Bulk Age vs. Bottling

[Schuster1]

What are the pros and cons of bulk aging vs. bottling as the instruction suggest. What is a better process?

 

[damdaman]

I usually bottle age so I can free up a fermenter for the next batch. I was told once that bulk aging is better because it keeps the wine more consistent, the entire batch is kept under the same conditions, and the greater mass helps buffer against temperature fluctuations and such. But nothing wrong with bottle aging IMO.

 

[NoSnob]

Schuster, this is a topic that is frequently discussed here and usually invites a lot of opinions, some varied. There's nothing wrong with either but there are advantages & disadvantages. If you bottle soon, that's time the wine could spend both naturally de-gassing and clarifying. That could be critical if you bottled your wine before it was adequately de-gassed and thus your wine could be fizzy. If you bottled your wine before it was very clear then it may throw sediment in the bottle but remain at that level of clarity; it will not clear in the bottle. So the results depend upon what your condition your wine was in when you bottled it. The ideal temperature for a single varietal may be easier to maintain in a carboy than in bottles; this would depend upon your varietal and your winery conditions.

When wine is in a carboy there is only one container at risk for the usual hazards: heat, vibrations, direct light, and bumping/breaking. After bottled, there are 30 containers at risk of all that. So, yes, some advantage goes there to being in the carboy. But wine in the carboy may not be as protected from oxidation as bottled wine. Some think the carboy cap is more subject to allowing air passage than properly corked bottles. As the carboy is larger, the normal maturational changes in it will occur more slowly than if bottled. That's a good thing but then the longer it's in the carboy the more likely it is to use up its available sulfites, the free SO2 that protect your wine from oxidation. So every 3-4 months you could rack it, add sulfites, top up, and seal it with airlock. The longer you leave your wine in the carboy the more critical it becomes to maintain adequate sulfite levels. You don't want to add more sulfites than you need so some use instruments to monitor the SO2 levels and keep them within optimum range - enough to protect but not so much to adversely affect flavor.

Like others, I leave my wines in the carboy only 3 to 6 months, racking only once until final racking & bottling. I watch wine in the carboy for its progress in clearing and use that to decide when to bottle. I do not filter my wines but if I were to enter a competition I'm sure I would. But filtering will not take the place of adequate clearing.

Whether to age in carboy or bottles depends upon many things and how you do those other things!

The wine kit companies want you to bottle ASAP, hasten maturity, and begin another kit. That may not always be within your own best interests for a given batch of wine. I make these comments based on my own experience. I have made fizzy wine and I have wine that was not cleared before bottling. I try to learn from my mistakes.

The hardest lesson I have learned in making wine is to BE PATIENT.

NS

 

[jswordy]

I bottle when I have time to bottle, after the wine has been stabilized.

If you bottle, it is supposed to age the wine faster, and there are even those who say the punted bottles age it even quicker because of more surface contact with the glass (i.e., the outside temp).

People say there is variability in bottled wines all aged alike. I have found none in mine. But I can see how there could be. Maybe someday I will. If I have wine in several carboys, I blend them all together before bottling. The bottles all go into the same place in the same cellar at the same time.

Shrug. I'm probably not sophisticated enough to know. This is a good thing, as it keeps my mind at ease.

 

[olusteebus]

I like to age in the carbon because I find it extremely difficult to drink it out of a carboy. I think if I bottled real soon I may have the tendency to drink it too young.

 

[jswordy]

I like to age in the carbon because I find it extremely difficult to drink it out of a carboy. I think if I bottled real soon I may have the tendency to drink it too young.

Yep, per-zactly. That's why I make 10 gallon minimum batches now.

 

[roblloyd]

I like to bulk age so I can see what's happening with it. Like with the Ports I made I was able to taste it and see how it's coming along. Also if you want to make changes (more clearing, more oak, adding something else etc) it's a lot easier. Just make certain you keep up the SO2 levels.

 

[Schuster1]

Bulk age vs. bottle sounds like six of one or half a dozen. It's about personal preference. I was glad to hear that bottling as the instructions suggest is ok. That's what I have been doing Thanks for your suggestions and advise. Much appreciated. Schuster1

 

[mmadmikes1]

I bulk age in Corney kegs Reasons: I don't use Kmeta or Sorbate any more and if it start to re ferment, It fine, no worries. I can eliminate all O2 so I don't need to worry about oxidation while aging. The kegs are light proof so I dont have to worry about that. I releave the CO2 as wine naturally degasses by pulling the bleeder valve. By hooking up my party tap and CO2 tank I can taste whenever I want (DRINK) and see how it is coming along.

