I am a newish wine maker and have made 2 gallons of rhubarb wine at the end of May this year,shown on the rear of the heater pad. My wife has made the front two in June this year. How long should I leave them before bottling. They seem to be clearing well but that won't mean they taste good. I will keep one for long term but want to try the other. 3 months or 6? Am I likely to regret being impatient?
When is too soon?
- Thread starter ludders
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wait unit they clear
This week I bottled the 2020 and started the 2021.
For me a guideline is that if it is under 9 months it automatically gets sorbate, at a year I back sweeten and expect no refermentation, ,,,, regrets,, , between 9 and 12 months usually
it does not referment
For me a guideline is that if it is under 9 months it automatically gets sorbate, at a year I back sweeten and expect no refermentation, ,,,, regrets,, , between 9 and 12 months usually
it does not referment
Yes, you will regret being impatient. 
As much as you want to bottle the wine, be patient. It will be worth it. Without using a fining agent, expect a minimum of 4 months for the wine to clear, and note that some wines may take longer. If there is any haze, DO NOT bottle.
It looks like yours is clearing, and you have nice color. Did you add pectic enzyme?
Once the wine is in the bottle, let it rest a minimum of 3 months.
As much as you want to bottle the wine, be patient. It will be worth it. Without using a fining agent, expect a minimum of 4 months for the wine to clear, and note that some wines may take longer. If there is any haze, DO NOT bottle.
It looks like yours is clearing, and you have nice color. Did you add pectic enzyme?
Once the wine is in the bottle, let it rest a minimum of 3 months.
OrchardRoad
Junior
You can chill it down in the fridge for a couple days- more yeast & stuff should sink to the bottom and you can rack it again. Taste it! Then you can add sparkelloid or similar to clarify the wine if you mostly like it, wait a week then rack again then bottle. Honestly, we're pretty impatient here at Orchard Road so we make half of our wines Danger Dave's Dragonsblood style so we can drink them right away. We do that so at least SOME of our wines have an opportunity to age to 2 years.
This is referred to as cold stabilization and cold crashing. It has the benefit/drawback that tartaric acid may precipitate as crystals.
The benefit is that it reduces acid in high-acid wines, with clearing as a nice side effect. The drawback is that if the wine is not high in acid, it can reduce the acid anyway, producing a flabby wine.
Yes I am impatient and want to try some. I like the look of the rhubarb and I did add pectic enzyme 24 hours before the yeast went in. I will kick my heels a bit longer. Thank you to all who have rep=sponded.Yes, you will regret being impatient.
As much as you want to bottle the wine, be patient. It will be worth it. Without using a fining agent, expect a minimum of 4 months for the wine to clear, and note that some wines may take longer. If there is any haze, DO NOT bottle.
It looks like yours is clearing, and you have nice color. Did you add pectic enzyme?
Once the wine is in the bottle, let it rest a minimum of 3 months.
John
