I was wondering if back sweetened wine have a shorter life span than one that is fermented and bottled dry? Also since the s02 drops off over time and being that it takes a calculated amount of s02 in combination with sorbate should there be any concern of fermentation restarting somewhere down the road?
Rick
Not from personal information but what I've read, sweetened wines can have a long lifetime as well. I remember reading about some of the sweet rieslings, the aush...something or others, and they have 20 to 40 year lifespans. In fact, I think one of the oldest wines ever drank, that still tasted like wine, was a 400+ yr riesling. I just can't remember if it was sweet or not.
Don
Not really. Or I should say, not just because they are sweet. Some of the oldest and best aging wines in the world are sweet wines.
Probably not much chance of that, as long as the wine is stable before bottling. What ever yeast remain in the wine will probably be dead long before the Sorbate/Sulfite loses its effectiveness.
Andy
Most sweet wines are also acidic. The two work together to balance the wine. High acid wines need less sulfite to protect them and probably tend to age better than low acid wines.
Ray
Thanks for the replies, for some reason I always had it in my mind that a back sweetened wine had a lifespan of 1 to 3 years tops after bottling so that's great news. I understand having the ph in the 3.35 to 3.45 range is very important for longevity but I must admit I to often have a problem getting the ph in that range without the overuse of acid blend or pot meta.
Rick
I would agree with that comment, back sweetened wines are not destined for long aging. This is not how high end sauternes are made. I would not expect much after 2 years to be honest. All of ours are gone in a year or 2. The exception to that might be a mead, but that may not be back sweetened either.... Regards, Joe
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