Barrel question

[tonyhibbett]

I have a 10 gallon oak barrel which I used last year to age 9.5 gallons of white wine, topped with some kit wine. After only 6 weeks the colour and flavour improved significantly, so I'd like to do it this year but have only 7 gallons of wine, which would leave a big air space, containing oxygen, which is not good. If this is displaced with carbon dioxide, then it's Ok. Question is: how to do it?
I dismantled an obsolete Sodastream, leaving me with the gas bottle, release valve and a short tube and tried injecting co2 into the airspace through the open bung hole at an ambient temperature of 12 c., and immediately got a cloud of mist rising out of the barrel. I don't know if this was displaced air, co2 or both, but I do know that co2 displaces oxygen. The bung is made of cork so I was able the place the very thin tube down the side of the bung and released the gas. This time there was no mist, just a jet of gas coming out between the bung and the tube. My plan now is to inject co2 directly into the wine for say 10 seconds then quickly replace the bung, so that as the co2 escapes from the wine, it will settle over the surface and protect the wine from oxygen. Am I on the right track or on a hiding to nothing?

 

[tonyhibbett]

With the help of my friendly Pipe Centre assistant who supplied me with a suitable threaded male to male joiner, right sized bored cork and some plastic tubing, I can now inject co2 to any level at the bottom of the airspace in the barrel, or even directly into the wine. When the cork pops out, I know that the original air is being blown out under pressure, leaving mostly inert co2. This remarkable device cost £3.58 to build!