I have some general questions primarily around the aging process.
Bulk vs bottle aging:
There has been some other threads on this and it sounds like bulk aging may be preferable especially for reds as any sediment dropping out in bulk won't be in the bottle. Regardless of which is "better", are the 2 methods "equivalent" in terms of time? e.g 2 months bulk + 10 months bottle compared to 10 months bulk + 2 months in the bottle... If a wine is bulk aged sufficiently, does time in the bottle become a non-issue -- the wine is ready to drink right away after bottling?
Bulk aging process:
Bulk vs bottle aging:
There has been some other threads on this and it sounds like bulk aging may be preferable especially for reds as any sediment dropping out in bulk won't be in the bottle. Regardless of which is "better", are the 2 methods "equivalent" in terms of time? e.g 2 months bulk + 10 months bottle compared to 10 months bulk + 2 months in the bottle... If a wine is bulk aged sufficiently, does time in the bottle become a non-issue -- the wine is ready to drink right away after bottling?
Bulk aging process:
- The kit instructions say to add 1/4 tsp metabisulfite if aging the wine more than 6 months. Is 1 time for this sufficient or should it be done again for even longer aging? I assume this should be added for bottle aging also?
- I've also read about(not in the instructions) adding campden tablets, 1 per gallon. I assume this is in addition to (not replacing) the metabisulfite addition. Is this a 1-time thing or might it also need to be repeated?
- Multiple rackings: is it best to do this as-needed based on sediment build-up during aging? What do we do about lost volume for each racking -- top it off again or is the head space not an issue?