Mosti Mondiale Bulk Aging - Carboy

[jashworth9372]

Glad to be on the forum...Been making various kits for a little over a year and have many questions. Pretty surprised, so far, at how good the first few batches have turned out.....My first question is,what is the benefit(s) of aging in a carboy longer than the recommended time inthe kit instructions?

 

[ibglowin]

First, Welcome to the FVW Forums. Glad you found us!

Alot of people bulk age for a whole host of reasons. Some people bulk age because it is believed that you have all your wine in one large container and not 30 small ones so it is all undergoing the exact same aging process, others like the fact that its easier to dampen large temperature swings with one large mass of liquid. Others are just being lazy and don't feel like bottling and just put it off for as long as they can.

Since it takes longer for reds to become drinkable it makes more sense to bulk age them but not so much for a white wine as they can be ready to go after about 3 months.

Just remember that if you decide to bulk age in your carboy, you need to add 1/4 tsp of K-Meta every 90 days as your sulfite levels will drop over time and this is what protects your wine from oxidizing or spoiling.

So you would add the K-Meta that came with the kit when you stabilize and clarify and then add another dose of K-Meta 90 days later if you bulk age. If you bottle after fining and stabilizing you would not add any additional K-Meta.

 

[jashworth9372]

Great info. Mike, thanks........just started a Masters - Barolo kit and think I'll try to bulk age it for a while....If I age it for a year, should it be ready to drink right away, or more aging required after bottling?

 

[Bartman]

John,
That is almost exactly the question I asked 6 months ago in the Polls sections. It depends primarily on your tastes and preferences, of course, but I bulk aged a Alljuice Barolo kit for 1 year, bottling it about two weeks ago, and plan on letting it age another six months in the bottle. Since I have 30 bottles, I expect I will still have a few left by the two-year mark.

You'd need to wait a few weeks after bottling regardless of the bulk aging time, but the views differ as to how long it takes for these wines to peak. Some suggest waiting 3 years or more, while most folks, I suspect, just don't want to wait that long to taste the fruit of their labors (like me). I generally drink (or give away) my wines within a year of bottling (with maybe a couple bottles that get "forgotten" on purpose to see how they age), so if I bulk age for six months (my standard procedure) then I know they all have some aging to them when I open the first bottles 1-2 months after bottling.

Welcome to the forums. Mike didn't mention one of the primary reasons I have heard for bulk aging - you will be far less tempted to taste-test the wines if they are in a carboy rather than a bottle. Cracking open a bottle is just too easy when you start growing impatient.

 

[ibglowin]

Each kit will be different as far as maturation and of course "drinkable" is a personal preference kind of thing. Most will be good at 12 mo and some can be even excellent. If you just remember to always open them early and then let them breath either in a decanter or pour off a glass and let it sit and the bottle for 30-60 min you will be rewarded for your patience.I just opened up my first AJ Sangiovese this weekend and after an hour it was still tasting kind of young but by 1.5 hours it was finally opened and excellent.

I am backwards from Bart as I find a Carboy with an airlock or stopper more tempting for tasting than a corked bottle. I can easily pull that airlock out and take an ounce or two out for tasting but I don't want to waste a whole bottle!

Also pick up a case of 375ml bottles and bottle a couple of splits with each kit. This way if your want to give that guy a try at say 10 months you only use a couple of glasses and not a whole bottle.

Bottom line, just think minimum 12 months on any high quality kit. Go buy enough commercial wine to tide you over so you won't be tempted. Collect the bottles for empties, buy more kits to fill the pipeline and keep you busy!

 

[v1rotate]

So you would add the K-Meta that came with the kit when you stabilize and clarify and then add another dose of K-Meta 90 days later if you bulk age. If you bottle after fining and stabilizing you would not add any additional K-Meta.

I have to differ here, Mike. From WE kit instructions:

Winexpert kits contain very low levels of sulphite compared to commercial wine. If you want to age your wine more than 6 months, you must add extra metabisulphite to prevent oxidation. Clean and sanitise a primary fermenter or carboy and rack the wine into it. Dissolve 1.5 grams (¼ teaspoon) of potassium metabisulphite powder in 125 ml (½ cup) cool water and gently stir it into wine. This extra sulphite will not affect flavour or early drinkability.

From the RJ Spagnols website referring to their Cellar Classic line:

3. If ageing past 6 months we suggest adding an extra 1/4 teaspoon of
sulphite to the Primary Fermenter to prevent premature oxidation of the
wine.

I always add an extra 1/4 tsp of KM when I bottle. The taste of the leftover wine on bottling day isn't affected by the addition and I doubt hardly anyone on this forum drinks the whole batch within 6 months. I notice that the Cellar Craft instructions don't mention the addition, but it is extra protection from oxidation and cheap insurance for your wine.

Cheers!

 

[v1rotate]

Glad to be on the forum...Been making various kits for a little over a year and have many questions. Pretty surprised, so far, at how good the first few batches have turned out.....My first question is,what is the benefit(s) of aging in a carboy longer than the recommended time inthe kit instructions?

Welcome to FVW! You might be interested in reading this article from Winemaker magazine awhile back:
<div ="entry-title">
<h3>Making Your Kit Wine Shine, Redeaux</h3>
Tim's advice is to bottle at 90 days, although I have seen a post from him saying that he has some wine which has been bulk aging between 1 and 2 years! Many forum members routinely bulk age 6 months to a year with good results. I usually bottle by day 90, partly because I need my carboys and am not allowed to buy any more

Bottom line, don't rush any of the steps in winemaking and enjoy the journey!

