How Long Do You Wait Before Drinking?

[NorCal]

It’s funny you say that, because I recently opened a 2015 Zin bottle. Any chance I had to take a bottle and make Sangria or a wine cooler (for guests), I would reach for a bottle of Zin, to reduce the herd. The Zin was just as you described pepper and jammy. It did win a silver at the state fair, but was the last thing I would reach for.

The bottle I had the other evening was pretty darn good. So, as it relates to this thread, “how long did I wait?”...not long enough. It took 3 years for it to come in to its own. I still have a few cases, but I started with a dozen.

 

[stickman]

The cab blends I've been making require about 5yrs to really get good, but of course I don't wait that long to drink. I start sampling bottles early, I like to see how much bottle shock they have after bottling, and usually continue sampling every few months. It seems like the wine starts to recover after three months, and after a year in bottle the aromatics really start increasing. For me, there is something about pulling the cork and pouring that first glass, it's always interesting to see how they progress.

 

[4score]

Yeah....I agree with the "make more" if you want any chance of having something "aged". In my experience, there is a common change at 6-months after bottling. These are wines that have bulk aged for usually 9 or 10 months. Another 6 months in the bottle and BINGO, they really open up! They do continue evolving past that, but that 6-month in the bottle mark is huge for me.

So how do you invoke the patience required? My personal trick is shelving. I have three shelves in my little wine storage area. The top shelf requires a stool or ladder, so when I'm tempted to try a high-shelf wine, I'm usually too lazy to get the stool!

 

[ceeaton]

I just don't bottle it. I have smaller batches then you'all, but most of my reds are approaching 2 years and I've got to start planning to bottle some. I've got some young whites and sugary reds that I can bottle at a year, but I only have four cases of clean bottles at this point. So my secret to aging is, don't have clean bottles to bottle them in. Tipping carboys is hard work and you've got to top them off afterwards, so that's how I get my wines to age (ie. pure laziness at it's best).

 

[Johnd]

I got off to a fast start, making 30 kits during my first year of winemaking. First few were bottled quickly, and I learned the lessons first hand about proper waiting times before bottling. Now, I just have so much wine that it ages by default. All my 6 & 12 gallon barrels are neutral, so the wines sit in them for six months, some after waiting a year or more to get in. I bottled my last kit wine a few months ago, it was drinking great a month later at nearly 2 years old. Still have Fall 16 wines waiting for barrels.

 

[heatherd]

And remember, we're winemakers, we're allowed to start drinking early.

We're professionals! We get to "our work" early.

 

[mainshipfred]

We're professionals! We get to "our work" early.

And sometimes work late!

 

[wildhair]

We're supposed to age the wine? Huh............ ;-)
I just started in 2017 and so far - most of mine are country wines - fruit, veggie, herb and flower wines - which I'm told tend to peak in the first year or 2. Except the root wines like beet and carrot - which are supposed to age a 1.5 or more.
I bottled my first wines last March (2017) - there's still a few left...... maybe........ In fairness - I mostly make smaller batches. And I have given some away. OK, OK - I drank most of it.

The bottle of apple I recently opened after a year was smoother and improved, so maybe I should make more so some can sit. I did let the Dandelion age for 6 months before bottling it in January. They say dandelion wine should age at least a year, but you gotta sample along the way, right?

I made a big batch of Dragon's Blood for general consumption in the hopes that my other wines can linger a bit longer on the rack. We'll see if that works. HA! I also put a few in 375 ml bottles from each batch now - for tasting the progress and gifting.

 

[NCWC]

I always take about 1/3 of what I make and stash it
If you can wait for 3 -4 years the wine really matures
But this is what it is supposed to do!

 

[CUZN_J]

Ok, ok. It depends on the wine. My concord is good at 6 months in the bottle, but I had a peach that was nasty until 2 years+. Most of my wine it’s around 12 to 16 months in the bottle. Dang I’ve come a long way from bottling and then start drinking right away.

I am really way off this mark, first- if I make a 1 gal batch and get 4 bottles, then have to wait a year, what am I suppose to drink meanwhile? second- I have not seen so far [I am still reading] but how many batches per year do people have to make to get to the point of keeping up with your supply, I might drink a bottle a week, so it is going to be a while at a batch started every week, I want to get to the point that I finish drinking a batch say year old, and the next one will be ready, planing a year away is kind of a long process.

