New to brewing. How long should I keep wine in plastic?

[Randy Bombardier]

I recently purchased a 3-gallon and a 5-gallon PET carboys. I've been using clarifying agents to speed the process along so I can get them in glass. I'm wondering which is worse, using the agents or using plastic to begin with. Also wondering what's the longest I should keep wine in plastic. Thanks.

 

[tjmeyer]

Just a personal opinion, as I don't have a ton of PET experience with wine. Also keep in mind that how I make use of finings will not be the same as another winemaker.

Here's what I can say for sure: If you're feeling rushed, you're doing it wrong! Take your time, take a breath, make note of what you're doing.

Here are my thoughts on finings: There's nothing wrong with finings (those clarifying agents), but it does change the wine--probably more than a PET container will. Those changes may, or may not, be what you want. I use finings on desert and sweet wines all the time! That doesn't necessarily make them "faster" or "easier" to make correctly as they come with their own issues, but the effect of the finings does not modify the final result of sweeter wines enough to matter in my experience. I find that they strip very subtle flavors in suspension that are highly sought after in completely dry wines, so I never use them on bold reds or crisp whites.
Don't let the fear of PET carboys rush you. Take your time!

 

[Rice_Guy]

The oxygen transmission rate of PET is in the range of 0.1 mg per square meter per year. As a comparison HDPE and oak barrels are in the range of 5 to 7 mg per square meter per year, or silicone as in burpers is 20,000.

You would be safe letting it in PET till you want to drink it. You would be safe bottling in PET as some of the smaller (127ml) grocery store wines do. Me personally, with the test numbers on micro plastics being shed into food systems, I would be more concerned about micro plastic in my liver than how long the wine is in a PET carboy.

 

[Randy Bombardier]

The oxygen transmission rate of PET is in the range of 0.1 mg per square meter per year. As a comparison HDPE and oak barrels are in the range of 5 to 7 mg per square meter per year, or silicone as in burpers is 20,000.

You would be safe letting it in PET till you want to drink it. You would be safe bottling in PET as some of the smaller (127ml) grocery store wines do. Me personally, with the test numbers on micro plastics being shed into food systems, I would be more concerned about micro plastic in my liver than how long the wine is in a PET carboy.

Thanks. That's over my head. Mostly I'm thinking friends and family as I'm nearing my own expiration date. But you've reassured me that my angst is mostly unfounded.