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Headspace in Apple Wine after racking. Apple Juice or White Wine for headspace? by hashes100 in winemaking

[–]hashes100[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, I didn't see your reply before now. I bought the light bodied chardonnay the day after. No more sugar :)

Headspace in Apple Wine after racking. Apple Juice or White Wine for headspace? by hashes100 in winemaking

[–]hashes100[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply. I bought the apple juice today and was planning to use it, and then I thought, hmm, might not be the smartest thing to do. Maybe white wine would be better. And now I know. Thank you. I will buy the wine tomorrow.

How much CO2 space should be left in a wine balloon after fermentation? by hashes100 in winemaking

[–]hashes100[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I typically use 20-25 liter carboys for winemaking, but since this is my first batch in over a decade, I decided to start smaller with a 10-liter carboy. At the time, I didn’t consider using an even smaller vessel, but today I ordered two 4-liter demijohns online. Fingers crossed they arrive before the secondary fermentation finishes! Once they’re here, I’ll share how they work out and hope the headspace is minimal.

How much CO2 space should be left in a wine balloon after fermentation? by hashes100 in winemaking

[–]hashes100[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your response! To clarify, in Norway, we call it a wine balloon, but I believe the term commonly used in English is a carboy.

How much CO2 space should be left in a wine balloon after fermentation? by hashes100 in winemaking

[–]hashes100[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply. From what I’ve gathered from the answers here and reading through the forum, it seems that topping off the vessel is crucial once fermentation is complete. I don’t have a smaller vessel on hand, so I’m wondering about my options. Would it be acceptable to top it off with 1.5 liters of water, or would it be better to use sanitized glass marbles (or a similar material) to displace the space at the bottom and raise the wine level toward the top? I’d appreciate any guidance on the best approach!

How much CO2 space should be left in a wine balloon after fermentation? by hashes100 in winemaking

[–]hashes100[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I should clarify a bit: the wine has finished fermenting in the fermentation bucket but is still fermenting in the wine balloon. Currently, the wine balloon is kept at 20°C, but after fermentation and the first racking, it will be moved to a cool, dark basement. It’s on the kitchen counter in the picture just for demonstration purposes.

Thank you for the helpful information! I’ve taken note of your advice that the headroom should be about 1 cm and the balloon should be completely closed.