Today I decided to try out some of my wine that I made 1 year ago, still in carboys. I had poured some extra in a 1/2 gallon Mason jar and had the canning jar lid on it. The lid had corrosion on it, and when I tasted the wine , I don't think it's vinegar. I put some sugar in my glass and it's not bad. lol, I had not sweetened it before pouring in my glass. So, can wine cause corrosion on metal lids? (also, none fell into the wine below it-was just a small spot )
Lid corrosion
- Thread starter LucyT
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Was the corrosion on the top of the lid (exposed side) or underneath? Canning lids are acid resistant since water bath canned products all have some acid. High vinegar products can have a pH between 2.0 and 3.0, much lower than a typical wine.
Canning lids/ actually all metal cans are made from steel which will rust. Factory canned product will have a coating applied to the inside of the can which is resistant to the contents, ,, ex corn has sulfur which won’t work with normal varnished cans.
Canning lids have recently started to come from China, (I don’t know what the quality standards are for imported lids.). All cans have a risk of pin holes in the finish. Eventually all cans will fail.
Canning lids have recently started to come from China, (I don’t know what the quality standards are for imported lids.). All cans have a risk of pin holes in the finish. Eventually all cans will fail.
IMO, the wine could certainly cause corrosion on the lid.
Storing in a mason jar was not a good idea -- among other things, the head space is probably too large, and metal lids are not free from interaction with the wine, in a bad way.
Glass and cork are good storage items because they don't interact with the wine as other materials will.
Anything stored in the mason jars should NOT be blended with the carboy wines, else anything wrong with the mason jar wine is probably going to be added the carboy wine.
Storing in a mason jar was not a good idea -- among other things, the head space is probably too large, and metal lids are not free from interaction with the wine, in a bad way.
Glass and cork are good storage items because they don't interact with the wine as other materials will.
Anything stored in the mason jars should NOT be blended with the carboy wines, else anything wrong with the mason jar wine is probably going to be added the carboy wine.
Yes mason jars have a head space issue, but they are convenient. I frequently use a mason jar in the fridge to settle a bit more of the precious juice out of the lees on the bottom of the carboy. Mason jars are food grade, the risk of corrosion should take months and when I see it, the corrosion is brown pin holes, ,, Real rust that can flake off should take a year or five.
I also will ship samples out in mason jars. I haven’t had breakage problems. An eight oz is only about $6.
And I never keep the lees five years or even one.
I also will ship samples out in mason jars. I haven’t had breakage problems. An eight oz is only about $6.
I can't argue with the "convenient" part.
I keep excess mostly 375 ml, 750 ml, and 1.5 liter bottles, plus a handful of 125 ml to 250 ml bottles, although if I have that little I'm more likely to just drink it.
Wine bottles accept a stopper/airlock or a cork, which eliminates headspace and corrosion problems, especially for long term storage. My topup for barrels may set for a year, so I plan for indefinite storage. YMMV
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I often use Mason jars for the odd excess for secondary, plastic lids drilled for airlocks, since I have hundreds of jars. The headspace and surface area don't bother me for secondary. For a short time I used a couple to supplement bulk batches and that was the one time I had ethyl acetate. No more for bulk. Plus, I've gotten better at sizing the must.
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I use mason jars to cold crash lees all the time. I do not use the metallic ring and disc canning lid though. I bought plastic lids made for them, both air tight and non air tight lids are available.
I fill them very nearly to the brim leaving very very little headspace, I also add some 10% MetaK solution too, usually aiming for 100 ppm. I know that is a high SO2 level but the wine will be added to larger batches (after careful taste testing) and will be diluted down.
I fill them so close to the brim I have to use a thief to lower the level so I can pour it off without spilling and use an air tight plastic lid. I've had jars stored like this in a refrigerator for over 6 months and the wine was fine.
I agree that Ball jars can be problematic but there is a way to safely and effectively use them for (refrigerated) bulk aging. I guess it is more like bulk storage since the refrigeration retards the aging process.
I fill them very nearly to the brim leaving very very little headspace, I also add some 10% MetaK solution too, usually aiming for 100 ppm. I know that is a high SO2 level but the wine will be added to larger batches (after careful taste testing) and will be diluted down.
I fill them so close to the brim I have to use a thief to lower the level so I can pour it off without spilling and use an air tight plastic lid. I've had jars stored like this in a refrigerator for over 6 months and the wine was fine.
I agree that Ball jars can be problematic but there is a way to safely and effectively use them for (refrigerated) bulk aging. I guess it is more like bulk storage since the refrigeration retards the aging process.
