peach wine lengths

[mersydo]

got s.g. down to .990 in about 18 days for peach wine--is that normal or too fast? also, how long after reaching that point before bottling? and lastly-how long can i store peach wine before drinking ( told a 14 year old niece that helped me with the process i would put her name on a bottle for when she turns 21-is that too long a time ? )?

 

[Sacalait]

The time (18 days) to reach .990 is about right. You can bottle when ever you think it has cleared enough just be sure to add sulfite and sorbate if you plan to back sweeten. The time line on storage largely depends on the sulfite level. One camden tablet per gallon will bring the sulfite to 50ppm which is what most wine makers shoot for but I've read that some vintners use 100ppm to extend the shelf life.

 

[mersydo]

filling bottles

i'm about ready to transfer my first batch of peach wine into bottles. how full do i fill the bottles? can you leave the last bottle 1/2 filled if that is what you end up with? i added camden tablets as per the recipe when i started, but have read if you want to keep the wine for longer periods ( i'm hoping 7 years for this peach wine ) you should have more camden. can i add this extra camden just before bottling or is it too late?

 

[BettyJ]

Peach wine sounds delish! I use a lot of mango (which reminds me of peaches and I am a Georgia girl) in my wines and usually blend it with other fruits, but if it is heavy on mango ratio, I follow the peach recipes as a guide. I live in Belize now, so peaches are out for me

I didn't think that fruit wine should age this long, but I will leave that question for the experts. Maybe if it is stored in a very cool temperature?

Wouldn't fill a bottle 1/2 full and cork - the wine will surely oxidize in the bottle. If you have a vacu vin (?spelling) to pull out the air, this would work for short term. Or just use a smaller bottle I will sometimes use a glass soda bottle and cork it. This is a great way of sampling later to check progress without using an entire bottle. Or you could just use the leftover wine for cooking or drinking now if the taste is good. I am always on the lookout for odd sized bottles since they are great for topping up other batches as well.

I usually fill my bottles just beyond the neck (but not touching the cork) as this seems to be the target used for commercial wines.

What size batch did you make? Are you planning on another?

 

[Wade E]

You can add sulfite at any time just make sure it is properly dissolved in water or wine firts before adding it to your batch. 7 years is a long time for a fruit wine and not recommended as there is usually not enough tannins to keep this kind of wine from going south.

 

[Tom]

Yea Wade's right. fruit wine will not last that long. Why not wait till she's 18? 4 years for a fruit wine should be OK. I'm sure most 18 year olds even today have had beer or wine. As long as you do this in your home .. no problems. Check with her parents.

 

[Wade E]

Dont get me wrong, the wine will not be bad but it will be way past its prime and not tase as good as it did when it was about 8 months to a year old. It actually could be bad at that point depending on how it is stored, if you have a good cellar then it will probably be fine if good corks were used also.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

peach just won't make it that long. i would not wait that long. now 4 years would work. it might still be good, if taken care of. are you hand corking or italian floor corker, corking it? the bigger the cork you can get in there the better. lol

keep it cool and keep it out of light and you should be fine for 4. 8, eh, probably not worth it trying.

 

[arcticsid]

I thought I heard fill the botles about 1/4" below the seated cork.