I currently have a batch of mead fermenting and I'm a bit confused about the bottling process for a still mead. I would like to know the steps/process for treating the mead before bottling.
When I make meads we don't add metabisulfite or gelatin. Cold crashing and racking once post the crash is usually enough to create clear mead.
The mead should be degassed along the way of fermentation, which tends to help fermentation along. In this case, though yes you want to degas before bottling. I'd recommend degassing in the primary unless you are sure your fermentation is done (gravity check). If there still are some sugars to ferment you'll want to be on the yeast when that happens. Racking away from the yeast and degassing will make it hard to finish it out.
If you are in a glass carboy I wouldn't use a vacuum to degas. Just like I wouldn't put a glass carboy under much pressure in a beer situation. I use a wine whip on a drip to degas. It stirs the mead up vigorously and the gas come out that way. It also stirs up sediment which is why you don't normally want to have to do this when you are trying to clear the mead in a second or third racked carboy.
