# WINE AGING SUPPORT GROUP



## NorthernWinos (Dec 15, 2007)

A little over a year ago I started putting cases of each batch of our fruit wines away to age....thinking I would open the cases in a year. 


I kind of failed...due to demand for consumption about the middle of the year I figured 6 months againg would suffice...so began opening some cases to stock the racks. I have managed to have 6 cases of wine that are a year or near a year old...plus some newer additions to the stock pile....Some cases of wines weren't in the stockpile of boxes for very long and were shook out and racked pretty quickly.


Yesterday I sorted and rearranged the racksand openedtwo 1year old cases of wines...It was a good feeling to have met my goal on those few bottles....


I guess if we all want to seriously age our wines we have to ...
1- Make more wines continuously
2- Have a very large storage area [I use one side of the spare bedroom...how tacky is that?
3- Have someone else hide them for you
4- Call on all you members for support...this aging of wine is the toughest part of wine making.*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## joeswine (Dec 15, 2007)

I made big batches at first this gave me wine to age and wine to drink shortly,but with the advent of being able to get itialian,chilean and california wine all year long makeing 6 gallon batchs became the way then the fruit wines entered the picture and sparkling wines and drinking with our wine club and better planning on what I needed as opposed to just making became a better way for me,this way I have whites and some reds ageing {barbara 2003} and wine to drink,fruit wines don"t seam to last to long so blackberry,rassberry and plum wine our on my yearly agenda,sparkling wines are starting to take hold,with them finding balance in inventory isn"t to bad,planning is the key,it does work.


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## JWMINNESOTA (Dec 15, 2007)

When I started in Feb I figured it would be easy to get a year age on a few wines....by June I realized I would have to make more..and more. While I will have some by Feb with a year, I see now I should of started then at a little higher production rate, not that we drink that many, but they make easy convenient and well received gifts also. Next winter will be the real payoff it looks, if I can stay out of them and the wife doesn't give them away faster then she does now!


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## Cracked Cork (Dec 15, 2007)

NW, I forgot the mention that I have started a wine storage service for free, just send a few cases of your best wine and we will keep it for several years for you, that way you wont be tempted to drink it before it ages. We provide testing services to advise you one when the best time to drink it will be. Most of our clients seem to be making wine that wont be perfect for at least another 20 years  Crackedcork


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## joeswine (Dec 16, 2007)

and if crackcork runs out of space and your finess has to be cared for southern new jersey's wine storage and drinkage system is availble a 24 hr. service, non profit org,.



address upon request


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## NorthernWinos (Dec 16, 2007)

Thanks Guys...it could come to that....send it out for aging and storage...and...it would come back with an approval rating as well.


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## jobe05 (Dec 16, 2007)

Northern Winos said:


> ...and...it would come back with an approval rating as well.



Do you want your corks back with that also.......





I have one major are that use for storage of most my wines. In that storage area, I take several bottles of each batch and put them on the bottom shelf. I also but a couple of bottles on another rack upstairs, and a couple more on another rack that is in a spare bedroom downstairs (so it might be tacky NW, but everyone does it). By hiding a few bottles everywhere, there are out of sight and out of mind.

I had a bottle of Blackberry that was 2 years old and I'll tell ya, I will never drink another bottle much before 2 years old, it's well worth the wait.


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## joeswine (Dec 16, 2007)

having to much can be a problem


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## NorthernWinos (Dec 16, 2007)

joeswine said:


> having to much can be a problem




How much is too much????? Do you have Cellar-Overflow????


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## jobe05 (Dec 16, 2007)

Having to much as in to many empty bottles is my problem. All together I have over 85 cases of different types of bottles that are empty......... 

Having the bottles creates a storage problem............... 

Having them empty creates an ego problem............


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## James (Dec 17, 2007)

My name is James and I have a problem. Most of the questions I've posted on this forum have been about kit wine and how to make it better, what ever it takes. then what did i do?I drank ever thing I made before it was six months old. I'm weak. 


