Drinking the new wine

[Vinmakare]

I'm on my first wine making endeavor and I often wonder... when is the best time to drink the new batch? I mean once it's bottled, how long do you let it age?

 

[dralarms]

It depends, I try to age mine at least 8 months. It's better after 12 to 15 months though.

 

[ceeaton]

Ask three wine makers that question and you'll get nine different answers.

Depends on quite a few variables. What did you make the wine from? Fresh grapes, a kit, a juice bucket, a juice bucket with added grapes, concentrates from the grocery store, fresh fruit, etc, etc, etc. Did you oak it, add extra tannins, are you letting it clear on its own or adding clarifiers?

Easiest answer I've found, and I've only been making wine for a little over a year, is when I bottle a batch, I try to bottle a few in smaller 375 ml bottles. Then I try one every few months, and when it tastes good to me, it's time to drink and share it.

 

[TonyR]

Depends on the type of wine. I have always gone with Whites are better if they are drunk young, Make it in the fall drink it in the spring and summer. Reds should be aged at a minimum of one year and much better 3 or 4. The darker the wine the longer to age.

 

[Vinmakare]

Great answers everyone. I didn't realize it would keep so long! I'm making a merlot from a pail of fresh juice. I heard home made didn't store as long, is that true?. Being my first batch I'll likely drink a little in a few months and keep the majority for longer. Guess it gets easier to wait once there's been a few batches made. I like the small bottle idea as well. Maybe that would be a good comprise between having some and keeping the majority. It's tough to wait the first one out! Time to make another I guess, ha ha!

 

[dralarms]

I've got a strawberry made before I understood what kmeta is and I opened a bottle yesterday and it's absolutely fantastic. And it had a cheap vsi cork on it.

 

[Arne]

From watching what people have written on this form, it is hard to give the wine some time to age before drinking it. The first batch is usually the worst. It was the same when I started and I think most of us have the same problem. So, I say wait for a while and try one. A while can be anything from shortly after bottling to a few weeks. Make sure you set a bottle or two back and let it age for at least a year. Now you can go ahead and enjoy one whenever you like. They should get better as they age. Start a new batch so you can be enjoying the old batch as you get some age on the new one. If you get a supply built up it will be easier to let some of them sit for a longer time. Have fun and good luck with your winemaking, Arne.

 

[Floandgary]

While experience is the best teacher, don't be too hasty to dismiss the wild ravings of them's of us who've "been there"!! You must first discover your own taste preference then work from there. Sample the better store-boughts (usually have a couple of years before they're released) and you may appreciate what time can do for a wine. From your posts, I'd bet you'll be offering advice as well before too long

 

[SPR]

I am also new to the wine making and started in July 2015. I got lots of,good advice for this forum and basically I have made around 18 kits all of the high end Winexpert, kenridge etc and am still making them at the rate of around 4 each month to build a large stock due to the ageing process
I have found that the Reds take much longer and I try them around every 3 months. Top tip here is if you can bulk age in carbouy as it stops you drinking and tasting it!
What I have done is started making half red and half white as the White is drinkable in a relatively short period of time and although I know it gets better with age for us new wine makers we just want to start drinking the stuff! I have made around 6 Winexpert Aust Chardonnay and it's good after as little as 2 months, better at 3 and if you can make it last much better after that

 

[DoctorCAD]

I have a Zin kit going right now that its directions state 2 to 3 years. Wouldnt have bought it if I knew that.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

1 week, if not good then 1 month, if not better then 6 months, if not better 1 year, if not better start another batch and forget about this one for a while WVMJ

 

[Vinmakare]

Thanks again everyone. Great feedback, I love it! A white batch may do me some good. I'm seriously going to have no wine to bottle by the time it happens. Every time I look at the carboy I think about trying it, ha ha. I think that it's very interesting drinking a wine that was made here at home. I can see why so many people are doing it. But, no matter how much I want to drink it, it would be a shame to burn through it and have no reserve.

 

[hounddawg]

my elderberry is 2 years in i'll age it before drinking another 8 years, my white I start drinking after 2 years,

Great answers everyone. I didn't realize it would keep so long! I'm making a merlot from a pail of fresh juice. I heard home made didn't store as long, is that true?. Being my first batch I'll likely drink a little in a few months and keep the majority for longer. Guess it gets easier to wait once there's been a few batches made. I like the small bottle idea as well. Maybe that would be a good comprise between having some and keeping the majority. It's tough to wait the first one out! Time to make another I guess, ha ha!

