Topping off bottled wine

[ldmack3]

I recently came across this acticle and have never heard of doing this. But perhaps mine never last that long.

" If you continue to let a bottle of wine age indefinitely, the ullage will increase. This makes it important to open, top up and recork a bottle of wine at varying points in time. In an older wine, if the ullage drops to below the shoulder level of the bottle, it could mean that the wine is undrinkable."

Does anyone do this?

 

[DoctorCAD]

That takes YEARS to happen. I have 10 year old bottles and can't even tell that any has evaporated.

I wouldn't even worry a bit...

 

[TonyP]

What you're saying is entirely correct, but incomplete. You probably have 25 years before the impacts of ullage loss will be noticed. By then, most wines will be drank or lost for other reasons.

 

[ldmack3]

No worries here! Mine will never last that long. I have trouble making it past 2.

Thanks

 

[JohnT]

Yes,

I have had to do this.

I have some older vintages. Some date back to 1992 and earlier. These are bottles that I limit to just one opened a year... at crush.

I do keep an eye on ullage (the empty air pocket in the bottle). When it gets to be "two fingers" in depth (below the cork), it is time to refill/recork, For some of my vintages (1992 through 1995) this was the case.

One bottle is be sacrificed. I decant it into a plastic wash bottle and add just the tiniest bit of k-meta.

One by one, I gently uncork, fill, then recork. The goal hear is to bring the ullage up to be "one finger" in depth below the cork.

As DrCad has said above, ullage levels take YEARS to become an issue. I would keep an eye on it from time to time once the wine has bottle aged for 10 years or so.

 

[ldmack3]

Thanks John T. I had never heard of doing that.