Aging Time

Probably not. I was always told that wine can sit on sediment for up to

You don't have to bottle it right away, it's be fine. You can leave it in the carboy for a while as long as you don't have a lot of head space and have enough sulphite to preserve it (I think 1 crushed campden tablet per gallon per 6 months). Some people don't use clarifying agents to speed up clearing. In that case the wine takes a long time to clear and sits on sediment for long periods of time. Sometimes racking every 3 months. You'll be fine.

David

Are you really in _that_ big a hurry to be somewhere with that wine? Most of the experienced kit winemakers I know rack their wines off the gross lees and bulk age for at least 6 months before bottling. Be sure to top up the carboy (a similar wine is OK for that purpose) and maintain correct free SO2. Another racking after a few months isn't a bad idea either if the wine has thrown sediment.

Tom S

In general I agree with those that have already posted. Leave it alone until you are ready to bottle even if that is a couple of months. But on aging -- that is another matter. You did not say what wine you were making. I have made some 28 day white kits that were very nice after 2 months and that I thought were past there prime at 6 months. I am not talking oxidation here. I am talking about them becoming just too mellow to the point of being bland. My advice on kits is that when making a new kit, sample frequently so you will know when to drink them when you make them in the future. Be careful about aging it too long. You may miss the good period.

Ray

I agree, I have a Brew King Chianti that I made almost 2 years ago. At 6 months it was good and at 1 year is was very good. Now at almost 2 years, it is not bad but sort of bland. My fiancé describes it as very smooth. She likes it, and I do to but I prefer wines with more flavor and character.

David

One thing I will say about good quality kit wines. They are consistent. There are several that I have made 3, 4, or 5 times over several years. If the first one comes out a certain way and you like it in a certain age period. The next batches tend to be the same way. This is a consistency that you will never have with wines made from scratch and it is very comforting.

Ray

What wine kits do you use that are consistent. I use brew king and have found that not all batches come out the same. In fact not all bottles from the same batch come out the same either. Mostly likely because I bottle kit wines as soon and the instructions tell me to and don't bulk age.

For example, I opened two bottles of wine Brew King Cab last night (from the same batch) with some friends. The first bottle was a little tart and acidic but not bad. The second bottle has a very nice oak smell, good texture and subtle oak flavor. Not acidic at all. I couldn't believe how good it was. It was probably the best bottle out of all the kits I have ever made. It was bottled 7/5/2003.

I usually drink a mixture old and new wine so that half of them get a chance to age. But I am thinking it is a good time to finish of the case I have left of that batch before they start going down hill and hope the rest are like that bottle. I have more equipment now and am capable of making many batches at a time. I hope to get to a point where eventually every bottle I open is at least between 1 and 2 years old.

David

Leaving a wine on the "lees" is a method used to add particular flavours (puke is the only description I can think off) to wines. This is caused by the break-down of the yeast.

Any French wine "sur lie" has been aged using this method, I personally don't like it however someone must like it.

Anyhow, the decision is yours.

Why not split the batch and try both methods?

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I have had good luck with R.J. Spagnols Cellar Classic Johannesburg Riesling and Gewurztraminer. I have made the first twice and the latter 4 times. I prefer both from 3 months to 18 months old. On a lighter note, I have made Island Mist Peach Chardonnay 3 times and they were very consistent. I have made several BK kits and just was not impressed enough with any to make them again.

Ray

I have only tried Brew King, it is the only kit available at my home brew shop. A friend suggested viva de vino or something to that affect. I have been pretty satisfied with the Brew King but like I said I have nothing to compare it to. I made one Brew King Chardonnay and was very impressed from day one while bottling. I have some friends that don't like chardonnay but like this one. I usually don't drink white wines at all and only made this to accommodate for guests that don't like red. I really like this one though. It has almost fruity flavors and tastes a little sweet even though it was fermented to dryness.

David