Degassing, tasting and gravity measurement.

The vacuum pump and new bung arrived on Monday, so I've been degassing for the last two days. There is a significant difference in taste, so I think I'm on the right track. I'm gonna give it another day or so to degas and give it another taste. From there, I'll decide if it's time to bottle.

I took a gravity reading today too. The final reading is 0.993. The starting reading was 1.089. That makes alcohol content is roughly 13%.

Tasting and degassing

I gave my Malbec another taste today and there's still a little tingle on the tongue. That can only mean there is still CO2 suspended in the wine. I recently saw a video on YouTube on how to degas wine with a simple wine preserver pump. You can check it out here.

It's $10 for the pump and $1 for the new bung, which is comparable to the $23 drill-mounted stirring spoons. Plus, the pump works an a lot better as there is no chance of introducing unwanted oxygen into the wine, causing additional oxidation. I went ahead and ordered the pump and the bung, so I can degas for 2 days then go ahead and bottle. They should arrive later this week.

Viognier coming up next.

I went to my local retailer to pick up a couple really cheap ingredients so I can make a cheap fruit wine eventually, or at least a small batch of grape wine from frozen concentrate (yes it can be done, and it's not too bad).

The lady that co-owns the store offered me a great deal on another wine kit. Close to half off because a customer special ordered it but refused to pick it up. This time I got a Viognier; my first attempt at a white wine.

I'm gonna wait at least a month or so before I start this kit as it's too hot here for fermentation to happen without creating any off flavors.