WineXpert Perfect Temp for Bottle Aging Kits

[johngg123]

I'm getting ready to bottle my second kit - Winexpert Eclipse Lodi Zin w/ skins. It's only been a month in the carboy but I want to bottle because I feel it would do better in my 160 bottle wine cooler than the closet. What's the perfect temperature to set the wine cooler at considering I'm planning on drinking these bottles in 1-2 years? Is 65 too warm?

John

 

[robie]

I'm getting ready to bottle my second kit - Winexpert Eclipse Lodi Zin w/ skins. It's only been a month in the carboy but I want to bottle because I feel it would do better in my 160 bottle wine cooler than the closet. What's the perfect temperature to set the wine cooler at considering I'm planning on drinking these bottles in 1-2 years? Is 65 too warm?

John

65F is a little warm; I like 62F, but who's counting. At 65F, the wine will age a little faster than at, say 58F and of course be ready to drink sooner.

You can bottle that soon, but realize you may end up with some sediment in yor bottles by bottling this early.

 

[NoSnob]

Your question was what is the PERFECT temperature and in my opinion, and from what I read, 65F is not perfect. The perfect temperature is more like 55-60F with the cooler end being preferable. Like everything else, our decisions must be made in the real world and compromises are understood.

In my refrigerated 268 bottle wine cabinet, I keep my wine at 58F but that, ideally, may be a few degrees warmer than ideal.

So what is the difference between 58F and 65F? (yes, I know -- 7 degrees!) Well it may be more theoretical than realistic for the wines we are subjecting to that temperature. As you get closer to the ideal temperature, your wine will take longer to mature and the slower, cooler, longer conditions are more likely to facilitate the ideal maximum quality of any given wine as it matures. In the real world, that may or may not translate to actual differences, depending upon the quality and length of life of the wine you are aging.

If you drink all your wines in 12 months, your additional money paid to cool to 58F may be wasted. If you have wines capable of aging over 2-4 years, though, your 58F may make a difference. (but it may be small)

So the question is, how good are the wines you are aging? Since we don't always know the answer to that, are you willing to pay the extra money for energy to cool them when perhaps only a small percentage of your wines will actually be positively affected?

NS

 

[johngg123]

Thanks for the help! My biggest fear is that I would unreasonably slow down aging on a very young wine so that it tastes like 1 year at 2 years, and so on. I'll be keeping a couple bottles here and there for 2+ years but not many, gotta make room .

I've noticed my cooler will bounce around +/- 2 degrees anyways, so I've split the difference and set it for 63... which should put it in a range of 61-65.

John

 

[robie]

The key factor here is you wrote you want to drink the wine in a year. If that's the case, if you age it at 55F, it will not be nearly as far a long in a year as it would be if aged at a little higher temperature.

Again, the slower the aging the better the wine turns out in the end. But since you want to drink it in a year, you are going to have to compromise a little of the potential quality and age it a little faster. Otherwise, the wine might still be fairly green in a year.

It's a trade-off.

I don't know if this was covered already, but the size of the container in which the wine is aging also makes a difference in when it will mature. The larger the volume, the slower the aging process.

 

[johngg123]

Robie, great points. So wine ages faster in a bottle than a carboy? I don't understand why so many people bulk age in carboys then. Especially since carboys cost a decent amount of money, where as bottles are basically free.

It makes sense if you plan on blending but otherwise I don't get it.

 

[SouthernChemist]

Robie, great points. So wine ages faster in a bottle than a carboy? I don't understand why so many people bulk age in carboys then. Especially since carboys cost a decent amount of money, where as bottles are basically free.

It makes sense if you plan on blending but otherwise I don't get it.

Practically speaking, it's easier to store wine in carboys than in bottles. The wine will undergo more uniform aging in a carboy, which may or may not happen with 30 or so bottles. Some of the bottles may actually be a different temperature than the others, etc. The number of bottles also adds up, and finding space to store them properly can be an issue for some people.

And let's not forget...having full carboys prevents you from going overboard and making more and more wine. Course, people get around that by buying more carboys...

 

[FABulousWines]

And...if the wine is in a carboy, you will be less tempted to start drinking it before it has aged properly!

 

[Geronimo]

For hobbyists there's a practical side to aging too. I store mine in the basement which hovers close to 50F in winter and 65F in summer (with the air on). Not many of us have a climate controlled cellar. Storing 250-500+ gallons of wine makes the whole "aging" proposition a bit trickier at home. If you can get a year on the wine without it getting over 68F, most folks would be happy with that result. 90% of the goodness comes from that first year in my experience.

 

[robie]

For hobbyists there's a practical side to aging too. I store mine in the basement which hovers close to 50F in winter and 65F in summer (with the air on). Not many of us have a climate controlled cellar. Storing 250-500+ gallons of wine makes the whole "aging" proposition a bit trickier at home. If you can get a year on the wine without it getting over 68F, most folks would be happy with that result. 90% of the goodness comes from that first year in my experience.

Hey Geronimo, haven't seen you around these parts for a while now. Hope all is good.


You are right. One has to work with whatever one has. Guys/gals in Florida, for example, are doing great to age their wines below 75F. It's all good!!!

 

[roger80465]

And let's not forget...having full carboys prevents you from going overboard and making more and more wine.

If that doesn't convince you that bulk aging is bad, nothing will!

 

[Geronimo]

Hey Geronimo, haven't seen you around these parts for a while now. Hope all is good.

After 42 years of riding motorcycle, I had a young guy run a stop sign and nearly lost my right leg. The good news is, I had several batches of wine in progress when I wound up in the hospital and I thought it'd all be drano. Much to my surprise (after 8-10 weeks in primary) both of the batches turned out awesome! So now I have a lazy method of brewing. I just let it be for 3 weeks minimum (temp controlled) do 4-6 months in a secondary and then bottle. The last few batches, including a Winery Series Super Tuscan with a little Tancor Grand Cru, are the best I've ever tasted.

Life is like a box of chocolates....

 

[roger80465]

Yowsa, Geronimo. Glad to hear you are OK. Words of wisdom there - patience is a virtue. Wish I had some. Impatience is not a virtue of a winemaker and I have to fight it every day. Stay healthy!