WineXpert How long have they lasted?

[Slingshot]

How long have you let kit wines age without the extra K-meta at bottling? Has anyone had a kit wine go bad from sitting too long without the extra K-meta? I know mine probably won't last long enough to find out.

But, I bottled a Barolo without and wondered how long I could let it sit.

 

[Wade E]

I would imagine a year.

 

[Dean]

It all depends on wine type, PH level, alcohol by volume level, and type of cork used. Storage conditions play a big role too.

If the wine is highly acidic, or tannic, it can last YEARS, and sometimes even decades. Wines with higher alcohol (13.5% ABV and higher)will last much longer too.

Corks play a large role: 1.5" agglomerated corks are rated for about 1 year. 1.5" full corks are rated for 3 years. 1.75" can range from 2 years to 10 years depending on quality. George's FVW corks are reference grade, and I think are good for up to 7 years. At least from what I can tell from the pictures. Synthetic corks are rated for up to 5 years and beyond.

If your wines suffer from temperature fluxuations (Winter, spring, summer, fall) it will dramatically reduce the aging ability. Wines that are in constant temperatures throughout the year (1-2 degrees), will last much much longer.

k-meta assists the wine's ability to ward of oxidation, as oxygen will enter the wines eventually through the cork. When temps fluxuate, the wine will expand and contract, which causes the cork to breath more. The better the quality of the cork, the less oxygen penetrates. So you can see that it is all related. I've had some kit wines go over 8 years in my parents cold room, and those were just fine! Others have gone bad in 2 years.

 

[grapeman]

If you have any doubt you will consume the whole kit in a year or so, the little extra K-Meta added is cheap insurance against spoilage. This is especially true with the cheaper, lower alcohol kits, such as the Island Mist, etc. I recently dumped a bottle of Wildberry Shiraz that had a really off taste. The others the same age(same batch) taste fine, but the added K-Meta would have probably guarded that bottle. I think I would add it to be sure SlingShot.

 

[SIXTO]

So wait I have 9X1.5 agglomerated corks.. So your telling me I cannot or should not age my wine for more than one year????

 

[Dean]

So wait I have 9X1.5 agglomerated corks.. So your telling me I cannot or should not age my wine for more than one year????

That all depends on the quality of the corks as well. Tight weave agglomerated (Like George sells), last FAR longer than "big chunk" agglomerated. Chamfered edges can also play a role in how long they are good for.

But in short, most cork makers state that 1.5" agglomerated are good for up to 1 year. Of course they say that to cover their butts. I typically would not push past 2 years on a 1.5" cork if I wanted to be sure the wine would be okay.

Even a lot of commercial wines get re-corked every 5 years if they are bottle aging. Ports do not get recorked and often you will find that you cannot take the cork out nicely either.

 

[SIXTO]

so you can re-cork wine?? That wont ruin it??

 

[SIXTO]

I was planning on aging some of my wine for a few years...

 

[Wade E]

Then buy some really good corks just for thoser bottles and add the
extra sulfite since that will not harm anything. Just use the more
expensive corks on the ones you want to hold on to. I only use 1.75
corks because theyre not much more and you get that added security.

 

[SIXTO]

Well I did add sulphite as WE says.... So it is ok to recork the bottles??

 

[Wade E]

Sorry Sixto but we'll have to wait for Masta or someone else on this 1. Im guessing you already have them bottled huh!

 

[Dean]

It is okay to re-cork the bottles. If you take a cork out, and place a new one in, the exposure to oxygen is still quite minimal and will not cause harm. I'd say taste it after a year. Then taste again in 3 months. As soon as you see the wine start to slide, either re-cork or drink up!

Unless the kit is a special limited edition, or a barrel aged crushendo/grape pack/skins kit or a traditional wine made from grapes, I'd guess the agability to be 5-6 years or less. Most kits are not made tannic enough or hold enough acid or alcohol to become ageworthy.

I think you can luck out with a few bottles, but generally, 5 years is about the outset of kits. The ones that I knew went more than 5, were exeptional kits from a company called Wine Kitz that had horrible consistency problems years ago. One time you'd make a kit that was awesome, and another time the same kit would be thin and aweful. We lucked out on a few good kits. Most would start to show too much age around the 4 year mark.Edited by: Dean

 

[Slingshot]

Thanks for all the info. I see there are alot more factors than just the added sulfite. I was more curious to find out how many of youadd the extra sulfite and how many don't. I wanted to start another kit but, Ihave a Riesling about ready to be bottled and I'll need the bucket to mix in the sulfite. I'll just have practice being patient

.

 

[Waldo]

You are learning well grasshoper...patience is an indispensable tool in wine making.

 

[Wade E]

I add the extra sulfite!