Adding carbonation drops to wine

antodeco

Hi all,
As the title suggests, anyone ever try this? I was thinking of trying this with a bottle or two to see if I can make it anyway sparkling. I've a very light white that I think will take well to being carbonated.

BeerNut

If the yeast is dead it won't carbonate. I'd be adjusting the main process so the wine isn't degassed with the yeast killed rather than trying to carbonate after everything's done.

antodeco

Ah ok, thanks for that. Didn't think about the whole yeast thing. So adding the carbonation drops at this stage would basically just lightly sweeten the wine and do nothing else?

I'm just wondering if the yeast is fully dead. I brought the temperature right down so fermentation may have just paused rather than stopped.

BeerNut

It's a not a temperature thing, it's about what chemicals you added during the process.

Sorry, I've only ever made one wine kit so know very little about it, but there was a bit where I added Potassium Metabisulphite, and later Potassium Sorbate. One or other of those, I think, kills the yeast.

antodeco

You're right. I did kill the yeast with what I added (can't remember the name of it). Drat! I'll have to just buy some prosecco for the missus to shut her up for a while!

oblivious

Re seed with some champagne yeast with the sugar should get it going

Khannie

oblivious wrote: »

Re seed with some champagne yeast with the sugar should get it going

Would the chemicals that are already in there not just kill it?

oblivious

Khannie wrote: »

Would the chemicals that are already in there not just kill it?

They can be quite alcohol resistant, that or a distilling strain

Khannie

oblivious wrote: »

They can be quite alcohol resistant, that or a distilling strain

Ah I meant all the sulphites and whatever else that were added originally to kill the yeast.

oblivious

Khannie wrote: »

Ah I meant all the sulphites and whatever else that were added originally to kill the yeast.

It will off gas if you let it

sharingan

BeerNut wrote: »

If the yeast is dead it won't carbonate. I'd be adjusting the main process so the wine isn't degassed with the yeast killed rather than trying to carbonate after everything's done.

I do this quite a bit, the results work out pretty well. You are basically bottle conditioning the same way you would do a beer. If you want it really sparkly, you will need proper bottles with a secure stopper (i use plastic champagne corks with wire cages). For very sparkly I would put 2 heaped teaspoons of sugar into every bottle for priming.

TBH it is easier than the whole camden/degass/cross fingers approach. I am always a bit concerned when my bottles aren't conditioned.

sharingan

oblivious wrote: »

Re seed with some champagne yeast with the sugar should get it going

yeah, you would want to be using a yeast starter though. If I add my yeast dry into the bottles, sometimes it doesn't take.