Does size matter?

[Smoke]

When bottling wine, does it matter what size bottle is used? The reason I ask is because I’m thinking of using both splits (187.5ml) and regular (750 ml) bottles so that I can use the smaller bottles for tastings throughout the aging process.

I know that Whisky ages/matures faster in smaller barrels than in larger ones, and was wondering if it work the same way for wine.

Anyone have any info/thoughts on this?

 

[Raptor99]

The short answer is Yes.

I regularly bottle some of my wine in 375 ml bottles for sampling. With natural corks, smaller bottles have the same amount of oxygen ingress as larger ones, but with a smaller volume of wine. Exposure to tiny amounts of oxygen is only one component of the complex chemical reactions that take place during aging, but that part would work faster in smaller bottles. So tasting from the small bottles during aging can give you a preview of what the larger bottles would taste like later on.

It's best not to age wine in 187.5 ml bottles for along time, but I would guess that up to a year should be fine.

 

[Rocky]

When bottling wine, does it matter what size bottle is used? The reason I ask is because I’m thinking of using both splits (187.5ml) and regular (750 ml) bottles so that I can use the smaller bottles for tastings throughout the aging process.

I know that Whisky ages/matures faster in smaller barrels than in larger ones, and was wondering if it work the same way for wine.

Anyone have any info/thoughts on this?

I don't know for certain, but my guess would be yes, it will probably age imperceptibly faster. Many of our members do just as you plan to do, i.e. bottle some splits for tasting along the way. I don't b/c 750 ml is just the right size for tasting.

 

[Smoke]

I don't know for certain, but my guess would be yes, it will probably age imperceptibly faster. Many of our members do just as you plan to do, i.e. bottle some splits for tasting along the way. I don't b/c 750 ml is just the right size for tasting.

love the last sentence!

 

[mainshipfred]

I don't know much about making whiskey but the reason it might age quicker in smaller barrels is the surface to volume ratio. With aging wine in new small barrels, leaving it there would give off more oak than desired. The same would apply to whiskey though it does benefit from a greater amount of oak which is why they are charred and not toasted like wine barrels.

Wineries age their wines (primarily reds) in oak barrels for a few reasons. Oak is one of the reasons but the process of micro oxygenation and condensation through evaporation is another. Although it does have a a very minimal introduction of O2 wine in bottles, no matter the size, should not have much of an impact on the aging of the wine.

So maybe the answer is yes or maybe no but as the others have said the impact would be minimal.

 

[Hazelemere]

When bottling wine, does it matter what size bottle is used? The reason I ask is because I’m thinking of using both splits (187.5ml) and regular (750 ml) bottles so that I can use the smaller bottles for tastings throughout the aging process.

I know that Whisky ages/matures faster in smaller barrels than in larger ones, and was wondering if it work the same way for wine.

Anyone have any info/thoughts on this?

if the sulphite is dosed properly then the splits are fine

 

[Retired teacher]

I don't b/c 750 ml is just the right size for tasting.

I agree 100%!

 

[winemanden]

As a check on how your wine is ageing, 375ml bottles are ideal; a good excuse to enjoy a glass. Half-bottles, bottles, magnums, etc all age slightly differently, sometimes same batch bottles are different,
It's down to the airspace between cork and wine. The airspace should be near as dammit equal, no matter the size of the bottle, but the ratio between wine and airspace is different. Ageing is not better or worse, but different.
Use your smaller bottles for tasting checks, I've done it for years. At least, that's my excuse for a glass. I always make sure my CEO (wife) gets a taste as well, just to be on the safe side.

 

[Jusatele]

I use 1 liter bottles as my main container
I do some 750s if they are for givaways
I do 16 oz bottles for summer yard wines such as Sketter Pee or my version of Miles Hard Lemonade

the main thing I notice is I have to open a lot more of the 16 oz bottles in a day than 1 liter

 

[Rice_Guy]

With natural corks, smaller bottles have the same amount of oxygen ingress as larger ones,

A natural cork will transmit in the range of 5mg of oxygen over the first year. That suggests that a 375 would be twice as fast and a 187 would be four times as fast. If you have a nitrogen flush or vacuum corking set up that might be a good guess but if the ullage stays the same the percentage oxygen per ml will be higher so one would start at a lower redox potential.

Age is not a single defined set of reactions. Oxidation is a cascade if there is free oxygen it will first bind with free SO2, then if there is oxygen with tannin/ polyphenols, then with another set of reduced compounds, etc. If we have a large excess of oxygen we will be oxidizing some of the more stable compounds at the same time as the normal easily oxidized chemicals. ,,, The net effect is that higher levels of acetaldehyde will be produced with a resulting burn in the back of the throat.

Small is not all doom and gloom. If you can consider flushing with inert gas or using vacuum. PLUS consider using the expensive corks that are rated as ten year corks/ oxygen transmission as low as 1mg over year one.

 

[Smoke]

so I guess i should have stated that this is just a hobby for me and I'll only be doing this for me and the fam, so not looking for advanced techniques.

 

[winemaker81]

so I guess i should have stated that this is just a hobby for me and I'll only be doing this for me and the fam, so not looking for advanced techniques.

Winemaking involves biology, chemistry, and physics. Some folks get more into the sciences than others. Take it as far as makes sense for you.

 

[Smoke]

funny, I thought it was just about smashing grapes and putting it in a bottle. lol I get it, I realize that there a lot of serious vintners here and it seems like commercial wine growers/makers. I'm sure I'll learn a lot if I weed through the techinical stuff. I've certainly learned a whole lot more in the last two days than I knew before finding this gem of a forum!

bear with me as I begin the journey.

 

[Jusatele]

Smoke

this is a hobby, and like most hobbies you can get just as serious as you want.
I take it to what ever level I want with each batch.
It seems that is how I keep it fun
yes a lot of good knowledge here, and even better than that a lot of balanced guys here at all the levels so you can choice were you want to be.
And that is it, where you want to be
Enjoy

 

[Raptor99]

As @Jusatele said, take it to whatever level you want. Some enjoy doing all the chemistry in search of the perfect wine. Others like to use mainly their own five senses. Most of us are somewhere in between the two extremes.

At least a little understanding of the chemistry and biology behind making wine can be a huge help in improving your wines. But you don't need a science degree. Some of us like to nerd out more than others.