But I've turned over a new leaf and I'm aging at least a year. This support group is a good idea.


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## jobe05 (Dec 17, 2007)

James said:


> I'm aging at least a year



I'm aging 2 years since joining...................

But my poor wines still can't get much more than 6 months........


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## NorthernWinos (Dec 17, 2007)

I have 3 cases that are going to have a birthday soon....



I know that 2 are really nice wines...the other...well...It might make it to two birthdays.


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## s.arkvinomaker (Dec 18, 2007)

Hi there, I had the same problem when I started except I was making fresh fruit wines. I bulk age all my wines a year and try to make at least one new one each month. Now in the mean time you can always get you an inexpensive Wine Expert Island Mist wine or something like it. Age it 3 months or so and drink on that while you let those special wines get more age on them. If you bulk age your wines in the carboy you may not be as tempted to drink.


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## JimCook (Dec 18, 2007)

Come on, people - bite the bullet. Here are some additional options to help your aging work right...
1) Call some friendsand invite them over to an event where you provide food and they bring the wine.
2) Buy a T-shirt that says "Carboys are cooler" to resist bottling wines. 
3) Install an electric containment field around your carboys/bottles with a time-lock installed and set to the end of your aging period. (note: psychological researchers inBelgium and The Czech Republic have found this technique to be somewhat controversial)
4) Go to wine tastings as often as you can - buy some commercial wine as well. If you are hitting at least onetasting of 20-30 wines every 1-3 weekends, you'll be getting a good spread of different wines and can get some filler wines to space out your own bottle consumption rate. It is possible to taste more than a thousand wines in this manner in a year's time, mainly because I've done it myself.
5) Start practicing meditation. The more you meditate, the more your wine ages.
6) Of course, the best fix is to call George and order more kits - have the deliveries scheduled so you can be making kits as frequently as possible. 


- Jim*Edited by: JimCook *


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## NorthernWinos (Dec 18, 2007)

I agree with #6...Make more wines....It's the best way....


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## Tomy (Dec 18, 2007)

Yep, I'm weak also, drinking my 1st wine right out of jug. Look at me



Copyright noted


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## K&GB (Dec 18, 2007)

Okay here's aquestion for the support group. Iclarified aSauvignon Blanc and let it sit a couple weeks. When I racked it off the sediment this past weekend, I tasted it. It turned out so good that I'm ready to drink it right out of the carboy.My wife, who's a bit more patient than I,suggested we bottle it on Christmas when the kids come to visit. That's just over six weeks since we started the kit. Does this wine need months of bulk aging in the carboy, or should we go ahead and bottle?


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## grapeman (Dec 18, 2007)

Officially it is probably alright to bottle. It's kind of the minimum time. Saying that, if you only racked it once off the sediment it is possible that it will throw some more sediment and may still have a bit of gas in it. If you were to bulk age a bit more you could rack it again and make sure. If you are happy with it now and it could be a good family activity, why not bottle it. Just let everyone know that it could still have a slight dusting on the bottoms of the bottles and could benefit with a little more aging. Who knows, you might interes a kid or two in the hobby!


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## Fly boy (Dec 18, 2007)

I have found making more and more kits helps the aging process. This approach may require membership in another kind of support group. The only down side is there are more and more wines to sample. I started this hobby in September of last year and have about two reds an two whites nearing or over a year with many more to follow.


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## rodman (Dec 18, 2007)

I will join the group, I need help. I started this habbit ahhhh hobby last Dec. My first batch is gone, second batch is gone, third batch 2 bottles left, fourth batch3 bottles left,and thefifth batch9 bottles left. I currently have 4 carboys bulk ageing. However I find myself spending eveningsin my dark basement on the edge of mychair rocking back and forthstarring at the carboys sucking on the side of my wine glass in anticipation. I'm about to breakdown I think I'mgoing to bottle the Black Currant this weekend, it's been in the Carboy for 3 months.


