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How long in tertiary?
Today I re-arranged/cleaned out my brewing area in my home. It is long narrow closet and I am ashamed to say that I found three gallons of Cherry Wine that I forgot I had back there... The tags say I put them in there in (cringe) June last year.......
I don't see any mold or anything on them, but I wonder if I should bother bottling them at this point or just blame myself and make mental promises not to ever do that again...
Thoughts?
P.S. Just a quick time line
Pitched - March 07
Secondary -April 07
Tertiary (to clear, I racked some of them onto blackberries or strawberries in secondary) - June 07
Bottle it....if it's no good, you have gifts for people you don't like......
did u add stuff to keep it from refermenting and preservitves?
WIzlock - No, I haven't added anything to them yet... I saw them, yelled some colorful obscenities, then muttered to myself for a while......
I haven't even opened them up. I shined my flashlight through the glass though (dark brown) and didn't SEE anything, but it's kinda hard to tell... I figured I'd leave them be until I got some advice... no point in stirring them up if there's any chance of saving them....
Rika - LOL mother-in-law gifts??
Or, if they're vinegar, maybe I could just buy fancy schmancy little bottles and give them away as wine cooking vinegar? How does one make vinegar???
Yah sure, Mother-in-Law, Boss, crappy neighbor........let 'em have it good....
Well, I bottled them... weird thing. Of the three, I lost one (it had slimy things growing on it) but the other two were phenomenal. I am completely flabbergasted, more so since hubby has declared this the best wine I ever made (except the blackberry, which was all gone within 2 months of bottling and I have had to listen to whining about when am I making more... not till blackberries are in season!) and got offended when I told him I had to give a bottle to the woman who gave me 30 lbs of cherries....
Anyway. Lesson learned... don't be so sure you've messed it up till you follow it through.
PS, and no, RIcka, I did not bottle the slimy batch for enemy giftgiving, LOL
The one reason I hesitated making wine was the aging times recommended. It was usually 6 or 9 months to a year in 2ndary before they recommended bottling. I don't like waiting that long. But I did find out last year when making an elderberry wine that the best of the batch were the bottles that were a year or more old when I drank them so your wine should be fine. Before bottling though I would add a crushed campden tablet per gallon and let it sit a day. It will kill any yeast lurking in wine and prevent any bottle bombs. Also would prevent those slimy things growing in wine. I used campden tablets before bottling this years elderberry/grape and apple wines and just them in screw cap bottles. Both taste excellent. No aftertaste from campden tablets.
DC
deafcone wrote:
The one reason I hesitated making wine was the aging times recommended. It was usually 6 or 9 months to a year in 2ndary before they recommended bottling. I don't like waiting that long. But I did find out last year when making an elderberry wine that the best of the batch were the bottles that were a year or more old when I drank them so your wine should be fine. Before bottling though I would add a crushed campden tablet per gallon and let it sit a day. It will kill any yeast lurking in wine and prevent any bottle bombs. Also would prevent those slimy things growing in wine. I used campden tablets before bottling this years elderberry/grape and apple wines and just them in screw cap bottles. Both taste excellent. No aftertaste from campden tablets.
DC
Oops... too late for the campden tabs... didnt even think of them. Aw well, 'nother lesson learned. I dont think I need to worry about bottle bombs; it'll probably get drank before they get to that stage... I am just glad I didnt get a contamination since when I pulled the dust covered things off the shelf there wasn't enough water left in the bubblers to provide a barrier....
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