 

[CUZN_J]

The cab blends I've been making require about 5yrs to really get good, but of course I don't wait that long to drink. I start sampling bottles early, I like to see how much bottle shock they have after bottling, and usually continue sampling every few months. It seems like the wine starts to recover after three months, and after a year in bottle the aromatics really start increasing. For me, there is something about pulling the cork and pouring that first glass, it's always interesting to see how they progress.

Let me understand this, you open a bottle, pour a sample to taste, then you re-cork the bottle till you check next month, that doesn't effect the wine being opened up and closed again and again??

 

[dralarms]

I am really way off this mark, first- if I make a 1 gal batch and get 4 bottles, then have to wait a year, what am I suppose to drink meanwhile? second- I have not seen so far [I am still reading] but how many batches per year do people have to make to get to the point of keeping up with your supply, I might drink a bottle a week, so it is going to be a while at a batch started every week, I want to get to the point that I finish drinking a batch say year old, and the next one will be ready, planing a year away is kind of a long process.

Lol. Making a one gal batch is futile. But to answer your question I have 6 to 9 5 or 6 gallon car boys going all the time. Sometimes more. You get to a point that you understand the aging process and know how much of one kind you can have left before you “have” to get another one cranking.

 

[dralarms]

Let me understand this, you open a bottle, pour a sample to taste, then you re-cork the bottle till you check next month, that doesn't effect the wine being opened up and closed again and again??

Yes it will over time

 

[Scooter68]

And into your planning you need to think about what you may give away to friends or take to gatherings. Come to think of it.... I think I'll just keep it ALL for ME!

 

[stickman]

Let me understand this, you open a bottle, pour a sample to taste, then you re-cork the bottle till you check next month, that doesn't effect the wine being opened up and closed again and again??

Once I open a bottle for early tasting, I usually drink it over the period of a few days, each day I check to see if it has improved or if it is falling apart. Many of these tannic Cab's can take the oxygen and will actually improve over the next few days, just indicating that more age is acceptable. At my sampling rate, if I don't make at least 12 cases annually, it will never see proper aging.

 

[jburtner]

I agree with stickman on testing over a couple three days. Open two bottles or three if you need but yes the profile does develop over a couple days and at different temps too so put it in the fridge maybe and taste how it opens up as it comes up to temp.

A bottle a day sometimes two and maybe even three on occasion. Then there’s gifting and parties.... I mean tastings or dinners.... you do the math my fingers are blurry now....

Cheers!
-johann

 

[NorCal]

I've got a 60 gallon of Cabernet Sauvignon that I made from the 2017 season. I'm not a big fan of it and took a sample to a respected commercial winemaker. He nonchalantly said, "give it another year in the barrel". Like yea, it just needs a little time....like another year of barrel care and feeding! So, the 2017 Cab will be bottled mid 2019 and then given another 3 months or so to settle down from bottling. Seems like forever.

 

[stickman]

@NorCal You're the chef and you're doing that Cab "low and slow". Wine is the ultimate slow food.

 

[Johnd]

I've got a 60 gallon of Cabernet Sauvignon that I made from the 2017 season. I'm not a big fan of it and took a sample to a respected commercial winemaker. He nonchalantly said, "give it another year in the barrel". Like yea, it just needs a little time....like another year of barrel care and feeding! So, the 2017 Cab will be bottled mid 2019 and then given another 3 months or so to settle down from bottling. Seems like forever.

You already know that big bodied, high tannin wines from good grapes take that long, time’s on your side, and access is exceptional living in the midst of a wine mecca!! Heck, I’m just this spring getting in the big bodied 15’s from many of my wine clubs. Plan for my 17 big blend in the 30 has always been barrel aging til Spring ‘19, that sucker gobbles almost a bottle per month. I’ll suffer with you, and will put another barrel in line this fall, probably a new 60 gallon frenchie.

 

[Venatorscribe]

I mostly ferment fruit wines and ciders. I find that everything needs at least 12 months bottle conditioning. And after sampling - if it is still a bit sharp - I leave it for a further six months. When I can get my hands on some red grapes or fresh juice I ferment, hold and rack between carboys for at least 9 to 12 months. Holding everything under an airlock. Gives you time to clean up the wine, adjust acids if you really need to and oak. Then prior to bottling - maybe back sweeten and definitely sorbate it. Once in bottles I put my red wine away under the house and forget about it. Anywhere from 2 to four years. I have this nagging thought that I will die before I even get around to enjoying most my wine. Does anyone else think about this ?