After wrapping up the decorating it was time to add stabilizers and clarifiers to the pinot grigio. This also involved degassing the wine using an electric drill and a degassing tool. I wasn’t sure how it would all work but I put the tool into the drill, stuck it into the carboy and pulled the trigger. It seemed to be mixing OK but the instructions made it clear I had to get all the sediment off the bottom so I pumped up the volume and began to see white bubbles rising up in the carboy. This was a good thing, right? Actually I quickly learned I’d created a volcano and foam began to pour out the top and onto the floor! I stopped mixing and shortly thereafter, just like a shaken bottle of beer, the foaming subsided.
After cleaning up the mess and congratulating myself on a wise choice selecting tile for the kitchen floor, I added the remaining clarifying agent and started up the degassing tool once again with a bit less gusto than before. It worked like a charm and after another couple of minutes of whipping the wine I put the air lock back on and set it aside. My wine is now ready for a 2-3 week nap to clarify before bottling.