Bulk aged wine in carboy

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Rhodesy
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Bulk aged wine in carboy

Post by Rhodesy » Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:27 pm

I am in the process of making a full bodied red I plan to bulk age for 6-12 months in a glass carboy under airlock. It is a premium kit wine which comes with its own stabiliser. Will this be enough to stave off oxygen or should I add anything additional such as potassium metabisulphite? The kits stabiliser I believe was sodium metabisulphite and potassium sorbate.

Any help/tips appreciated

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MarkA
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Re: Bulk aged wine in carboy

Post by MarkA » Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:40 pm

It'll be fine. I have bulk aged for months and years in demijohns without using any kind of additions and have had no problems. Keep an eye on the airlock and make sure it doesn't dry out (more in summer obviously) and after a while it might be worth racking again if it drops any sediment.

Rhodesy
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Re: Bulk aged wine in carboy

Post by Rhodesy » Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:51 pm

MarkA wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:40 pm
It'll be fine. I have bulk aged for months and years in demijohns without using any kind of additions and have had no problems. Keep an eye on the airlock and make sure it doesn't dry out (more in summer obviously) and after a while it might be worth racking again if it drops any sediment.
Thanks Mark. It will be in my garage which is joined to the house so keeps nice cellar temperatures (note 20c is summer here) save the odd bit of freak weather. That said I am in there daily so will keep an eye for that.

On a side note I degassed my first white tonight and I do worry that I introduced oxygen, I used the wine whip with the drill which created alot of foam so hoping I have not messed that. It was done in a wide neck wine fermenter though I plan to use it in the carboy next time

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MarkA
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Re: Bulk aged wine in carboy

Post by MarkA » Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:58 pm

To be honest I have only degassed a wine once and completely ruined it so will never again. Time and patience will do the same job :)

Rhodesy
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Re: Bulk aged wine in carboy

Post by Rhodesy » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:02 pm

MarkA wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:58 pm
To be honest I have only degassed a wine once and completely ruined it so will never again. Time and patience will do the same job :)
I was thinking that as I am going to bulk age this red thats not so much an issue. Did you add finings only when closer to bottling?

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MarkA
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Re: Bulk aged wine in carboy

Post by MarkA » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:14 pm

I think a decent length ferment and maturation gets rid of any CO2. I never add finings, sorry I'm not much help! :D By the way, my wine has never spoiled through age, always crystal clear (except for a couple that have been stubborn) and never fizzy or carbonated (except for a Rhubarb wine that went through a malolactic fermentation in the bottle and was delicious) so I've just never bothered adding anything and it's nice knowing it's natural.

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Re: Bulk aged wine in carboy

Post by Rhodesy » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:44 pm

MarkA wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:14 pm
I think a decent length ferment and maturation gets rid of any CO2. I never add finings, sorry I'm not much help! :D By the way, my wine has never spoiled through age, always crystal clear (except for a couple that have been stubborn) and never fizzy or carbonated (except for a Rhubarb wine that went through a malolactic fermentation in the bottle and was delicious) so I've just never bothered adding anything and it's nice knowing it's natural.
I am doing kits so not sure if that makes that much a difference? My plan in any case is to do some whites which can be drunk 'young' and build up a proper rotation of reds, this will take time but once bedded in should work well (I hope).

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Re: Bulk aged wine in carboy

Post by lord.president » Fri May 04, 2018 8:20 am

I’ve been making wine for years,l’d never heard of a degasser until one popped up on my eBay ‘others also bought’ last year. I rack after initial fermentation into another demi john,top upto neck with water,leave it in the house for another month or so and leave it in the garage. I make apple and bramble wine,so it’s wintered in the garage.Just keep an eye on the water level in airlock. Bottle at end of May just in time for the County Show!
Time and patience rewards!
Getting Carlisle United into the First Division,is possibly the greatest football achievement of all time-Bill Shankly

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