Although still fermenting, I plan to bulk age this wine (MM All Juice Shiraz) in the carboy for 3 months before bottling. I know that sulphite solutions eventually lose theirstrength when exposed to air, so when bulk aging for 3 months is it better to pull the airlock and replace the sulphite at some interval (every month, after 6 weeks, ...) or just leave it alone? I don't want all the sulphite to dissipate and leave the wine unprotected, but I also don't want to unecessarily expose it to air. I've also read that some folks use vodka - would that have the same issue?What do you experts do?
Bulk aging and airlocks
- Thread starter Mark
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You are correct in that sulfite solution will lose it's effectiveness over time and removing the airlock to change the solution isn't an issue. I have used plain water for 6 months or more without any problems. Using vodka you just have to make sure it doesn't evaporate but adding vodka seems like a waste of good alcohol to me.
More importantly you need to add your extra 1/4 tsp of K-meta after bulk aging and before bottling to give you the most protection in storageafter thewine is in the bottle.
BTW: PeterZ and I will be conducting parallel testingof wine in a carboy under an airlock to help verify the amount of free SO2 that dissipates over time.
Edited by: masta
More importantly you need to add your extra 1/4 tsp of K-meta after bulk aging and before bottling to give you the most protection in storageafter thewine is in the bottle.
BTW: PeterZ and I will be conducting parallel testingof wine in a carboy under an airlock to help verify the amount of free SO2 that dissipates over time.
Edited by: masta
masta said:You are correct in that sulfite solution will lose it's effectiveness over time and removing the airlock to change the solution isn't an issue. I have used plain water for 6 months or more without any problems. Using vodka you just have to make sure it doesn't evaporate but adding vodka seems like a waste of good alcohol to me.
More importantly you need to add your extra 1/4 tsp of K-meta after bulk aging and before bottling to give you the most protection in storageafter thewine is in the bottle.
BTW: PeterZ and I will be conducting parallel testingof wine in a carboy under an airlock to help verify the amount of free SO2 that dissipates over time.
Interesting....I am about to rack a French Merlot to a Bulk Age Carboy and I was going to add the extra 1/4 tsp now, but I guess I should wait until I am done bulk aging in about 3 to 6 months?
Is there enough k-meta in there now to protect the wine during the bulk age process? I have a WE Selections kit where I just added the amount given in the kit 8 days ago and am ready to rack.
The info that was supplied by Mosti Mondiale to George a while back was that you need to add a 1/4 tsp after every 3 months of bulk aging. This isbecause the free SO2 will drop much faster with only an airlock unlike once it is in the bottle.
The testing we will be doing is to confirm this information.
Edited by: masta
The testing we will be doing is to confirm this information.
Edited by: masta
Thanks Masta! I look forward to your results, but it sounds like I don't need to worry too much about changing the solution.Think I'll change it at the 6 week point anyway since it sounds like it may not be necessary but won't hurt, either.
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masta said:You are correct in that sulfite solution will lose it's effectiveness over time and removing the airlock to change the solution isn't an issue. I have used plain water for 6 months or more without any problems. Using vodka you just have to make sure it doesn't evaporate but adding vodka seems like a waste of good alcohol to me.
More importantly you need to add your extra 1/4 tsp of K-meta after bulk aging and before bottling to give you the most protection in storageafter thewine is in the bottle.
BTW: PeterZ and I will be conducting parallel testingof wine in a carboy under an airlock to help verify the amount of free SO2 that dissipates over time.
Masta, Is that test in progress now? Any results yet?
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I was reading on another forum on bulk ageing in which it was stated and agreed on by several others that unless you bulk age in a oak barrel it is better to bottle and let it age in the bottle. something about micro oxygen through the barrel and cork helps with the ageing. the people on this forum obviously are way above my head when it comes to wine chemistry.
I use the caveman approach. Mmmh red water good me drink, Uggh red water bad, give to brother-in-law he drink anything.
Seriously I have always aged in carboys with a soild bung for several months before aging, but without the capibility to barrel age I am wondering if my wine is all it can be. one person wondered if putting a 3/8 inch oak dowel in a drilled bung and using that would allow a carboy to breath and possible oak the wing at the same time.
Along the same line do synthetic corks breath like natural ones, I ran into a deal on Nucorks a couple of years ago, .07 ea if I bought a case of 2000 so I have been using them
Any thoughts on this?
I use the caveman approach. Mmmh red water good me drink, Uggh red water bad, give to brother-in-law he drink anything.
Seriously I have always aged in carboys with a soild bung for several months before aging, but without the capibility to barrel age I am wondering if my wine is all it can be. one person wondered if putting a 3/8 inch oak dowel in a drilled bung and using that would allow a carboy to breath and possible oak the wing at the same time.
Along the same line do synthetic corks breath like natural ones, I ran into a deal on Nucorks a couple of years ago, .07 ea if I bought a case of 2000 so I have been using them
Any thoughts on this?
Im not familiar with the corks but as far as bulk aging goes - Bulk aging is good for making sure your wine is done dropping sediment. It is also much better for your wine to age ore consistently from bottle to bottle as the complexity of the wine is integrated more uniform. If you dont have the proper cellar conditins then bulk aging is way better the bottle agng as it takes a lot more to change the temp of 6 gallons vs. 750 ML. If you have good cellaring conditions the a little bulk aging is good for the clarity thig and then bottle age. I would not trust doing the oak dowel thing in the cork thing though!
Wade, If Im planning on filtering, should i do this before or after aging in the carboy? Can I filter after adding the k-meta then bottle, or will the filtering remove the k-meta.
I am currently getting close on my 1st batch of MM Masters Granbarollo, I was going to age 2-3 months in the carboy prior to bottling. I have a few ?? on that also
1.) Add k-meta prior to ageing
2.) Should I clearify after or before
3.) Is it worth ageing that short of time or go directly to the bottle.
thanks
I am currently getting close on my 1st batch of MM Masters Granbarollo, I was going to age 2-3 months in the carboy prior to bottling. I have a few ?? on that also
1.) Add k-meta prior to ageing
2.) Should I clearify after or before
3.) Is it worth ageing that short of time or go directly to the bottle.
thanks
