Longest time your wine has been left before bottling?

[BrewDan]

Well I have just remembered that I have a demijohn of selection international Australian Chardonnay to bottle. Looking at the note I left with it, it had been racked etc and was ready to bottle on 28/04/12, its sat in a dark enviroment at a steady temperature ever since... so I thought I would get some empty bottles filled up tonight. :thumb:

I was just wondering what the longest time all you other wine makers have left things in demijohns for before bottling? This is the second time I have made this kit, it will be interesting to see if bulk aging has made any difference to the final product :hmm:

Cheers :

 

[bobsbeer]

I always bulk age. Although age is a relative thing in our house. 6 months seems to be a good target for us.

 

[BrewDan]

Have you ever compared a bulk aged wine to a non bulk aged version, if so have you noticed any difference? I wil get this lot bottled tonight and probably give a bottle a go in the summer time, I hope to keep the rest in bottles for at least a year...which reminds me, I really should get something else going!

Thanks for the reply

 

[Moley]

I was just wondering what the longest time all you other wine makers have left things in demijohns for before bottling?

About 2 years, but then I only returned to the hobby in March '09.

Quite often, let us suppose I've started 6 gallons of mixed red fruits wine in one of those large screw topped fermenters, I will rack to 15 litre PETs and/or an assortment of DJs. I might bottle a gallon after 6 months, then another gallon after a year, but most of it gets set to one side and forgotten about.

My bottles and my long-term DJs are all stored down the cellar where temperature fluctuations between day and night are almost non-existent and between Summer to Winter are no more than 4°C, so it makes damn all difference to my wines if they are bottled or left in bulk. If your storage temperatures do fluctuate then bulk is better.

 

[Sean_Mc]

I store my blackberry in bulk for over 12 months, purely a lazy approach. A thin layer is left behind in the 5ltr containers, but never had a problem

 

[BrewDan]

Mr Moley I long for the day I have my own cellar! and I must say, you are a patient man, either that or you have a lot brewing!

I don't think I will beat your bulk aging record by the sounds of it though, but it's nice to know it can be kept for long periods of time without any negative effect on the final product.

Thank's for the info :thumb:

 

[BrewDan]

I store my blackberry in bulk for over 12 months, purely a lazy approach. A thin layer is left behind in the 5ltr containers, but never had a problem

I must admit, part of the reason mine has been sat in the demijohn was down to being lazy, but I thought it would sound better if I said I had 'forgot' about it, blackberry wine sounds very nice, and maybe one for me to try myself this year

 

[Sean_Mc]

For me blackberry is the tops of country wines and fun getting the rest of the family to pick them

You have to leave it to age and condition for 9-12months, but worth the wait :thumb:

 

[Moley]

Mr Moley .... I must say, you are a patient man, either that or you have a lot brewing!

Check the signature block.

Just had a look down the cellar and found 1 gallon of rosehip and 3 gallons of mixed red fruits from September '09, so you can strike my previous post. Fetched a drinking straw and took a little slurp - pretty good, I think I'll bottle them at the weekend.

 

[BrewDan]

Wow 2009, that should be lovely!

And the blackberry wine will be on my list this year, I may make use of that carboy I picked up for £5!


EDIT: regarding Moleys signature block.... BLIMEY!! :shock: :shock:

 

[oldbloke]

I've got one that's still in its demi after nearly 18 months, coz every time I try a sample it's still rub, so no point wasting bottles.
Other than that I bottle as soon as fermenting's done, usually, though I have one now that's done but not clearing. It's had a couple of weeks so time to try a little extra pectolase.

 

[alanywiseman.]

Currently it is 7 months but I am hoping to keep my port in the DJ for 2 years before bottling.

 

[tonyhibbett]

My longest was an oversight. My second ever brew was made from the leftovers of the teapot. Once I had a gallon, I mixed it with sugar and yeast and fermented it. Not nice. So I stuffed the jar behind the immersion heater tank in the laundry cupboard and forgot about it.
10 years later, when they came to upgrade to gas-fired central heating, the jar was unearthed. At the time of tasting, I could only equate it with what I knew. Dry sherry. The brew had undergone long term maderisation. To this day, I have yet to taste a dry madeira (Sercial). It may even be a myth. An old friend of mine went to the island and was requested to find some but came back empty handed. If I was well connected, I could do one of those TV 'in search of' documentaries.
Anyway, the point being is that you could make a brew from doubtful ingredients, subject it to years of bad storage and come up with a unique toxic alcoholic substance which turned out to be so popular that the government of the day would slap a high duty on it to cash in on the craze! The rest is history.

 

[BrewDan]

My longest was an oversight. My second ever brew was made from the leftovers of the teapot. Once I had a gallon, I mixed it with sugar and yeast and fermented it. Not nice. So I stuffed the jar behind the immersion heater tank in the laundry cupboard and forgot about it.....
10 years later, when they came to upgrade to gas-fired central heating, the jar was unearthed....

:shock: That sounds very interesting, maybe we should all get a demijohn, stick god knows what in it, leave them somewhere for a few years, and post our findings at a later date.


I would have liked ot have given that a go, fermented tea ay! is there anything we wont try? :whistle: :

 

[tonyhibbett]

I have found that my white grape wines are at their best after 3 years and then start to decline.

 

[hedgerow pete]

a couple of two or three years

 

[Kirk]

2 DJ's that have 2009 on them, one blackberry one redcurrent.
3 or 4 that are 2010 but had a problem with the meads made than and looks like I avoided 2011 for some reason.
Late addition apple from last year which I will leave for a year or so.
It looks like it should be very good if left to itself.

 

[Brewtrog]

I was talking to a friend the other day, they said they had a demi-john full of beetroot wine from about 5-10 years ago, they couldn't quite remember off the top of their head, said they kept forgetting the stuff.

 

[BrewDan]

Beetroot wine, should that be allowed :sick: I love beetroot, but how would that work in a wine? Id give it a go, maybe 5+ years would make it drinkable :lol:

 

[Brewtrog]

Beetroot wine, should that be allowed :sick: I love beetroot, but how would that work in a wine? Id give it a go, maybe 5+ years would make it drinkable :lol:

From everything I've heard it doesn't work (Though supposedly it works very well as a gooseberry/beetroot mix). Why do you think it's been left for so long :lol: