Oxidation of wine.
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:43 pm
I have had a fair look over the forums for answers to my questions, but have come up still scratching my head (but with a lot more info in it now)
The problem:
I have 2 wines (lemon and mulberry) and a mead on the go in 1 gallon demijohns. I have racked them recently but did not top them up with water. How badly will this affect them? I did not use any campden tablets when syphoning but did lose a little of the liquid (naturally) in the process.
The mead was made in July and has been racked twice. The mulberry wine and lemon wine were made in September and have each been racked once. There has always been a bit too much space in the mead and mulberry wine and the lemon only dropped from near the bung when I racked recently (within the last few weeks).
The mead did taste quite good and the lemon wine was a little harsh but they were not terrible and my limited tasting experience (none) did not point to any infection or oxidation. The colours have remained the same as when first made them. Nothing has fallen clear, which is what I am waiting for to bottle them. Should I top them all up to near the mouth of the demijohn or just leave them now? This was my first attempt at anything like this and it was only after reading up a bit about them that I have realised the potential for oxidation.
Also, the liquid in the airlock has been swinging back and forth recently as the temp has been changing but there doesnt seem to be any more fermentation and the temp, while not steady (it is on the kitchen bench) is around 25C-30C all the time (am in Sydney, Aus.) Should I just bottle them and hope? I don't want to use chemicals so I know it is hit and miss, but I want to keep it as chemical free as possible.
This is about all I can think of atm, so will post more questions if they come up. Any answers would be more than appreciated.
The problem:
I have 2 wines (lemon and mulberry) and a mead on the go in 1 gallon demijohns. I have racked them recently but did not top them up with water. How badly will this affect them? I did not use any campden tablets when syphoning but did lose a little of the liquid (naturally) in the process.
The mead was made in July and has been racked twice. The mulberry wine and lemon wine were made in September and have each been racked once. There has always been a bit too much space in the mead and mulberry wine and the lemon only dropped from near the bung when I racked recently (within the last few weeks).
The mead did taste quite good and the lemon wine was a little harsh but they were not terrible and my limited tasting experience (none) did not point to any infection or oxidation. The colours have remained the same as when first made them. Nothing has fallen clear, which is what I am waiting for to bottle them. Should I top them all up to near the mouth of the demijohn or just leave them now? This was my first attempt at anything like this and it was only after reading up a bit about them that I have realised the potential for oxidation.
Also, the liquid in the airlock has been swinging back and forth recently as the temp has been changing but there doesnt seem to be any more fermentation and the temp, while not steady (it is on the kitchen bench) is around 25C-30C all the time (am in Sydney, Aus.) Should I just bottle them and hope? I don't want to use chemicals so I know it is hit and miss, but I want to keep it as chemical free as possible.
This is about all I can think of atm, so will post more questions if they come up. Any answers would be more than appreciated.