I was contemplating this the other night thinking back on oxidation issues I've had when trying to use my WineEasys as VCTs or having to keep up with inflating the inner tube on tanks.... has anyone ever done bulk aging under pressure in a keg or brite-tank with Argon or Nitrogen? I don't see why it wouldn't work in theory, but have never seen much about it in any amateur winemaking materials. You could even throw oak spirals in prior to closing up the vessel, and racking would be a cinch as well.
Aging wine in kegs?
- Thread starter HanksHill
- Start date
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I started using small kegs last year for topping my barrels. I imagine that aging wine in kegs this way would be similar to aging wine in glass carboys. Its a sort of reductive way to age wine while preserving freshness. I’ve made wines this way and found that they benefit from oxygen when opened for drinking. They need to be open for 1/2 a day (or longer) before the flavor comes out because of the reductive way they are aged. Its the opposite of aging in barrels. My barrels are like time machines. In 5 weeks, a young wine can taste like its a year old in barrel. I contribute it to micro oxidation that occurs from aging this way.
I have a couple of three gallon corny kegs. I use them for wine that is ready to drink, bulk aged for quite a while. I use argon and keep the pressure around 10 psi. They probably need a shot of argon when 1/3 depleted. We fill a carafe when we want a glass or two. My experience is they don't change much once stored under pressure.
EastsideWinemaker
Junior
Aging in kegs is not much different from aging in glass. I use standard sanke kegs with a standard 2" ferrule welded on top. There is a quite big family of such kegs: 1/2, 1/4 and 1/6 of US barrel. If you need smaller, you can use corny kegs. Down to 3 gallons corny kegs. And you do not need to pump with argon.
