WineXpert Aging - use airlock?

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Feb 28, 2010
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
My Vintners reserve Pinot Grigi has gone through primary, secondary, degassing and has been clearing for 14 days now.

I want to rack it to age for 2 months before bottlling, do I put an airlock on the carboy to age?

I Plan on keeping in the basement currently about 54 degrees will warm a little as weather improves.

On deck: Lodi Vines Zinfandel
 
Yes, use an air lock. No matter how hard you try, there could still be some CO2 in the wine. Leaving it under an air lock, even at a low temperature, will help get rid of it.

This is one of the advantages of bulk aging. It helps expel CO2 and it helps clear the wine. The longer the wine is bulk aged, the more sediment can fall out into the carboy and not in your bottles.
 
Bulk Aging

Good questions, great answers. I have a batch of Barolo (sel est) sitting in the carboy for three months, instead of bottling. How long would you advise I leave it in the carboy before bottling?

Also, are there any suggestions on bulk aging containers? I priced out wooden barrels and at $375 each, they are out of the question.
 
for kits i would say yes.....only way to not stop a way for the co2 to escape...for grape wines i dont do this because i cant be bothered to fill up the air locks...so they go into a flex tank and sealed up.....for at least 3-6 mos...but most are 9 -24 mos. and have never had a co2 issue

Thunderhill i would recommend your looking into Flex tanks for a reasonable priced tank....easy to clean...permits micro-oxygentaion....get the floating skin for variable capacity fills...allows you to change your oak w each fill....downside is that there is nothing romantic about the product
 
Last edited:
Good questions, great answers. I have a batch of Barolo (sel est) sitting in the carboy for three months, instead of bottling. How long would you advise I leave it in the carboy before bottling?

Also, are there any suggestions on bulk aging containers? I priced out wooden barrels and at $375 each, they are out of the question.


Oddly enough we had a barolo kit that I was certain was ready to bottle recently....and we did. About two days later I saw sediment a LOT of it floating in several bottles....

.... we uncorked 30 bottles and dumped em all into a bucket and racked back to a carboy. We redid the clarifying process and bottled in January.

It was our first barolo....not sure if it's inherent in the variatal but it's the only time we've ever had that happen.

Obviously our error.

After all that is said.....i'd let it sit a LOT longer than you think it needs to. At least a month or so more.
 
I totally agree - i racked mine after a month and let it bulk age some more. I thought it was clear - but about 3-4 weeks later - there was some more sediment at the bottom. I know have a buon vino mini jet filter that i use with the sterile pads to help after bulk aging.
 
This is wht we age our wines at least 6-8 months now minumum unless you dont mind some sediment in the bottom. As fir bulk aging, use an airlock as barometric pressures can pop a solid bung right out. Have you ever seen the wine rise into the airlock when it wasnt fermenting, I have a few times and it amazes me every time.
 
Al Fulchino,

Tell us more about a flex tank. I am interested in the micro-oxigenation aspect of it.
Do they make small ones? What is the smallest?
Do you have a good web site to check them out?
Thanks,
 
http://www.flextankusa.com/

(and i have no vested interest in the company)

snip:Improving Upon Barrels
Flextank’s patent-pending maturation vessels provide all barrel functions, with more winemaker control, in a hygienic and long-lasting vessel made from food grade polyethylene. They retain volatile flavor compounds lost from barrels and deny Angels their share. Sizes range from 50 to 570 gallons.

Flextank maturation vessels are engineered to permit oxygen permeation at a rate similar to an average second year barrel at cellar temperature (55º F). Oxygen enters the wine directly across the polyethylene tank surface. The driving force for oxygen permeation is the difference in oxygen concentration in the atmosphere (21%) on one side of the polyethylene tank and maturing wine (0%) on the other. Flextank maturation vessels and near new wooden barrels both provide a similar oxygenation environment for wine maturation.
 
true...but you can either come up here or maybe my son who lives in CT in his off season will share some w you :)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top