Does anyone have experience using oxygen free gas to protect wine from oxidation during racking or transfer, or temporary sitting with an exposed surface (airspace above wine in carboy etc)? CO2 or other? I've read of it being used successfully, but am interested in preferred gases and methods. Also, where to purchase the gas.
Jeff
Jeff, you will find some info on using inert gas here
Jeff -
I've used inert gas for pressure racking for the past 20 years. There is no gentler, safer way of moving wine from one container to another. It's even better than siphoning by gravity - both because it's faster and because it protects the wine from oxidation.
For safety reasons I would NOT recommend that you pressure rack from _glass_ containers! Also, you should regulate the pressure to about 3 PSI. That's quite safe for wooden barrels.
The receiving vessel _should_ be purged with inert gas before beginning racking - particularly in the case of white wines. This is not absolutely mandatory if you take care that the hose fills the receiver from the bottom, without a lot of splashing, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. In any case, the headspace above the wine (if any) MUST be thoroughly purged with inert gas before sealing the container.
Be sure that the free SO2 is where it needs to be for the pH of the wine. Inert gas "blanketing" works well to protect wine in a less than full container, but if you don't maintain the free SO2 as well you are very likely to find something growing on the surface of the wine before long. Spoilage organisms are _micro_ aerobic, so it doesn't take much oxygen to support their growth.
You can get argon or nitrogen (as well as a pressure regulator and hoses) at any welding supply shop. I have a small tank of nitrogen, which is pretty easy to carry around. I believe it holds 75 cubic feet of gas. That will last you quite awhile unless you make a _lot_ of wine! A refill cost ~$30US. Nitrogen is a little cheaper than argon, but argon is heavier than air. Either will do the job.
I use gas to top off a partially empty bottle of topping wine, a bottle of leftover commercial wine (keeps it fresh for the next day or two) and to purge the Cuisinart of air when making fresh pesto (to prevent browning). I'm sure there are other uses, limited only by your imagination.
Tom S
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