 

[Wade E]

I bulk age for the main reason of making sure all the gas in the wine has been expelled and also to make sure the wine has dropped all of its sediment out as even with using a fining agent it will continue to drop very fine lees over time. there is another theory too which involves tannin molecule chains that need to be formed over time to truly equal out so each individual bottle later will taste the same.

 

[Bartman]

I bulk age for the main reason of making sure all the gas in the wine has been expelled and also to make sure the wine has dropped all of its sediment out as even with using a fining agent it will continue to drop very fine lees over time. there is another theory too which involves tannin molecule chains that need to be formed over time to truly equal out so each individual bottle later will taste the same.

Right on, wade, I forgot that bulk aging for a few extra months reduces the chance of trapped gasses in your wine. Another excellent reason to bulk age - if you regularly bulk age for 6+ months, degassing becomes more of an afterthought.

 

[xanxer82]

bulk aging also allows for more gas to escape the wine if it wasn't totally degassed during stabilization. Also, more time allows for fine sediment to fall out of the wine.
Don't rush your wine into bottles. You'll benefit from waiting.
Even with filtering, your wine will drop more sediment if you do it too early. I know from experience.

 

[robie]

So you would add the K-Meta that came with the kit when you
stabilize and clarify and then add another dose of K-Meta 90 days later
if you bulk age. If you bottle after fining and stabilizing you would
not add any additional K-Meta.

I have to differ here, Mike. From WE kit instructions:

Winexpert
kits contain very low levels of sulphite compared to commercial wine.
If you want to age your wine more than 6 months, you must add extra
metabisulphite to prevent oxidation. Clean and sanitise a primary
fermenter or carboy and rack the wine into it. Dissolve 1.5 grams (¼
teaspoon) of potassium metabisulphite powder in 125 ml (½ cup) cool
water and gently stir it into wine. This extra sulphite will not affect
flavour or early drinkability.

I think Mike is saying much the same thing. You can add the 1/4
teaspoon right away and you are protected for six months. If you wait
90 days to add the 1/4 peaspoon, the initial W.E. dose will sustain and
protect the wine for 90 days. At 90 days you add 1/4 teaspoon, which
will protect the wine for another 90 days.Either way, you have added an additional 1/4 teaspoon and you are good for six months.



The bottom line is - if you bulk age, you need to either:

Specifically check PPM of SO2 every 90 days and dose accordingly.

or add 1/4 teaspoon every 90 days during bulk aging.



Adding 1/4 teaspoon is a standard practice that is adhered to by many all over the home wine making scene.

It is interesting that you add 1/4 teaspoon just before bottling. If that works for you, why not? We should each do what works for us, so I am not saying you are wrong. I personally would not arbitrarily add 1/4 teaspoon at bottling unless it had been 90 days since I last checked/added Kmeta or unless at bottling time I tested for SO2 levels and determined if the dose is needed.

 

[jashworth9372]

are the fine lees and sediment the same thing? I have noticed that if Ihave some leftover wine in a bottle, I see some small crystals the next day that seem to have fallen to the bottom of the bottle. Would bulk aging help to prevent this?

 

[Wade E]

Sediment and lees are the same some what as there are different points as to when they are deposited that differ. If what you are talking about with the crystals is from the refrigeration this might be what is called wine diamonds or Potassium bitartrate ( Cream of tartar) which is actually excessive acids in your wine falling out of suspension as they do this at cooler temps.

 

[mr_dicken]

Looking for a little info here and I will freely admit I am not experienced, or even the brighest... I am looking to add some Oak my MM all juice Malbec. I was hesitant to add much of the included oak during fermintation as my better half is not big on "Oaky" wine so I plan to use some French Oak spirals that are a light toast during a simi aging stage, if tha makes any sence. Any and all advise would be great, here is my plan:
I have just finished the clearing and have racked to a clean carboy. I now plan to susspend the spiral via dental floss in the carboy with a plan to let sit for upto six weeks or so depending on how the oak flavor goes. If the oak gets too stong I plan on removing the spiral sooner as my wife will not appriciate me over oaking it. Do I need to add and sulphites to the wine upon starting the process and should I plan on aging in the carboy longer after the oak is removed? Please remember I am new at this so be gentle...

 

[vcasey]

The spirals are great and using the dental floss is a great idea but I would not use the light oak. I would use a med or med + toast oak and just use 1 spiral. Check it every week or so until you get the level you want. Please remember using just 1 spiral it may take a bit longer for the oak to come through because you'll be using 1/2 the "usual" amount, but you can always add more - hard to remove.
BTW, I would not use the light oak because it leaves a different flavor profile and I've read where folks have ended up with a bit of a coconut background.

 

[kahaas56]

I like the ideal of bulk aging be knew to wine making I'm still a little confused on the steps when bulking aging. at the very beginning of Bulk aging do you add metabisulphite and sorbate. What about your clarifier when is that added?

My wine was a little short after being put into the secondary, do you top off right away too?

 

[Bartman]

You should add some metabisulfite (k-meta) after the wine has fully fermented (usually 2-4 weeks after pitching the yeast). If you intend to bulk age for 6 months or so, you would add 1/4 teaspoon of k-meta ~1 month after pitching the yeast, and then again midway (perhaps 1/8 teaspoon). Finally, before bottling you would add the k-meta supplied with the kit in a little packet, for a total of three doses (at most). I frequently only give it two doses, though some winemakers feel that is a little risky. If you are bulk-aging for 12 months or more, you would probably want to add another dose every four months of bulk-aging time.