This may sound humorous (and it is!), but it's also true.
This can be extremely important. Sometimes bulk aging is not an issue but with whites and some fruits you are going risk oxidation or as I discovered (in horror), fruit flies invade. I had a 15.5 gallon keg of Cab Sav and I thought the stopper I was using fit tight but apparently not. The wine tasted fine and the kit had bulk aged for about 10 months so I cleaned up the floating bodies, hit it hard with kmeta and bottled within a day. So far the wine has been fine but I'm trying to drink that lot first, just in case.
"Lost' a bottle of Elderberry Wine about 7 yo. Still have it, just wondering when to pull the cork.
The longest I've had wine in the bottle is 10 years.
Aging (bulk or bottle) doesn't add flavor. It provides the time necessary for the wine to transform as it goes through normal chemical changes.
When to bottle is a trade-off. It's better if the wine has sufficient time in bulk for the wine to get through the initial chemical changes as a whole. IME, that timeframe is 4 to 12 months, and it depends on the wine. Whites and light fruits generally need less time, as there's less "stuff" that is going through changes. Heavier whites and light reds need more time, and heavy reds need the most. In general, the higher the body level, the more time is beneficial.
Beyond a year? Unless the wine is being barrel aged, I don't know if there is a benefit to bulk aging. Evaporation occurs through the wood, so barrel aging continually change the wine.
Another advantage of bulk aging is the wine is not being consumed, so it's got the chance to age.
Wine ages faster in smaller quantities, so there is an advantage to bottling. Also, the wine is safer in the bottle. Once the cork is in, the wine is sealed, and unless the wine was contaminated, it's as safe as it will ever be.
Elderberry is heavy duty wine -- the one that makes an acceptable substitution for red grape, so I'm not surprised at Mike's result. Wine ages in unpredictable ways.
The wine did not go to waste! [Although friends got wasted.]When life gives you lemons…Fortunately, at that time I had friends who would drink ditchwater if it had enough alcohol in it, and all were happy to accept a case.
Make limoncello or Skeeter Pee!
So for longer term aging....say 5+ years....when using #9 cork....is natural ok or is synthetic recommended?The longest I've had wine in the bottle is 10 years.
Aging (bulk or bottle) doesn't add flavor. It provides the time necessary for the wine to transform as it goes through normal chemical changes.
When to bottle is a trade-off. It's better if the wine has sufficient time in bulk for the wine to get through the initial chemical changes as a whole. IME, that timeframe is 4 to 12 months, and it depends on the wine. Whites and light fruits generally need less time, as there's less "stuff" that is going through changes. Heavier whites and light reds need more time, and heavy reds need the most. In general, the higher the body level, the more time is beneficial.
Beyond a year? Unless the wine is being barrel aged, I don't know if there is a benefit to bulk aging. Evaporation occurs through the wood, so barrel aging continually change the wine.
Another advantage of bulk aging is the wine is not being consumed, so it's got the chance to age.
Wine ages faster in smaller quantities, so there is an advantage to bottling. Also, the wine is safer in the bottle. Once the cork is in, the wine is sealed, and unless the wine was contaminated, it's as safe as it will ever be.
I don't believe it makes a difference. The wine I had in the bottle the longest used 10 yo corks -- I had a 1,000 count bag and it took many years to use up the bag, given the wine I made at that time. Yes, the cork was 20 years old by the time I opened the last bottle. They were plain-jane 1.5" #9 corks.
Great reply! Loved this
Totally agree. I used the three-piece, probably 2000 or so, and had no problems. Then about three years ago, I bought another 1000 bag from Label Peelers and had a number of issues both in insertion and in uncorking. I called Label Peelers to see if they had changed suppliers and they said they had not. I call their supplier, L. D. Carlson and asked if they had changed their source and they said they had. The newer corks are definitely lower quality, and I am just now running out of bottles on which I used them. I did return about 700 from the last bag I purchased and received a full credit from Label Peelers. I now use only Nomacorcs.
@Rocky: What you reported coincides with my experience; three years, Label Peelers except I had bought 100.
