There seems to be some controversy about either degassing your homemade wine is necessary. In one camp are those that say that it is vital to creating a remarkable wine that you'll enjoy in the months and years to follow. In the other camp are those that advise that degassing is not that important, that the whole of carbon dioxide that remains when you bottle your wine is negligible. They assume however that you will be bulk aging your wine for a few months, which will supposedly allow the carbon dioxide gases to dissipate.
I'm with the first camp and it has been my experience that degassing wine is important. I'm not worried about pressure build up in the bottle due to the presence of carbon dioxide, but rather I'm implicated about taste and optical appearance. Who wants to pour wine for guests that foams up in the glass?
Bottle Wine Cooler
Degassing is an leading notice for those winemakers that will be entering their wines into competitions. Wines are not judged on taste alone, but also on appearance and odor. If the wine has a haze like look to it caused by the presence of carbon dioxide, it will not score well.
Home Winemaking - Is Degassing Wine Important?
Most people who make wine these days use wine kits - kits that come with grape juice and grape juice concentrate. These kits are made in such a way that the winemaker can bottle their wine in 4 to 8 weeks, if they want to. Of course, bulk aging the wine will benefit it, but many are not interested in the characteristics that might create in a year or two - they want to enjoy their wine now! For those winemakers, degassing the wine is very important. For winemakers that plan on bulk aging their wines under an air lock, degassing may not be as vital as much of the gas should dissipate while the bulk aging process. However, there are times when simply bulk aging the wine will not be enough to rid it of excess carbon dioxide. Cooler temperatures and high air pressure may corollary in wine with excess carbon dioxide if not degassed.
Although it is unlikely the winemaker will thoroughly eliminate carbon dioxide from their wine, having too much of it can sway the taste of the wine negatively. In water, carbon dioxide is perceptible to our taste buds when it is present in a ratio of 200 mg per liter. In small amounts, it can act as an enhancer of the tannins in wine but too much carbon dioxide can yield off tasting still wines.
There are several ways to degas wines, together with by hand vigorous stirring, using a gadget attached to an electrical drill and using a vacuum pump. I've covered some of these methods here that will be especially helpful to those who make wine from market wine kits.
Home Winemaking - Is Degassing Wine Important?