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## Waldo (Dec 18, 2007)

Comon rodman, hold out..give that Currant another 6 months at least. You can do it !!!! 
I just bottled a batchof Black Currant/Campbells Early Grapethat has been bulk aging since 12/23/06. It was worth the wait.












*Edited by: Waldo *


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## Jack on Rainy (Dec 18, 2007)

NW,

You sure hit a sore thread with this one. 20 some posts in three days!!



It sounds like a support group was needed! I wonder if we can get a grant?



I listened to all of our wise moderators and have been pretty
restrained. My oldest is white, 9 months, and it is ready to drink so
I've opened two bottles. Since I don't normally drink white in the
winter, I thought it would be easy to let them age but the trouble is,
I LIKE drinking my own home brew. So I ordered another couple of white
kits so I've got whites for _next _winter. 



The reds are going to get more time though, the tasting we've done so
far says "WAIT". Our oldest, WE Lodi Zin, is 9 months and is nowhere
close to being good yet.


*Edited by: Jack on Rainy *


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## grapeman (Dec 18, 2007)

Come on rodman, you can do it!You better speed up production though, it sounds like you are consuming faster than you are replacing. 


And Waldo spare the "rodman" and spoil the child!



*Edited by: appleman *


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## NorthernWinos (Dec 18, 2007)

Tonight we are 'sampling' two varieties that were bottled Dec. '06...I feel so good about myself.


But...there are some batches since then that are almost completely gone....or totally gone....



They were so good.


We have a few bottles that a over 2 years old...those we break out on occasions....


Seems the more wines you make....the more you can kind of age...at least some of them.....


When I break open a case that has only been laid down for 6 months....well...I feel like a kid in the candy jar....I kind of look over my shoulder.....but I don't care!


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## joeswine (Dec 18, 2007)

me thinks after hearing all this I need a drink!


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## PolishWineP (Dec 18, 2007)

Yes, and Northern and Jobe said, wine does get stored in bedrooms! Nothing tacky about it at all. We have 2 carboys in the office, a batch of beer in the office, 3 carboys in the guest room, (It's cold in there right now) and of course, there's the family room for aging and then the wine cellar. We have some wine in a rack in the living room, and empty bottles on the kitchen counter. There's primaries in the laundry area along with a few carboys. The only place we don't have wine or wine gadgets is the bathrooms and our bedroom. There's probably a wine book or 2 on a night stand. We do have a few bottles of rhubarb wine that was started April of 04. I think that is a record for us aging wines. The longer we make wine, the better we are at aging it. But bulk aging is the key for us.


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## Wade E (Dec 18, 2007)

I have been spending quite a few bucks lately on commercial red as I started this hobby not liking reds to much and not prefer reds over everything. I have at least 2 bottles of every wine I have made to date and my wine room is full to the point where I have to expand but really nowhere to expand to as the wife will shoot me if I even think of extending my wine making as i already have taken up 2/3 of the basement that we spent $6000.00 on having waterproofed + finishing those 2 rooms! wine making area , 1 wine cellar).


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## joeswine (Dec 19, 2007)

rodman,did you make it throught the night?I laught so hard when I read that I could picture it all in mine I think I did it myself thats why,at least I think I didn ,I'am not sure ,don't seam to recall,OH yah now I remember,


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## rodman (Dec 19, 2007)

Thanks to all of you and that Chardonnay that needed racked from the primary I made it through the night. I think this support group thing may work out.


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## hannabarn (Dec 19, 2007)

I, too have had a hard time keeping any wine on hand. I hide it but my memory is still good and my willpower is weak. However, now I am going to put some away for #80 and 85. If I'm still arouind at 85 I'll put some away for 90!!


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## uavwmn (Dec 27, 2007)

Be strong Rodman!!! If you need a security guard for that wine, shoot me an email. I will be glad to help. tee hee


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## uavwmn (Dec 27, 2007)

Waldo, nice labels there.