 

[JohnT]

I bulk age in Corney kegs Reasons: I don't use Kmeta or Sorbate any more and if it start to re ferment, It fine, no worries. I can eliminate all O2 so I don't need to worry about oxidation while aging. The kegs are light proof so I dont have to worry about that. I releave the CO2 as wine naturally degasses by pulling the bleeder valve. By hooking up my party tap and CO2 tank I can taste whenever I want (DRINK) and see how it is coming along.

I use corney kegs for champagne or soda. I am surprised that you can degass this way as the CO2 is held under pressure and then released. Most people have to either whisk or place wine under a vacume to degass.

 

[Boatboy24]

In theory, I prefer the idea of bulk aging, as it allows you to adjust and, to some degree, keeps you from dipping into your stash before it's really ready. But more bulk aging means more carboys - and they take up a lot of space. I think I've found my sweet spot that allows me to make what I need and get it into bottles in a reasonable time, without having 30 carboys stashed all over the place. I still have more than I thought I would when I started. I'm up to 4-6 gallon, 3-5 gallon, 2-3 gallon and 4-1 gallon. Getting the Vadai barrel helps. One more storage vessel without having to say I have another carboy.

 

[tonyt]

Assuming you are making kits, my answer is to bottle your first batch so you can enjoy your efforts. Bulk age thereafter an ever increasing amount until you get to 9 to 12 months. So you could bulk age your second batch three months them your third batch 6 or more. By then maybe you have enough stored up to go longer. This also depends on how many batches you can age at the same time. This also depends on your consumption. I keep 8 batches going at all times and can't yet keep up.

 

[vernsgal]

I just popped in to the Wine Experts today to pick up another carboy. She tried to sell me a Better Bottle,instead of glass.I told her I prefer the glass because it leaves me with the option of bulk aging. She said ,and I quote "you should never bulk age in any thing.(glass or plastic) That if you're wanting to degass well before bottling ,to warm it to 75 for a few days,then bottle. She said the bungs don't work properly because of the v shape fitting in the carboy." I walked away thinking she was nuts, since I have never read nor heard anything like this before. Anything to this? Or is it just as NoSnob said,"that kit companys just want you to bottle sooner?

 

[tonyt]

The quicker you bottle the quicker you buy another kit. You should report her to a supervisor. She should read tim v's articles on the subject. This should be posted at winepress forum so he will see it.

 

[Dugger]

If I recall correctly an article he wrote, Tim actually advocates what the lady at the store was saying about bungs not being a very effective oxygen barrier. I don't believe he is a fan of long term bulk aging in a carboy.

 

[Polarhug]

You would think that they would want you to produce a quality kit, and have a great tasting outcome... to entice you to purchase another. The more rushed you are the bigger chance for failure (imo).

I wonder what sort of science was even behind her opinion of no-bulk aging? Even oak barrels have headspace and oxygen exchange to some degree.

 

[vernsgal]

If I recall correctly an article he wrote, Tim actually advocates what the lady at the store was saying about bungs not being a very effective oxygen barrier. I don't believe he is a fan of long term bulk aging in a carboy.

It wasn't even for such a long term of bulk aging. When I said it would just be for probably 3-6 months she said that was too long.

 

[Dugger]

For the first 10 years or so I that I was making wine (from kits) I would bottle at the end of the 4-6 week period and everything was fine; these where mostly low to mid level kits. Then I started reading more about winemaking, joined this wine forum, getting better kits and following Tim V's 5-20-40-90 schedule and now I routinely age my wine in the carboy for 3-6 months (although I see I have one that's 11 months now that I need to bottle). I also stopped using the clearing agents and allow the wine to clarify on its own so it needs this extra carboy time.
However, I still feel better when it's in a bottle securely under closure and know it is now safe from a broken carboy or a dry airlock.
Tim has stated that a rubber bung is not nearly as safe as a cork for protecting wine from oxygen but he has also written articles about the benefits of leaving wine in the carboy for 3 months, maybe 6 months and in one instance up to a year. There is probably science out there somewhere that has looked at this but it is still a much debated subject. My personal goal is to carboy age about 6 months for kit wines.
I agree that the person at the store needs to be open to the benefits of thinking outside the kit direction guidelines; I wonder if she has been making wine and for how long. It is about learning and evolving.

 

[tonyt]

Here is a link to Tim V's article. Just remember we all tend to find our own methods, time lines and techniques. http://www.winemakermag.com/stories...5-kit-winemaking/459-make-your-kit-wine-shine

 

[vernsgal]

Thanks guys. I think I'll just keep doing things the way I've been doing. I bottle the kit wines when they say,and leave the others in the carboys for 3-6 months (unless I really need another carboy)