Aging your wine,, what do you prefer.

[myakkagldwngr]

If you have the time, and carboys,,
which do you prefer?
Bulk aging in the carboy or bottle aging.

 

[robie]

I prefer bulk aging (with an air lock attached).

It helps with what is likely the biggest problem for home wine makers - degassing.

It allows additional racking to remove sediment that sometimes forms even after clearing the wine.

It lets one taste and make some future changes, like adding more oak, tannins/biolees, ..etc.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I prefer bulk aging (with an air lock attached).

It helps with what is likely the biggest problem for home wine makers - degassing.

It allows additional racking to remove sediment that sometimes forms even after clearing the wine.

It lets one taste and make some future changes, like adding more oak, tannins/biolees, ..etc.

I totally agree - i will bulk age for a long time in a carboy - to ensure there is no more sediment. I can draw samples to taste easier - i can monitor it better.

 

[djrockinsteve]

You should always if possible bulk age in a carboy. You have much less air to wine ratio. With this and kept in a cool enviroment your wine will age slower.

 

[Tom]

Bulk aging for sure

 

[Dugger]

Time and carboys but also space - granted one carboy has a smaller footprint than two and half cases, but I can put boxes in places where I could never put a carboy so this has to be considered. Also peace of mind - once the wine is in the bottle you can pretty well forget about it, but while it's in the carboy you have to monitor it - a minor consideration but still a consideration.
A very prominent technical expert, Tim V., has said that the closure on a carboy is not as safe as a cork in a bottle when it comes to air leakage - I have no idea if this is so but he seems to know his stuff.
I prefer to bulk age for about 3-6 months and also try to follow Tim V's 5-20-40-90 schedule, which works out well for my number of carboys.