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## NorthernWinos (Feb 9, 2008)

Feeling pretty proud....



......have 17 cases of wine laid on their sides....aging....








[5 cases are under the bed...



]


Next month some cases are going to have a birthday.....Wonder how we should celebrate that day...?


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## K&GB (Feb 9, 2008)

Northern,
You're an inspiration to all us fledgling home winemakers who can't wait to enjoy the fruits of our labor. I'm trying to keep mine in the carboys cause ifI had a stash like that in my house,those boxes would be empty in no time!






Hmmmm, come to think of it... all I see are boxes. Are you surethere are really any bottles of wine in those boxes?



Knowing me, I would have to check... daily!



And then I'd start to wonder.... how's the wine tasting? One thing would lead to another....


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## NorthernWinos (Feb 9, 2008)

They are full and sealed....at least they were the last time I checked...?


I figure if you make enough wine to drink and put 12 away from each batch....one should gain on the inventory.


I am going to open 3 boxes soon...Vintners Harvest Black Currant/Red Grape [know that one is good] VH Blackberry/Red Grape and a box of Crabapple/Apple....."Happy Birthday to them" Chug-a-lug.


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## Poacher (Feb 9, 2008)

*AGED WINE?!?! What is this thing you speak of???*


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## PolishWineP (Feb 10, 2008)

_Don't dispair that you have not yet heard of this. It is an old myth, story only, passed down from generation to generation. Some of usare trying it as an experiment to see what happens if you actually age a wine.



But it's just in the experimental stages right now. We promise to pass along any knowledge we acquire from this testing. _*Edited by: PolishWineP *


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## pelican (Feb 11, 2008)

In an effort to ensure that my fruit wines get some aging time, I bought a kit wine to make that the marketing blurbage says is drinkable young and ages fast -- If I start it right after my upcoming trip out of town, (or just as I leave??) it should be ready to bottle by Easter and drink to toast the breaking of ground for this year's garden. Meanwhile I'm just keeping going starting new 1 gallon batches of assorted fruit wines to look forward to next winter -- I'll be lucky to put away 1 bottle each to age for longer than that, but by then I should have more to drink too soon. MAKE MORE WINE is the only way I can see to have any to age!

Meanwhile I do have a "storage shed" in the yard that already has a "basement" (LOL, tell the city inspector it's the plumbing shed, now that we have indoor plumbing



) -- if I make a lot more wine, I may need to convince the resident plumber to retrofit the structure as a "wine cellar"...


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## Lloyd1 (Feb 12, 2008)

Northern Winos said:


> Feeling pretty proud....
> 
> 
> 
> ...




"*Storing Wine*
<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />Optimum conditions for storing wine include stable temperatures around *55°*, humidity of approximately 80% ....... "


So, isn't it a bit cool in the bedroom?
I sure hope it's a 'spare' bedroom, and not the one you sleep in every night.
I mean you *do *keep the temp a constant *55°, *right?


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## NorthernWinos (Feb 12, 2008)

It is a bedroom in the downstairs part of the house...I keep the door closed and the heat is turned off in that zone of the basement floor....It stays a constant 62*...might go up to 65* during the summer. The walls are 12" cement blocks and 6" of insulation...so the temps don't fluctuate too much in the basement.




The root cellar was down to 59* the other day...that's the coldest I've seen it..usually 62*-65* winter and summer...


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## Tomy (Feb 12, 2008)

Wow that a bit warm for a root cellar mine stays from 40f in the winter to 50f in the summer. Tomy *Edited by: Tomy *


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## NorthernWinos (Feb 12, 2008)

Ours is more of a store room...for canning and equipment..etc....The roots aren't real happy in there...but it's all we have....The floor is probably colder....I have a temperature strip on the wine racks and that's where I look at the temperature. The temps stays pretty constant...In the summer on some very humid days the cement floor seems to look damp, so I open the door for a day or so to dry it out...that's when the temp goes up past the mid 60's....Got to make do with the spaces we have. 


