Hi,

I was hoping someone could shed some light on some conflicting
information I have been receiving from two of my local Wine Making
retailers.

The background... in August of last year I made a Chradonnay from
juice. We stored it in containers (food grade plastic) with next to no
air space over the winter, to allow it to age. We have tried the wine
and it has a particularly strong aroma and taste. It is dosen't
neccessarily smell or taste but just surprisingly strong in both
regards.

The retailer who helped me make the wine said that it is normal, and
needs more aging. He said storing it in the large containers over the
winter has probably slowed the aging process. An other retailer in the
are is telling me that it is probably bad wine, and that I should make
another batch.

Normally I wouldn't worry about this, but since I've never been a big
fan of Chardonnay and this is for my upcoming wedding I'd liek to make
sure it's ok...

Is it likely that the wine's aging was slowed by the way it was
stored?

Thanks in advance for your time...

Hard to say, but long term storage of a white in plastic seems a bit
iffy unless the container is thick. Most plastic is permeable to air.
I really don't know, I don't use plastic for storage, only fermenting.
Some do, maybe someone with experience using it will have better
advice.

Is the wine light in color of is it closer to a deep yellow? Dark
color is usually a sign of oxidization, that would be a problem

Joe.

"Andrew" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> I was hoping someone could shed some light on some conflicting
> information I have been receiving from two of my local Wine Making
> retailers.
>
> The background... in August of last year I made a Chardonnay from
> juice. We stored it in containers (food grade plastic) with next to no
> air space over the winter, to allow it to age. We have tried the wine
> and it has a particularly strong aroma and taste. It is dosen't
> neccessarily smell or taste but just surprisingly strong in both
> regards.
>
> The retailer who helped me make the wine said that it is normal, and
> needs more aging. He said storing it in the large containers over the
> winter has probably slowed the aging process. An other retailer in the
> are is telling me that it is probably bad wine, and that I should make
> another batch.

Has anyone with a decent palate and experience actually _tasted_ your wine?
That's what you need. It's impossible to tell whether the wine is any good
from a mere description of how it was made and stored. Sorry.

Tom S

I am not sure I agree with either one. First, bulk storage does not slow
down aging wine and white Chardonnay is not normally aged for a long time.
I am not a fan of aging in plastic. If it is not rated for storing an
acidic alcohol something may leach out of the plastic. Water bottle plastic
may or may not be safe as it is not normally rated for long term storage of
acidic alcoholic liquids. Also, over time, air may pass through some
plastic. It will not hurt water but it is not good for bulk aging wine.

Then again, I do not quickly judge a wine and decide to throw it out. It
may well be that it will take a bit longer. Has it completely cleared? I
mean crystal clear? Is there any browning to the color?

When is your wedding. How much time to you have left? That may help with
our advise.

Ray

"Andrew" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> I was hoping someone could shed some light on some conflicting
> information I have been receiving from two of my local Wine Making
> retailers.
>
> The background... in August of last year I made a Chradonnay from
> juice. We stored it in containers (food grade plastic) with next to no
> air space over the winter, to allow it to age. We have tried the wine
> and it has a particularly strong aroma and taste. It is dosen't
> neccessarily smell or taste but just surprisingly strong in both
> regards.
>
> The retailer who helped me make the wine said that it is normal, and
> needs more aging. He said storing it in the large containers over the
> winter has probably slowed the aging process. An other retailer in the
> are is telling me that it is probably bad wine, and that I should make
> another batch.
>
> Normally I wouldn't worry about this, but since I've never been a big
> fan of Chardonnay and this is for my upcoming wedding I'd liek to make
> sure it's ok...
>
> Is it likely that the wine's aging was slowed by the way it was
> stored?
>
> Thanks in advance for your time...

Another quesrion for you, Andrew - you say it has a strong smell and
taste, but don't say what those smells and tastes are. Is it just a
potent Chardonnay, or is there some other strong odor/flavor that you
don't recognize as Chardonnay mixed in? That will also help in
determining what the proper course of action is.

I only use food-grade plastic to ferment in, then transfer to glass for
aging, out of fear of oxidizing the wine. I can report good results
with long term (6 months) storage using a particular plastic carboy
*specifically designed and advertised* for wine storage (report:
Yum!!), but I did that out of necessity, as moving a glass carboy 700
miles in the back of an RV just seemed a recipe for accidental
disaster. I won't replace my glass, but it's nice to know the "last
resort" worked so well.

Rob

Andrew - What yeast did you use? What was the starting specific gravity?
What temperature did you ferment at? Was the new wine stored on lees or did
you rack away from lees before the winter storate period? Did you fine the
wine with bentonite or PVPP? Does it smell and taste like sherry?

Bill Frazier
Olathe, Kansas USA

"Andrew" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> I was hoping someone could shed some light on some conflicting
> information I have been receiving from two of my local Wine Making
> retailers.
>
> The background... in August of last year I made a Chradonnay from
> juice. We stored it in containers (food grade plastic) with next to no
> air space over the winter, to allow it to age. We have tried the wine
> and it has a particularly strong aroma and taste. It is dosen't
> neccessarily smell or taste but just surprisingly strong in both
> regards.
>
> The retailer who helped me make the wine said that it is normal, and
> needs more aging. He said storing it in the large containers over the
> winter has probably slowed the aging process. An other retailer in the
> are is telling me that it is probably bad wine, and that I should make
> another batch.
>
> Normally I wouldn't worry about this, but since I've never been a big
> fan of Chardonnay and this is for my upcoming wedding I'd liek to make
> sure it's ok...
>
> Is it likely that the wine's aging was slowed by the way it was
> stored?
>
> Thanks in advance for your time...

I am not sure I agree with either one. First, bulk storage does not slow
down aging wine and white Chardonnay is not normally aged for a long time.
I am not a fan of aging in plastic. If it is not rated for storing an
acidic alcohol something may leach out of the plastic. Water bottle plastic
may or may not be safe as it is not normally rated for long term storage of
acidic alcoholic liquids. Also, over time, air may pass through some
plastic. It will not hurt water but it is not good for bulk aging wine.

Then again, I do not quickly judge a wine and decide to throw it out. It
may well be that it will take a bit longer. Has it completely cleared? I
mean crystal clear? Is there any browning to the color?

When is your wedding. How much time to you have left? That may help with
our advise.

Ray

"Andrew" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> I was hoping someone could shed some light on some conflicting
> information I have been receiving from two of my local Wine Making
> retailers.
>
> The background... in August of last year I made a Chradonnay from
> juice. We stored it in containers (food grade plastic) with next to no
> air space over the winter, to allow it to age. We have tried the wine
> and it has a particularly strong aroma and taste. It is dosen't
> neccessarily smell or taste but just surprisingly strong in both
> regards.
>
> The retailer who helped me make the wine said that it is normal, and
> needs more aging. He said storing it in the large containers over the
> winter has probably slowed the aging process. An other retailer in the
> are is telling me that it is probably bad wine, and that I should make
> another batch.
>
> Normally I wouldn't worry about this, but since I've never been a big
> fan of Chardonnay and this is for my upcoming wedding I'd liek to make
> sure it's ok...
>
> Is it likely that the wine's aging was slowed by the way it was
> stored?
>
> Thanks in advance for your time...