Have a couple more questions

[JohnM]

OK, I have 2 more questions for everyone. The first question is that I am seeing a lot of recipes that say "let rest on skins for 24 hours". Is this necessary and what is the benefit of doing this? The second question is when you transfer your wine from the secondary to oak barrels are there any additives that need to go in with the wine to preserve it while aging? Thanks in advance for your help!

Edit: I just thought of one more question. How many times is one good or how long is an oak barrel good for aging?

 

[robie]

OK, I have 2 more questions for everyone. The first question is that I am seeing a lot of recipes that say "let rest on skins for 24 hours". Is this necessary and what is the benefit of doing this? The second question is when you transfer your wine from the secondary to oak barrels are there any additives that need to go in with the wine to preserve it while aging? Thanks in advance for your help!

That's not very much information to go on, but I'll give my 2 cents worth.

Leaving the juice on the skins is likely for fresh grapes in order to get the color of the grapes skins into the juice (must). Almost all grape juice is clear; red wine gets its color from leaving the juice on the skins for some period of time, usually all during fermentation, rather than just 24 hours. Leaving the juice on the skins for only 24 hours could be for a rose wine.

Before aging starts, the wine must be protected from bacteria and other nasties. Sulfites are generally added for that protection right after fermentation is complete.

I recommend you go to our tutorial section and do some reading. This will give you a better idea about the process of making wine.

 

[robie]

Each time an oak barrel is used for aging a wine, it looses some of its ability to impart oak flavor. How quickly depends on the size of the barrel. As time passes, it will eventually loose all its ability to add oak flavor and become a "neutral" barrel.

Generally speaking, for small barrels at least, each time the barrel is used, it takes twice as long next time to impart the same oakiness as the previous time.

 

[JohnT]

Agree with the above, but I would add that "resting on the skins for 24 hours" is not an absolute. If really all depends on what you are shooting for. The longer you age on skins (maceration), the darker (and perhaps how much body) the wine will have.

As Robie said avove, most use an "open fermentation" (when the wine is fermenting fast and aggressively) for the first week or so. It is during this time that the wine is allowed to sit on the skins. Once the wine has fermented down, and it is time to transfer to a carboy, the skins are strained out and pressed.

 

[Boatboy24]

A note on barrels to answer your "How long is the barrel good" question. As mentioned above, the barrel eventually loses its ability to impart oak flavor and becomes neutral. This doesn't mean it's not good for aging, just that it doesn't give off oak flavor. You still get the benefits of microoxidation and concentration from barrel aging in a neutral barrel. If oak flavor is desired, you can add cubes or staves.

 

[robie]

A note on barrels to answer your "How long is the barrel good" question. As mentioned above, the barrel eventually loses its ability to impart oak flavor and becomes neutral. This doesn't mean it's not good for aging, just that it doesn't give off oak flavor. You still get the benefits of microoxidation and concentration from barrel aging in a neutral barrel. If oak flavor is desired, you can add cubes or staves.

I AGREE TOTALLY.
Because I use such small barrels (6-gallon), until the barrel becomes neutral and especially when the barrel is new, the time the wine can stay in the barrel is so short that very little micro-oxygenation (M.O.) or concentration has time to take place.

(The first batch of wine in a 6-gallon oak barrel will be fully oaked in 2 weeks or so. That is just not enough time for adequate M.O. or concentration, which takes several months.)

I really like it when a barrel becomes neutral, for some good reasons.
I can put the wine through a non-neutral barrel to get the oaking it needs, then move it to a neutral barrel for an extended time to get the benefits of M.O. and concentration. Or, I can just use the neutral barrel and add in my own oak chips/cubes and even layer the oak with different types of oak.

To me, because of the availability of very high quality oak chips/cube/staves, ..etc., the main benefit of the small oak barrel is in the M.O. and concentration it can provide.

Trust me when I tell you that some of the biggest disadvantages of kit wines - thin, little body, lack of M.O., can be overcome with an oak barrel. Buy an oak barrel or two, develop a good utilization barrel program, and you can produce some excellent wine from kits. If you can afford only one barrel, put each wine through it once; then as the barrel becomes neutral, put them through one more time. As a neutral, if properly cared for, a barrel can last many years.

If you make fresh/frozen grape wines, the barrel can make them turn out even better.

 

[Tyroneshoolace]

Robie, awesome response and it seems silly that I never really thought about cycling a bunch of wines through a new barrel twice in order to be able to spend some more time in the barrel for mo. Thanks for the insight!