Doug -

Thanks for the reply. I beleve you are correct... Perhaps I should
just purchase some larger bottles and a good floor corker. Although
bottling day has given me an excuse not to visit a gym...

I have seen numerous (expensive) variable capacity stainless steel
tanks on the internet. Is that what you are referring to in the later
part of your post?

Thanks again,
Andrew

(Doug) wrote in message om...
(confused) wrote in message om...
I have made a some wine and have always bottled the wine after the
firmentation has ended in a glass carboy. I then leave the wine in
the bottles for some time until ready for consumption.

I am curious if bottling is absolutely required. For larger batches,
can I use a stainless steel tank to age and then dispense the wine as
required into a glass or carafe for immediate consumption directly
from the tank?

Any information or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Andrew

Andrew -
I think bottles do two things for you. First and most important,
you are keeping air away from the wine. Second, they are (relatively)
portable. You can take a bottle or two along on a picnic, when you
really wouldn't want to bring a whole barrel.

Most bulk storage methods (barrels, etc.) don't lend themselves
well to keeping air away from the wine, as you gradually consume the
wine. If you have a tank with a flexible air-tight lid, so that the
effective volume of the tank decreases as you remove wine, you could
dispense wine directly from the tank and not have a problem
(theoretically).

I don't have such a contraption, so I can't say how well they
work in practice.


Doug