Beaverdale Rojo Tinto - 1st Kit

[Sharpyuk]

I would be scared of smashing the bottle with the pressure of pushing the cork in.. I wouldn't want to loose any of my precious wine lol

[mcblades]

i've used screw tops with a lever hand corker and a floor corker. no breakages yet and I've used them many times over. I wouldn't use a hammer/pusher type corker with any sort of bottle though.

[Cellar_Rat]

So now to bulk age for as long as I can before bottling. Hopefully bottle in October so that it has 2months in the bottle before Christmas - watch this space!

It will age better in a bottle with a cork in it, than it will in a DJ on with a rubber bung in it. Maturity needs oxygen, not stasis.

[Sharpyuk]

That's interesting, I thought they aged better in bulk due to the minimal temperature fluctuations etc..

Everywhere I've read it say to bulk age for as long as possible before bottling - although I assume that may be more for barrel ageing or something?

I could bottle them this weekend, think I've got about 28 bottles.. Just need to get a corking machine

[mcblades]

The only problem I find with ageing in bottles is that they are a very convenient size to open and drink and I have very poor self control!!

I tend to leave the DJ's and better bottles alone as they are "to my mind" unfinished. As soon as it's in a bottle the temptation begins

[ToulouseLePlot]

It will age better in a bottle with a cork in it, than it will in a DJ on with a rubber bung in it. Maturity needs oxygen, not stasis.

That's news. I had picked-up the chatter referred to that ageing in bulk (DJ + rubber stopper, or safety stopper) was somehow better. So does that mean non-cork enclosure wine does not improve? Do, for example, the tannins need oxygen to soften? And they get enough of it through the cork?

[oliver90owner]

ageing in bulk (DJ + rubber stopper, or safety stopper) was somehow better

As I see it there will be, as (nearly) always, a trade-off. Length of storage and maturity. White wines will need less maturing than reds as a general rule and most wines have a 'best before' date. While they do not exactly go out of date from a health point of view, they do go past their best and eventually may become undrinkable.

If you are going to drink all your thirty bottles from a kit in that 'peak 'window, then fine, if not some might be better stored in a way where it will pass the 'use-by date' at a later time to others of the same batch. Just another thing to consider when making your own?

I'm not sure how much of a problem 'corking spoilage' is these days with wine, nor the quality of all the corks on the market. Certainly don't get that with screw caps!

As we tend to drink more whites than reds (my wife has an aversion to reds) the two types will likely be stored using different strategies.

Do, for example, the tannins need oxygen to soften?

Again, not the expert on the finer points, but my impression was that tannins tend to drop out of red wine quite easily and do not redissolve so readily in storage and that reds are often better without those extra tannins.

Hopefully a guiding light from the experts on the forum might shine some on this topic? Especially as this thread is perhaps coming to a close, otherwise?

RAB

[SleepyDave]

I think it depends on the type of wine. A light fruity white with minimal tannins will probably keep its freshness better if kept well away from any air. So DJ with rubber bung and even screw top bottle might be better for these. But I am still trying to get a proper understanding of this whole area myself and am still treating my brews as "experimental" and trying to learn by comparing different batches. It's just such a problem having to drink all this wine!!!

[Richard S]

Don't worry about having to age a Beaverdale kit, just drink it

[Cellar_Rat]

As with everything there is a balance/right time. I'm not suggesting you rack the wine straight from the fermenter straight into a bottle.

You are right in what you say about temperature, however this can be minimised if you store all the bottles in a block.

Bulk ageing has its place, it allows thewine to se ttle, combine and to fine. But as with everything else there is a compromise, and wine matures best in a oxygen permeable environment.

Natural corks and oak barrels have been doing this for a long time. Air (or to be more precise the oxygen in the air) combines to have an effect on the tannins.
Making the wine smoother and rounder on the palate.

I had an horrendous inductive air leak on the outbound side of the pump, when racking couple of years ago. Instead of red wine returning to the tank, it looked like pink whippy ice cream. I was horrified, but there was nothing I could do. It has gone on to become an absolutely fantastic wine.


Winemaking is 60% Science, 30% Art, 10% Unknown, and 10% Maths.

[Sharpyuk]

Interesting comments from everyone, I'm not sure what to do now.. Tempting to bottle them as it sounds like the best option in terms of ageing them without having an oak barrel (which I'm certainly not planning to do)

I'm also in agreement that bottling them will add temptation to drink them before giving them enough time to age..

On the other hand if I'm doing a few fruit wines then I will hopefully drink these whilst waiting for these to age!

So I'm not sure what to do now lol

[lockwood1956]

Don't worry about having to age a Beaverdale kit, just drink it

I'm totally with Richard on this one, better at three months but then improvement is slight up to about a year, then not much improvement if any to be had after that point, bottle it and drink it!

Save some as long as you can, but most importantly, get another one on the go

regards
Bob

[lockwood1956]

In fact.......

Bottle it and bring some to my place on the 29th of this month (5 towns wine meeting)

bring a sleeping bag



regards
Bob

[Sharpyuk]

In fact.......

Bottle it and bring some to my place on the 29th of this month (5 towns wine meeting)

bring a sleeping bag



regards
Bob

Now that is a great idea!!! Appreciate the invite, I will certainly see what I can do..

There's also another benefit to bottling now - I can free up the carboy for another batch! I was going to buy another 2 better bottles, but I would probably get away with just buying 1.. The main reason for getting another is for racking, currently I've got to rack into my big fermenter and back again, which isn't ideal

[SiSandrine]

The main reason for getting another is for racking, currently I've got to rack into my big fermenter and back again, which isn't ideal

Racking into the big fermenter, cleaning out the better bottle and then back again doesn't do any harm if done carefully. I think buying more better bottles actually is a good excuse for buying more fermenters, for buying more better bottles etc. Always good to have spare capacity, especially if you venture near Bob's place. If not already, after a visit there you'll be in deeper than you can ever imagine.