Hello all, From what I have read over the last 6-8 months of doing this is that once the wine has been made you have 2 options, bulk age or bottle age. I also know that cooler temps in the storage room slows the aging and creates a better product in the end. My cold room this summer wasn't all that cold, between 66 to 68 F. This fall I imagine it will drop but in the mean time I could take it to my fathers but I would then have to bottle the wine and I would prefer to keep it in the carboy a little longer its only been a few months. Would u guys bottle the wine and move it to a cooler spot or wait another month for the temps to drop?
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- Thread starter TommBomb
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Arne
Senior Member
Personally, I would just let it sit. Temps. will be going down shortly if they havn't started already. Good luck with it, Arne.
olusteebus
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I would just leave it where it is. those temps are not bad at all. Big swings in temp are bad.
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Tommbomb,
You also have a third option.. Throw a party and drink it now!
I agree with arne. if 68 is the high point, and temps are going down anyway, then I would leave it where it is.
The question you need to ask is this.. Just how long will I be saving this wine? For a short periods, say a couple of years, I believe that you wine will be just fine. If you plan to save some of it for a long time, then simply wait until you would normally bottle it and then take those bottles to you fathers.
A well made, chemically balanced wine is very forgiving, stop worrying and start sippin!
You also have a third option.. Throw a party and drink it now!
I agree with arne. if 68 is the high point, and temps are going down anyway, then I would leave it where it is.
The question you need to ask is this.. Just how long will I be saving this wine? For a short periods, say a couple of years, I believe that you wine will be just fine. If you plan to save some of it for a long time, then simply wait until you would normally bottle it and then take those bottles to you fathers.
A well made, chemically balanced wine is very forgiving, stop worrying and start sippin!
You should always do a proper bulk aging in order to not only allow the flavor to come forward, but to be sure the wine is properly cleared so that you are removing as many yeast cells as possible. This is especially important when backsweetening and needing to add sorbate. Sorbate can only prevent refermentation when there are only a few yeast cells present in the wine. If you sorbate a wine that is not completely clear, there are so many yeast cells present that it overwhelms the sorbate, and you have a slow refermentation going on in the bottles.
Additionally, there is "clear" and then there is "clear." Wines contain many micro-sediments---potassium tartrates, proteins, sometimes dirt. You need to allow enough time in bulk aging for these to fall out. This is why some people complain about their wines clouding back up after bottling when they refrigerate. It's because enough time was not allowed for the wine to completely clear.
Many new people on this forum bottle WAY too early. Winemaking is an act of patience. You are far better off learning the importance of what is going on in that carboy when you bulk age for 9 months to 1 year.
Additionally, there is "clear" and then there is "clear." Wines contain many micro-sediments---potassium tartrates, proteins, sometimes dirt. You need to allow enough time in bulk aging for these to fall out. This is why some people complain about their wines clouding back up after bottling when they refrigerate. It's because enough time was not allowed for the wine to completely clear.
Many new people on this forum bottle WAY too early. Winemaking is an act of patience. You are far better off learning the importance of what is going on in that carboy when you bulk age for 9 months to 1 year.
