Joni (@Jovimaple) commented in another thread that friends' Frontenac in 1 gallon and 750 ml bottle was different. The bottle was drinkable now while the gallon is not, which spurred a conversation regarding Mom Nature, Dionysus, and how wines change. One great thing about the conversation as the evidence was right there in the glass.
I've formed the opinion that a single batch of wine may start to diverge as soon as it's put in multiple containers. It's entirely possible that all wines change in this fashion, but it's not necessarily enough that we perceive it, or just that we are not checking that closely.
Last fall I fermented Vidal on the skins, and later moved it into two 12 liter carboys and one 4 liter jug. Both dropped a lot of acid crystals, and I later cold stabilized one carboy (using 4 liter jugs in the fridge) for a month or so. I was surprised that the cold stabilization did not make any difference -- no additional crystals, and only a trace of sediment.
The cold stabilized wine was bottle in March, and required 3/4 cup sugar in 12 liters to balance the acid. Last month I bottled the remainder, initially adding 1 cup sugar into 16 liters (same ratio as carboy 1). It's essentially the same wine as the first carboy, as the cold stabilization made no difference in the acid dropped.
Nope -- it was still acidic and I added another 1/4 cup sugar. That's not much difference (1 Tbsp sugar in 4 liters), but noticeable.
So ... my first thought was the cold stabilization made a difference even if I didn't see it. My second thought is that the three containers dropped acid crystals at slightly differing rates, and the cold stabilization made no difference.
It's all conjecture, and at this point it doesn't matter as both batches taste alike and I'm happy with them. But it illustrates the idea of batches diverging, something to keep in mind.
I've formed the opinion that a single batch of wine may start to diverge as soon as it's put in multiple containers. It's entirely possible that all wines change in this fashion, but it's not necessarily enough that we perceive it, or just that we are not checking that closely.
Last fall I fermented Vidal on the skins, and later moved it into two 12 liter carboys and one 4 liter jug. Both dropped a lot of acid crystals, and I later cold stabilized one carboy (using 4 liter jugs in the fridge) for a month or so. I was surprised that the cold stabilization did not make any difference -- no additional crystals, and only a trace of sediment.
The cold stabilized wine was bottle in March, and required 3/4 cup sugar in 12 liters to balance the acid. Last month I bottled the remainder, initially adding 1 cup sugar into 16 liters (same ratio as carboy 1). It's essentially the same wine as the first carboy, as the cold stabilization made no difference in the acid dropped.
Nope -- it was still acidic and I added another 1/4 cup sugar. That's not much difference (1 Tbsp sugar in 4 liters), but noticeable.
So ... my first thought was the cold stabilization made a difference even if I didn't see it. My second thought is that the three containers dropped acid crystals at slightly differing rates, and the cold stabilization made no difference.
It's all conjecture, and at this point it doesn't matter as both batches taste alike and I'm happy with them. But it illustrates the idea of batches diverging, something to keep in mind.
