.46705$rd2.38573@pd7urf3no...
>
> "James" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>>
>> Joe Sallustio wrote:
>>> On Apr 6, 6:05 pm, "Dirty Harry" > wrote:
>>>
>>>>Does anyone here force carbonate sparkling wine? I have some corny kegs
>>>>and
>>>>lots of Co2 to play with. Right now I have some white wine in the keg
>>>>at 35
>>>>PSI in the snowbank for about a day. I've rocked it back and forth a
>>>>lot to
>>>>help the Co2 dissolve. What pressure do you want to bottle it at? I
>>>>have
>>>>good quality bottles that I just tried at 35 psi (wearing safety
>>>>glasses!)
>>>>with counter pressure bottler and it worked just fine but the wine is
>>>>still
>>>>lacking major fizz. Does it need more time? Also what PSI do most of
>>>>you
>>>>let it soak in at? This site has a calculator that gave me about 30 psi
>>>>for
>>>>4 volumes at 5C,http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/forcecarb.shtml,
>>>>how many volumes do most of you use?
>>>
>>>
>>> I dont follow that but I shoot for 90 PSIG, 6 atmospheres. I use
>>> natural carbonation though, not compressed gas.
>>> Joe
>> I would agree with Joe on that. There are some fizzy wines in the market
>> place wich are marked Carbonated, meaning that they are force carbonated.
>>
>> Are you using champagne bottles?
>>
>>
>> James.
>
> Thanks for the responses guys. I am using very high quality champagne
> bottles (the glass on the bottom is about 1/2 an inch thick!) When you
> say 90 psi are you using Cornelius kegs for your secondary fermentation or
> doing the secondary in the bottle itself? I have a counter pressure
> bottle filler so I can pre-pressurize the bottle to what ever psi I want
> before starting to add the liquid, however I'm afraid to go over the 40
> psi mark as I could see myself getting a face full of glass lol. (I wear
> safety glasses when filling) hmm let me get my questions into an easier
> to understand format:
> 1:Are you doing your 2ndary in a corney keg or a bottle, and if in a
> bottle how are you measuring your psi?
> 2:When using a counter pressure bottler what is a safe max psi to work
> with? I've heard many times champagne bottles are good to 90 psi but to me
> it seems crazy to pump it up to 90psi when I'm only a few feet away.
> 3:For those that do counter pressure bottle what psi do you use?
>
> A few more notes when I bottle I have the bottles in a freezer before hand
> and the keg is only a few degrees above freezing (4-8 aprox). I am told
> this helps keep the Co2 from coming out of the liquid.
>
> 4:I guess I could pump the Co2 up to 90 psi while in the corney and then
> drop the pressure down to 35 or so psi for bottling, would this work and
> be safer?

One more quick note, I got all the c02 gear so I wouldn't have to do another
fermentation in bottles and have to worry about the sediment. Its for beer
as well as sparkling wine, and also probably some white wine with berry
syrup (wine coolers?) this summer.