juice buckets

[outbackmac]

After bottling wine from juice buckets, what is the shelf life of the wine?

 

[salcoco]

assuming white wine it is good for a year but best used before then. for reds aging a couple of years should work. this is also assuming you followed proper so2 protocals.

 

[Roberto7]

Like salcoco said, the most important factor is to follow the so2 protocols properly.

 

[outbackmac]

so2

please explain

 

[JDC]

They are referencing the amount of free SO2 levels in your wine. To do that properly you have to know the Ph of your wine and have an SO2 test kit. At the base level you should be sulfiting before bottling and/or while bulk aging. there are many factors though that impact how long your wine will last SO2, alcohol %, Tannins, quality of cork used, conditions of storage (temp/humidity)....and expectations. I have kept whites from kits over 2.5 years, reds to 4 years, I have some from my own concord vines from 2009 still in the bottle. I opened one of them last week it was still good (met my expectations!)

 

[salcoco]

a good seat of the pants quantity is 1/4 tsp of potassium metabisulfite im powder form per five galloons of wine. add after fermenting and racking after three days. again after three months and then before bottling.