Fresh Wine: 6 days in the Refrigerator makes a big difference

[cold]

For those of you interested in making wine fast, here is something I have observed.

Put your fresh wine into the refrigerator.

Days 1,2,3 and 4 change very little in taste, and then at day 5 or 6, CRASH! it suddenly tastes a whole lot better.

It is a dramatic, sudden change in only one day.

This is probably why they call it cold crashing.


The day to day change after the 'crash' is not noticeable to my taste buds.

But if you can leave it for a total of 21 days, you will notice quite a difference again from 'crashed' wine left for only a total of 7 days.

 

[Runningwolf]

Are you talking about red, white or both wines? Is this wine just bottled and how long was it aged? Are you talking about bottle shock?

 

[Larryh86GT]

I've noticed something like this myself and just thought it was me. I was thinking that my tastebuds were just getting around the wine (is that even English?) as I drank my daily glass (or 2) from the magnum it is in the fridge in. It just tasted better and better. The first day, eh - it's ok, next day - not bad, next day - hmm - not too shabby, next day - pretty good stuff, next day - wow I like this. Is it just me? Or could the wine improve in the fridge? I'm leaning towards it just being me.

Larry

 

[Torch404]

I seem to recall Luc talking about freezing wine improving the taste. Maybe he can chime in with more info.

 

[Torch404]

Luc put up a nifty index that makes it much easier to find his great info.
Here is what he says about freezing.
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2010/01/freeze-it.html

 

[Catfish]

Very cool. Who woulda thought? I'm trying to figure out if you could freeze a carboy and then bottle or would it oxidize.

 

[Peterock]

I'm new to wine making so take this with a grain of salt. I experienced similar results with my last years Merlot although I don't refrigerate. I'd open a bottle and let it breath for 10 or so min. and then drink. Not finishing it that day I'd have more the next day to find it opened up even more. Even the third day was even more complexed. After that well..........it never made it that far. So I decided to do a little test, long story short I found my wine to be better the more it was open to oxygen (to some extent, more is NOT better). I even went out and bought an aerator, wow what a difference. Note that the wine gets a little funky after being aerated and then keeping for a day or so. I'm a little unsure what you mean by "fresh" wine as I can understand it if it was never opened. You say it tastes better and better up to day 5. Are you sampling 5 different bottles? Are you reopening the same bottle for 5 days? Hope this helps.

Pete

 

[Catfish]

Luc, Have you did more experiments with the freezing?

 

[cold]

Bottle shock? Maybe. Still a newbie . . .

Are you talking about red, white or both wines? Is this wine just bottled and how long was it aged? Are you talking about bottle shock?

There was a previous topic on 'FAST WINES' .

I guess this is some observations on 'FAST AGING'

----------------------------------------

Q. Red or White?

A. Fruit wine. Apple, Plum, Banana, Pear


Q. Just bottled?

A. Yes.
Primary 10 days,
Secondary about 60 days until it cleared,
then into a bottle and right into the fridge for immediate consumption.


Q. Are you talking bottle shock?
I don't know. Probably. Maybe it degassed. Maybe the yeast all fell to the bottom. Maybe the cold did something. Just a newbie here.

---------------------------------------------------

I am just suggesting, that if you brewed something fast, so you can drink it fast, try leaving it in the fridge for a week before consuming.

And If you can, leave it in the fridge 3 weeks before consuming. It seems to get rid of most of the harshness.

Anything less than 5 days, doesn't seem to do a thing though!

 

[Catfish]

I was thinking about this earlier. I'm guessing this is why people cold stabilize when they are aging their wine? That has to be the same thing except it's not in bottles. Right?

 

[cold]

I'm guessing this is why people cold stabilize when they are aging their wine

Yep. I probably just rediscovered Cold stabilizing and Bottle Shock.

To make this science, I would need to have 2 bottles
- one at room temperature
- one in the fridge
And compare after a week.

I have put another batch in the fridge, but it was aging 4 months in a carboy so most of the harshness was already gone. I am curious if a week in the fridge will do anything to the remaining harshness. I should have left a bottle out at room temp, but too late.

If I had to make a wild guess as to a theory I would say there are two stages to aging wine:

Stage 1. Gets rid of the harsh leftovers from fermenting ie:, C02, yeast, sediment

Stage 2. are the slow chemical reactions that make the wine complex and really good and take a year or two to complete

Refrigeration / cold stabilization probably just speeds up stage 1. But, hey, this is just a weak theory at this point.

Luc's freezing experiments have me curious. Freezing will form ice crystals, which would burst stuff in the wine. Freezing could produce a different result than refrigerating. I would guess more flavor.

So next batch, 1 bottle at room temp, 1 bottle in the fridge and 1 bottle in the freezer.

 

[ibglowin]

Hmmmm

Don't see any way putting wine in the fridge would aid in getting rid of CO2. Thats exactly opposite of what we see in the real world. The colder your wine is the harder it is to get rid of CO2. The warmer, the easier it is.

 

[Runningwolf]

Mike is correct. I cold stabilize in the freezer and within minutes of pulling it out it starts bubbling like crazy as it warms up.

 

[AlFulchino]

interesting topic.....Mike, i wonder if the temp change affects the profile of the wine in such a manner that it somehow mimics or speeds up aging?

 

[ibglowin]

One things for sure putting it into a refrigerator is basically cold stabilization so your going to have the potential to drop some wine diamonds.

Tartaric acid is the most prominent acid in wine with the majority of the concentration present as potassium acid salt. During fermentation, these tartrates bind with the lees, pulp debris and precipitated tannins and pigments.

While there is some variance among grape varieties and wine regions, generally about half of the deposits are soluble in the alcoholic mixture of wine.

I would think this would definitely effect the flavor profile of the wine in a short amount of time.

 

[Jolly_Roger]

I seem to recall Luc talking about freezing wine improving the taste. Maybe he can chime in with more info.

Well I wonder if refreezing the elderberry would make it even better? If once helped it..........maybe 2 or 3 times will makem more difference.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Well I wonder if refreezing the elderberry would make it even better? If once helped it..........maybe 2 or 3 times will makem more difference.

Not sure - you are taking your bottled wine the extreme several times - it might not work as you are suspecting.

Cold Stabilization is the process of dropping acid out. It is not done to rid the wine of CO2.

Cold Stabilization will effect the taste as the acid crystals drop out - typically this is done with whites - since they are served at colder temps that reds.

 

[cold]

Clarification and Stabilization

One things for sure putting it into a refrigerator is basically cold stabilization so your going to have the potential to drop some wine diamonds.

Tartaric acid is the most prominent acid in wine with the majority of the concentration present as potassium acid salt.

Thanks for the push in the right direction! The light went on and I now understand enough to do some research

From Wikepedia Clarification and Stabilization of wine

Some of the materials that are removed from the must during clarification and stabilization include:

- dead yeast cells (lees),
- bacteria,
- tartrates,
- proteins,
- pectins,
- various tannins
- phenolic compounds,
- pieces of grape skins,
- pulp,
- stems and gums.

These processes may include:

- fining,
- filtration,
- centrifugation,
- flotation,
- refrigeration,
- barrel maturation,
- pasteurization
- and racking.

From wineinfo.com Cold Stabilization, Tartrate crystals and Wine

Usually the main stainless steel fermentation vessel for the wine has a cooling system on it.

After the fermentation is complete, that vessel is plunged to near-freezing for 3 to 4 days to force the crystals to form.

The crystals stick to the sides of the vessel, and when the wine is then removed, the crystals remain behind. Some winemakers argue that a portion of the flavor and uniqueness of the wine remains behind as well.