How long can I let my wine age in the bottle?

[jbertoletti]

I've been making wine from grapes since 2011. I add Camden and yeast, but that is about it other than oak chips. I let it sit in the demijohn's for almost a full year before bottling, and rack around 4 times during the year. I don't add anything before bottling.

I have Shiraz, Cabernet, and Chardonnay in the cellar. The reds have been good on bottling day. I have recently tasted the Cab from 2012, and it's very good. The white has a slight off taste that I can't figure out, and I do not make that much of it.

My question is about how long these bottles can age before going bad. I am happy to let them age for several years, but I don't want to end up with several gallons of bad wine before I can enjoy it.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks:

Jon

 

[Tovis]

What size corks do you use? Are the airlocks always full? Are the wine bottles stored at a constant temp and humidity? Are they stored on the sides so the cork stays wet to prevent drying? What type of corks do you use? Do you sanitize those? How much sediment and for how long is on the bottom of the carboy before you rack it off. Are the bottles new or used, how do you clean them?

 

[jbertoletti]

I use synthetic corks, and I use a mix of old and new bottles. I clean the bottles with the powder cleaner from the wine store, and then I sanitize the bottles and corks with the starsan. I store the bottles upright in my basement at a fairly constant temperature. It varies a little due to the seasons, but not much. I'm not sure of cork size, but they are the only ones they have at the brew store, so I think they are a standard size. I get a good seal, and I do not try to reuse corks.

I do a good job of keeping the airlocks full, and rack according to the Jeff Cox Vines to Wines book. I rack more often at the start, then every few months towards the end. I very rarely have sediment in my bottles, I've only run in to one so far.

 

[Tovis]

I was told the larger the cork the better the seal for aging. I have to use a floor corker with mine that are 9s I think. Does it say the diameter on the package?

 

[jbertoletti]

I will check the package when I get home. I use the handheld corker. How long do you let your wine age in the bottle?

 

[Tovis]

I am testing that now actually. I made sure to get large corks. I am not sure you would be able to use these corks with a hand corker.

I am about at a year for aging.

 

[wpt-me]

You may want to lay those bottles on their sides, so the corks
keep wet and not dry out.

Bill

 

[Tovis]

I was wondering that, is it also true for synthetic?

 

[jbertoletti]

From what I have read, you don't have to do that for the synthetic corks. I've had some bottles for three years, and have not seen any evidence of the synthetic corks drying out.

 

[wpt-me]

My apology, I missed the synthetic corks part.

Bill

 

[Floandgary]

You have to believe that there is still to this day a cache of 100 +yr old something waiting to be discovered. Every now and again you'll hear about some ancient Greek vessels found with contents in good shape. But as a side note, if you read up on wine making (especially homemade) you'll see that @95% are meant to be consumed within a few years of sale or bottling. Enjoy!!

 

[Tovis]

I have noticed with my fruit wines age has provided a favor to them. Folks at the store told me not to age and that fruit wines are better right away. I want to try a few of these after 5 or so years especially blackberry port and blueberry port.

I wonder if a wax dip might help you if you are not able to put in larger corks.

 

[terroirdejeroir]

I am still learning about this myself. It seems like the profile of the wine determines how long it should/can age. Reds with higher tannin levels will age for much longer than other reds. I believe more acidic wines can age longer than ones with higher pH. Finally, higher alcohol wines are more volatile than lower alcohol ones with 14% or above being considered high, with the exception being wines that have been sweetened like ports.

Ports are probably the longest aging wines, followed by heavy reds like Cab, Syrah and not so long for Pinot Noir and other less tannic grapes.

 

[Dhaynes]

My wife & I have only been making wine for the last 2-1/2 years so I don't have a lot of first hand experience at long term aging. We still have a few bottles left of some of our first kits and haven't noticed any deterioration yet. The main considerations seem to be the type of wine, cellar conditions and quality of cork. I think I remember reading in an article by Tim V. that with the environmental conditions in the average home 2-3 years is about what you can expect but with tightly controlled cellar conditions and a high quality cork 10 years is possible.

The impact of the cork type is something I'm still trying to figure out. There are 3 grades of natural corks 1) inexpensive amalgamated made of bits of cork glued together 2) middle grade consisting of an amalgamated body with solid cork disk on each end. These are the high quality most LHBS carry. 3) Solid corks, typically only available to wineries. The #1 have a life expectancy of maybe 2-3 years. #2 are like 4-5. #3 10 years or more. All of this is assuming you cork moist. The synthetic corks last pretty much forever but not necessarily the wine they protect. All corks allow a tiny bit of air to pass that is part of the aging process. With a natural cork the amount of air they let pass decreases over time so they allow the wine to age faster at first and then slow down the aging later. With a synthetic cork the amount of air that they will let pass never slows down. As a result the wine will age faster after a few years with a synthetic cork. The synthetic cork manufacturers have been working on this and supposedly the newer ones are better. For long term storage a metal cap with a plastic seal that doesn't allow any air to pass is best.

 

[JohnT]

Just to weigh in here..

Although I applaud your restraint in not adding anything, I would warn you that PH and Acid level are very important if you want to age your wine for several years.

Acid is very important, especially in white wines. A high PH/Low acid wine is very vulnerable to oxidation (which may explain the "off" flavor of your chardonnay). For low acid wines, most will compensate by raising the amount of k-meta added to the wine.

To compound the problem, you are using synthetic corks, which allows a higher level of micro oxidation while aging in the bottle. As a result, wine that has been sealed using a synthetic cork should be consumed within 3 to 6 years (depending on the type of synthetic you are using).

IMHO, I would work my way through the wine within 2 years, purchase a PH meter, and switch back to natural cork (if you want to age more than 2 years).

 

[richmke]

To compound the problem, you are using synthetic corks, which allows a higher level of micro oxidation while aging in the bottle.

Depends upon the cork. Nomacorc makes corks that are more airtight than natural cork. I believe the stuff they sell to the public are designed to have the same air permeability as high quality natural corks.

There are 3 grades of natural corks 1) inexpensive amalgamated made of bits of cork glued together ... The #1 have a life expectancy of maybe 2-3 years.

I can tell you from experience that 1 year is pushing it with inexpensive corks. Great for early drinkers, but that's about it.

I'm not sure of cork size, but they are the only ones they have at the brew store, so I think they are a standard size.

You want #9 corks (not #8). If they are synthetic, then likely they are #9. Only cheap corks come in #8.

IMHO, I would expect Nomacorc to last up to 10 years. #1 Grade (top grade) natural corks are supposed to last 10-20 years, but I would not trust that. In any case, I would open a bottle each year, and if it starts to plateau, then start enjoying what you have left.

 

[jbertoletti]

Thanks for all of the advice. I think I need to do a little more reading and purchase a ph meter. I just opened a bottle of the 2012 chardonnay, and it was really good, the off flavors were gone. I think I'm going to drink what I have while I know it's good, then look into plans for aging future batches longer.