Aging the Wine, Proper Techniques?

[Johnsons_Grapes]

Any good advice on aging the wine? Will wine age better in the carboy or should I go ahead and bottle it? How long should I age the wine for?
Also, are there any proper techniques to aging from a carboy? Is racking the wine periodically good for the aging process? Would it be better to age the wine with an airlock or a solid rubber bung?

The quaility of the wine from my first batch diminished as time went on. Is storing the wine in a household refrigerator a bad idea?

I know these are a lot of questions and some may sound dumb, but I'm looking for quaility.

 

[Sacalait]

Carboy versus bottle aging has been kicked around for what seems like forever without any definitive answers. In many cases the need for carboy space is the determining factor for when to bottle.

If sorbate has been added and there's no possibility of fermentation continuing then a solid stopper shouldn't hurt a thing however I keep an air lock on mine just as a personal preference.

Racking the wine is for removal of lees. Once this has been accomplished additional racking will not accomplish anything.

If I had the refrigerator space that's where I'd keep all my wine but I don't have that luxury. Refrigerated wines are kept at constant temps. which is good, whereas the fluctuations in a home enviroment "can" be detrimental.

 

[Wade E]

As far as aging in a carboy Im not crazy about the solid bung as they can pop out due to barometric pressure variations kind of like when your airlock is full of water 1 day and the next full of your wine! As far as aging goes, if you dont have good cellar conditions then aging in carboy as its harder to raise and lower the temp of 6 gallons compared to 750 ml. A fridge is also not a great idea as vibrations from the condensor and motor are not good for wines either. Wine will age fatser in a bottle but thats not always a good thing!

 

[Sacalait]

Vibrations from the condenser and motor...surely you jest.

 

[Wade E]

Check out this link that was posted from a friend on another forum.
http://www.modern-wine-cellar.com/wine-storage.html

 

[Sacalait]

O.K., I read it. I don't believe everything I read, consequently I lean more on personal and practical experiences. Some of these so called scientific studies, esp. govt. studies, border on the absurd.

 

[docjavadude]

The vibration, in my experience, is not urban legend... I had an inexpensive countertop wine cooler that was essentially a dorm fridge that the manufacturer had put wine shelving into. it had obvious vibrations from the refrigerator motor. The wine kept in that countertop unit deteriorated much more rapidly than the exact same wine held in my cellar. Needless to say, I don't have that wine cooler any longer (replaced with an essentially vibration-free unit -- haven't had the problem of wine deterioration since). I'm not jumping on any bandwagon, just reporting my experience...

 

[Johnsons_Grapes]

Thanks everyone! The wine is currently being aged in my basement where the temp has been relatively constant. It's been 3weeks since ive bottled the wine! I'm already impatient! I think I'll try a bottle at the 3month mark...

At the time I bottled the wine, I tasted it. I found it was a tad strong. I hope the aging process will smooth it out.

 

[Malkore]

Oh it'll smooth out for sure. I've made plenty of mead in my day, stuff that tastes like lighter fluid coming out of secondary, is smooth, mellow and delicately flavored after a year.

Time does wonders on wine, meads, and 'big' beers.