On Oct 15, 5:54 am, michael > wrote:
> Hi all,
> I have just joined this group and am seeking advice about maturing
> and storage of wine.I have about 30 vines on a limestone south
> facing slope in Herefordshire.The vines(Bacchus,Schonburger,Regent
> Rondo and newly planted Johanniter)have just begun to crop and
> last year 2006,which was a very good and warm year in the UK
> produced for me about 9 gallons of wine all started off in late
> September
> The wine is therefore just over a year old and I have racked it three
> times.All the wines have been fermented on the grapes own yeast with
> no addition of sulphites.I wash the grapes carefully before
> processing
> and the fermentation usually starts within four days.The juice is kept
> under airlock from the beginning.
> All of the wines are absolutely clear,and most are very drinkable now
> I believe.I am sure that some will improve with keeping,but I am not
> sure
> which.For example the Bacchus tastes bright and fruity with a slight
> sharpness,but the Schonburger seems full flavoured but with an
> after taste.This latter wine also seems to be throwing down a thin but
> dark deposit and the wine is slowly becoming slightly darker.All of my
> other white wines seem just to throw down a white crystalline deposit.
> So my question is whether Schonburger wine needs a long period of
> storage in demijohns(1 gallon),and whether the deposit is excess
> tannin.
> The other point is that I do not store my wines in the dark,although I
> am
> thinking about rigging up a curtain arrangement in the garage.

Well, not using sulfite will affect long term storage; the darkening
is probably due to oxidation because of the lack of sulfite. You can
just put them in boxes to eliminate the exposure to sunlight.
Extremes of temperature and vibration are also something to reduce if
possible. Some just put their wine in a closet in the house.

I don't have any experience with those varieties but I do use
sulfites. The amount of sulfite needed is dependant on the pH of the
wine, it's measured in parts per million (PPM) so is used in very
small amounts. For example 1/8 teaspoon potassium metabisulfite in 5
gallons of wine equates to roughly 20 PPM. If the pH is around 3.2 as
it might be on a tart wine that is enough to protect it.

The crystals are tartrates coming out of suspension, describe the
other wine and deposit a little more and maybe we can figure that out
too. Is the deposit granular or is it like a film?

Joe