I would love to have a real root cellar and a real wine cellar. Do you keep your wines in there???? What doesyour root cellarlook like???*Edited by: Northern Winos *


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## Tomy (Feb 13, 2008)

Its a small room in the North West corner of the basement with a door to the outside that leaks a good bit of cold air. I can't show a picture as my wife said she has to clean up in there. She also stores canned vegges, jams &amp; jellys she has made.


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## NorthernWinos (Feb 13, 2008)

Ours is also on the NW corner of the house...It is about 6' under ground and 2 feet above ground. I wish we'd have put a vent to the outside to cool it a bit more...but this is the best we can do. I wanted a dirt floor to keep it cooler and more natural, but we didn't do that either.
Lots of other stuff stored in there too...canner, steamer, dehydrator..Xmas decor...just have to cram stuff where it fits and out of sight.


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## Gelu Liber (Feb 15, 2008)

There are many ways to try and keep yourself from cracking in to that wine at 6 months that should have been left for a year or more. The first, of course, is self restraint. The second, as I think I have read, is to make enough wine that you can't get to it before it is due.


If you only make one batch at a time this can be difficult depending on how much you consume. If you make 2 or 3 at a time you can pick one or twobatches to make as an early/anytime drinker and one to age. They can be all different wines or all the same.


The key, of course, is to pacify your need to ransack your aging store of wine by drinking something else. I store my bottles in bins stacked on top one anotherand I don't separate different wines. This makes it a HUGE pain to get at the bottles on the bottom. I started making wine in 2006 and my oldest wines are an apple wine frommy own apples from October 2006 and a Riesling from October 2006. This past January my wife needed just a touch of white wine for cooking so I broke out the Riesling and it was fantastic (I don't know if I could taste it in her cooking though).


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## Tomy (Feb 15, 2008)

I had a problem with alcohol over 30 years ago when I woke up at 3 AM reached down and grabbed a bottle of Jim Beam, took a big slug, and thought, I guess normal people don'tlive like this. So I cleaned up my act and now have a social drink every now and then. It will take me almost a month to drink a 6 pack, and most large bottles of wine will go bad before I finish them, so I don't have any problem with leaving the wine alone and age. Tomy


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## Gelu Liber (Feb 15, 2008)

I guess I should clarrify "consume". I would hope one was not consuming 30 bottles every 28 days. I givequite a bit of wine away... and then there are the "get togethers" where more than normal amounts of wine are drank. I guess I shouldn't assumeit is the same for others.
I used to drink more often but my life keeps getting in the way and I had to slow down.


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## NorthernWinos (Aug 6, 2008)

Looked in the spare bedroom....



Getting company next week...






One side of the bed is the wine aging area.....

Guess they are just going to have to deal with it...a good place to throw their clothes.

Shhhhhh!!!!! don't tell Jim there are more boxes under the bed.


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## Waldo (Aug 6, 2008)

Whats in the boxes NW


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## Wade E (Aug 6, 2008)

Looks like someone doesnt need any help on this part of the forum!


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## grapeman (Aug 13, 2008)

Waldo said:


> Comon rodman, hold out..give that Currant another 6 months at least. You can do it !!!!
> I just bottled a batchof Black Currant/Campbells Early Grapethat has been bulk aging since 12/23/06. It was worth the wait.




I was thinking it was NW who talked about having Campbells Early grapes, but I see now it was Waldo that spoke of this grape fairly often. Here is a picture for you I took at Geneva at one of the USDA Germplasm Repository sites of Campbell's Early Grape. They are kept growing at these site to insure the variety survival, dissemination and use along with 1400 other varieties at this site-one of two in this country.





*Edited by: appleman *


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## Waldo (Aug 13, 2008)

Will be getting more this year appleman..that is ifPost winerywill sell any this year


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