 

[Vinmakare]

my elderberry is 2 years in i'll age it before drinking another 8 years, my white I start drinking after 2 years,

That's is very patient of you to wait so long. I hope that I can do the same some day. I'm very green to wine making so I'm very curious and less patient so far. I can learn a lot from you veterans.

 

[jayhkr]

I'm on my first wine making endeavor and I often wonder... when is the best time to drink the new batch?

In my opinion, the best time to drink it is when you're thirsty!

 

[hounddawg]

oh no my friend I am not a veteran wine maker, I grew up drinking 10y/o elderberry from old timers all of hum has all past better then ten years ago, I researched an browsed many forms, nun not really worth using, until I found this site, there is many master vintners, they not ony know how to make wine, they under stand the how's,, why's and so on, some are giants I believe with all my heart, and saints for the fact of they share their knowledge freely, and for me I have to do statin medicines whom's side effects both long and short term memories. they tell anything you need to know and where to buy equipment, kits, juice buckets, and all other supplies you need and the tell you where to buy quality supplies, in my heart I believe a better forum does not exist nor more willing men an women happy to teach you all you could ever hope to learn, I am only what has been given to me knowledge, and since every time I'm in either in ICU or SICU god bless momma after she reorganizes my stuff my notes end up end up in bags in storage, yet they kindly reinform all over again, I believe that most of the most talent ones are saints for their patience in helping one an all, when t coms to wine an/or country wines which I make from scratch I grow an pick my own to make my country wines, grapes they use to make wines and blends wines, I can not take any credit at all, but you have hit the jackpot by finding this forum,,, god bless you an yourn,,::
I can tell you this make white wines them can be drank much sooner then reds, when I go to ferment I do a double batch for whites, an a single batch, then I store the 1 batch nd the batch of red, that then gives me a batch of white very quickly while have plenty to age, at the moment being a newbie I only have 188 of reds and white just removed from bulk aging in carboys to allow excess gases to escape, after 2 years of aging and racking bout every mouth to get all gross leas . so when I bottle I add sorbet to stop a refrementing in order to keep your wine bottle from exploding,,,,,,
best of luck to you an may god bless you an yourn,,,,
Richard, (HOUND DAWG)

 

[JohnT]

Thanks again everyone. Great feedback, I love it! A white batch may do me some good. I'm seriously going to have no wine to bottle by the time it happens. Every time I look at the carboy I think about trying it, ha ha. I think that it's very interesting drinking a wine that was made here at home. I can see why so many people are doing it. But, no matter how much I want to drink it, it would be a shame to burn through it and have no reserve.

OHHHH NOOOO!!!! I have to warn you!! Be careful and resist your urges!

One of my very first batches of wine was ruined because I just could not stop tasting it. I just kept opening up that carboy to take a little taste.

Each time I opened that carboy, I exposed the wine to fresh air. Every taste I took increased the amount of headspace in the jug. In no time, my wine was oxidized and undrinkable.

I was raised Catholic, and the Nuns always had great techniques for resisting urges. Here are a few suggestions that might help you when you have the urge to open that carboy..

- get your spouse to beat you with a yard stick...
- Listen to a "fire and Brimstone" about the evils of impatience....
- have a sip of Welch's (that should kill your desire for wine to at least a week)
- take a cold shower.

.. But whatever you do, leave that wine sealed, topped up, and undisturbed until you have a real reason...

 

[Floandgary]

That's is very patient of you to wait so long. I hope that I can do the same some day. I'm very green to wine making so I'm very curious and less patient so far. I can learn a lot from you veterans.

As far as I know, there are none who were born veterans!!! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks

 

[Vinmakare]

Thank you all. I've learned so much already. No book can teach what you've all experienced.

 

[klutz]

I am new to this as well, and and not an experienced wine drinker, so I don't really know if I did well with my second batch. The first tasted like vinegar, and I found out the reason why. This second one tastes good with a bit of tang. My daughter-in-law says it tastes a bit like ice wine or a dessert wine, but not as sweet as that. I don't even know the name of my grapes, but they are white. I added a few handfuls from my 3 year old dark red grapevine (don't know the name of that one either), which gave the wine a pink color. The wine is now 3 months old, and I wonder if that tangy flavor will mellow or if it's supposed to be there? I am attaching a picture. Hope you can see it and give your opinion. Thanks.
PS, I also wonder if anyone here has made something called "cherry bounce"