A while back I posted about my chardonnay having a grapefruit like taste and wondered if it would go away. I had many encouraging posts saying it would dissappear eventually. Since then, I think I have discovered that the sour taste and smell was C02. I was worried at the time that the wine had oxidized even though the wine hadn't changed color and the miniscus was clear when held up to light. My real questions now are considering I have a variable capacity tank which still contains wine LOADED with C02, Is it bad to have the C02 in the wine too long? Does the C02 prevent oxidation? Will the C02 effect the sensory qualities if left in too long? An old post suggested stirring the wine 3 times for intervals of 15 min right after fermentation is done because the wine would be less susceptible to oxidation. Is there any harm in stirring it now 7 months after fermentation completed and what are the risks? THe tank has a large opening like any other VC tank so will stirring cause oxidation? How susceptiple is wine loaded with C02 to oxidation. I thought the conventional wisdom was that as long as there was C02 in the wine the wine would be resistant to oxidation. Is that true? Any thoughts?
TIA,
Bob