My Wine’s Bubbling The Wrong Way

Air LockHi Wine Helpers,
On the second rack it seems like the fermenting has stopped!(about 10 days) no bubbles in the air lock that I have on my gallon glass carboy, then last night I looked at the air lock and it looks like the wine is pulling a vacuum the water is on the wrong side. What do you think?
Justin
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Dear Justin,
Glad to hear that your fermentation appears to be finished after 10 days. This is about average for the amount of time it typically takes for the fermentation activity to complete.
I understand how you can be concerned about seeing the air-lock looking like it’s going backwards, but this happens from time to time. It’s being caused by the wine chilling down at night. As any liquid becomes cooler it contracts. The slight shrinkage of volume that is occurring in your gallon glass carboy is what is causing the vacuum, particularly when your rubber stopper is nice and snug.
Best Wishes,
Customer Service at E. C. Kraus
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Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.

0 thoughts on “My Wine’s Bubbling The Wrong Way

  1. Rhubarb wine bottled, once opened it it bubbled like champange and tast like beer. What did I do wrong.

  2. Larry, it sounds like the wine was bottle before the fermentation was complete. The bubbles or fizzy is the result of a fermentation continuing in the bottle. This can also be caused by adding sugar at bottling time without adding a stabilizer such a potassium sorbate to eliminate a chance the the fermentation starting up again.