RJ Spagnols bottle shock time

[StBlGT]

Just wondering what everyone has to say on this. I have read through older threads and it seems to be about 1 month before the bottle shock is over. However, my rjs grand cru international sauv blanc instructions say to wait 3-4 months once bottled. Isn't that longer than normal?

I just bottled last week and was hoping for it to be ready by may or so, not july or august. I was planning on drinking it over the summer.

Thanks for any input.

 

[BernardSmith]

Have not ever made any wines from kits so I am simply guessing but are you certain that the waiting time is because of "bottle shock" and not simply because of the improvement a wine undergoes through aging. If you are making wines in glass carboys then presumably the same aging can take place in a glass bottle as it might in the carboy (although I would imagine that bulk aging offers both advantages and disadvantages that bottle aging may not... though the manufacturers of the kit may view the risks as outweighing the benefits (some people may simply forget to check to see if their airlock is still water filled and end up with vinegar or oxidized wine - something that won't happen if they bottle sooner rather than later and allow the wine to age in the bottle )...

 

[AZMDTed]

I think actual bottle shock will be calmed down in a few days or a week after bottling. When you start drinking is up to your tastes and patience.

 

[bkisel]

I ditto what the first two posters had to say.

The biggest advantage of bottle aging over bulk aging that I can readily think of is that it frees up a carboy or barrel for making new/more wine.

 

[StBlGT]

Thanks for the responses. I really don't know why they want me to wait 3 or 4 months. It was only a 12l kit and it is a white. So i figured making it in january and drinking in may or june would be a go.

I did try it before bottling and it tasted good. But i opened a bottle 2 days after i bottled and it had a weird taste (which i hope was just bottle shock). It was kind of bland and no flavor. I hope by may it is ready.

 

[hounddawg]

after I let mine age awhile in the bottle the longer the better the taste I feel.
but as for me I bulk age 2 years then I bottle an age longer, I have never used kits or grapes just hand picked country wines
apple
pear
black berry
elder berry
cherry
:AWG::

Thanks for the responses. I really don't know why they want me to wait 3 or 4 months. It was only a 12l kit and it is a white. So i figured making it in january and drinking in may or june would be a go.

I did try it before bottling and it tasted good. But i opened a bottle 2 days after i bottled and it had a weird taste (which i hope was just bottle shock). It was kind of bland and no flavor. I hope by may it is ready.

 

[StBlGT]

I also have a few reds bulk aging, too. But i have no intention of bottling them until around the new year. I just thought a white would be quick; especially because it wasn't that high end of a kit.

 

[bkisel]

I also have a few reds bulk aging, too. But i have no intention of bottling them until around the new year. I just thought a white would be quick; especially because it wasn't that high end of a kit.

My RJS and WE 9-10L kits have all been decent early drinkers. Non the less I have an aging strategy... When these 4-8 week kit instruct me to bottle I begin a bulk age. 2 months for 4 week kits, 3 months for 6 week kits, etc.. After bulk aging I bottle age for the same length of time as I bulk aged.

As a number of folks have suggested here I keep back a bottle or two from my batches, especially the reds, with the idea of opening them a year or two later.

 

[StBlGT]

bkisel, that is a great idea. I may have to use that! Thanks.