bulk aging

[rrawhide]

hi everyone

question - when bulk aging in the carboys do you leave the airlock on or replace it with a solid carboy cap? This is still wine so ----

also, when you rack off the oak after a min of 8 weeks do you add new oak cubes after that? The reason that I ask is that a commercial winemaker friend uses neutral barrels and adds oak chips for 2 months - racks into a clean barrel and adds more oak chips and lets sit for a year - - -

another commercial friend has a new barrel and a neutral barrel for each batch - lets them age for 1 year and then blends the barrels together for a rather good taste. wonder if we could do that with our 6 gallon carboys - add oak to one for 6 months and none in the other - then blend the two before bottling - anybody ever done this?

thanx for all your advice - - -

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

rrawhide

Edited by: rrawhide

 

[grapeman]

First off, most leave an airlock on to bulk age. It allows for the trapped gasses to eacape over time degassing it easier. It also allows for air pressure changes without worry about popping out the solid bung. Make sure to keep the airlock filled with your liquid of choice.


As far as oak- it is all personnal preference. I would think leaving oak in for 6 months would be unnecessary. Full extraction shoul take place after about 2 months and leaving the oak in beyond that will impart no more oak into it. You could certainly mix two carboys if you felt the need, but when doing small batches just oak each to taste. When oaking in a neutral barrel, remember you are oaking about 50-60 gallons- 10 times the amount of a carboy. I suspect that is why the extra time and oak is needed.


PS- I like your Christmas Avatar.

 

[Rocky_Top]

rrawhide, Back in the old days, They would char the inside of the barrel to seal the barrel it was just part of barrel building. After the barrel had been used a few times the flavor of the barrel could no longer be tasted. They liked the barrel flavor so good wine came in new barrels. The Scottsman bought used sheribarrels to make scotch in because they were cheep. Now good scotch is made in used sheri barrels.Edited by: Rocky Top

 

[AlFulchino]

wines are continued in barrels after reaching the desired oak affect for aging obviously...but also for micro-oxygenation...something you cannot get in a stainless tank, but can get in a flex-tank