white, waxy mold on top of wine in carboy???
Greg Felix
When I went to siphon my red wine there was some white mould or crust
floating on top of my wine.
Should I worry???
The wine tastes slightly ruff(still young) but otherwise fine, and I am
sure it will smoothen with more time in the carboy.
Cheers
Greg
Greg Felix
NomDeNette
>Hi again,
>
>When I went to siphon my red wine there was some white mould or crust
>floating on top of my wine.
>Should I worry???
Maybe. It might be benign, or it might be malevolent...
1. If it is more of a "crust" & if your starting acid was fairly high, &
you are making your wine from fresh grapes or juice, then it might be an
argol. An argol is a floating bitartrate crystal which forms before the
wine is stabilized.
If it is an argol, it will not hurt the wine. Moreover; it will, along with
many other Xals like it, precipitate out when you chill the wine.
2. If it is more of a "film", & it is more chalky-white than clear, & if
your sanitation was less than "Pasteuresque", then it might be Mycoderma or
"wine flowers". Mycoderma is a generic classification for highly oxidative,
wild yeasts, molds & bacteria which can seriously contaminate a wine.
If you think that it might be Mycoderma, try to remove it with a sanitized
instrument. Next, clean the inside of the carboy with a paper towel wetted
with a sulphite solution. Finally; be sure to add SO2 at around 50 ppm (or
even more if your pH is above 3.50. [If you don't know your pH stick to the
50 ppm]) as you rack. Also; top-up to the very top & closely watch for more
film. If you see it, remove it immediately in the manner outlined above.
Finally, (to finish on a positive note), if your sanitation was good, and if
the wine smells & tastes fine, then you probably have an argol.
Here's hoping its argols :-)
-Ed
--
"Wine is sunlight, held together by water..."
-Louis Pasteur
E&/orM Wesson
occurs when not enough sulfite is used. Syphon some wine into a tube
from an elevated bottle(rubber tubing is best for this so you can pinch
the tube at the bottom) and insert it into the wine in the carboy so
that the excess wine runs out over the top. You need a tray for this!
Then remove enough from the top of the carboy to expose the ring where
the crust was residing so you can wipe it clean with a sulfited kleenex
.
I have found that if you bottle at this point and ensure the bottles
remain on their side, there is usually no further deterioration. In any
event, just don't leave it as it will definitely spread downward and
spoil your wine.
MunsonNLF1
problem. Please pass on your ideas. It happened on my apple wine.
Jeremy Munson
Buck
>
> Hey Greg! Did you find out what that crust mouldy stuff was? I have the same
> problem.
is the first time i have seen this waxy substance. the problem came
after filtering, i filtered again and it smells o.k.,i'll keep my
fingers crossed but am interested to know the cause.
Tony
Greg Felix
will be okay.....LOL
I was doing my last racking and I will open it again in a few weks to
bottle it.
Once again it tasted very good and smelt good too!
I am hoping for the best
We shall see what happens.
Greg
harry
Here's what my source,WINEMAKING, THE CONCENTRATE METHOD, by Art Lynch,
published by Crosby and Baker Books, Westport Massachusetts, says about
"Flowers of Wine":
"This is a white or very light grey growth on top of the wine. it starts
in small specks and, if left unchecked, will eventually cover the entire
surface. It converts alcohol to carbon dioxideand water, forming byproducts
that include acetic acid. The wine will ahve a vinegary, airplane-glue like
odour. Once wine is completely covered there is no salvage, especially if
the surface area is large. If it's just in the neck of the carboy, try
removing it with a syringe. Then, rack, treat with100ppm sulfur dioxide and
TOP UP. This material is airborne. Give all your equipment a thorough
cleaning inside and out. Include your winemaking area"
Buck <TB...@GOLDEN.NET> wrote in article <36D43D...@GOLDEN.NET>...
afri.n...@gmail.com
> Hi again,
>
> When I went to siphon my red wine there was some white mould or crust
> floating on top of my wine.
> Should I worry???
> sure it will smoothen with more time in the carboy.
>
> Cheers
>
> Greg