Aging Question

[anmom]

I have read and heard conflicting advice on aging wine. This is my first batch and I am curious what you all have to say. I am making a batch of fresh strawberry wine. It is completely clear and has been in the carboy for 2 months. One thing I have read/heard says to bottle after it is completely clear and age in the bottle for at least 6 months . The other thing I have heard is age in carboy 6 months, bottle then it is drinkable within a couple weeks. How long do you keep in the carboy vs age in bottle before drinking for fresh fruit wine?

TIA

 

[Julie]

I age in the carboy for one year and some a little longer. You can do it either way, if you don't have a lot of carboys, age in the bottle to free up your carboys.

 

[LonelyMassachusetts]

I agree with Julie. One more pro to keep it in the carboy longer is to collect more sediment; more can drop out even if the wine looks very clear. It's pretty sneaky like that. I like to keep a laser pointer on hand; you can only see the beam if there's suspended particles (check out the Tyndall effect) so I find it an extremely effective way to check for residual cloudiness that you can't see.

 

[djrockinsteve]

My fruits and whites age at least 6 months after clearing. Many go a year as time doesn't always allow me to bottle at times.

There is less air space in a carboy than 25-26 bottles. Once bottled allow to relax. Open a bottle from time to time and taste the difference.

Bottling too soon may get you some sediment in the bottle.

If I can after aging I back sweeten then allow to age/rest a few more months. Sometimes the agitation from racking releases additional CO//degassing. Which will cause the remaining sediment to drop out.

Patience