Light struck?

[godsmulligan]

I did a search and I'm just not finding what I need.

I keep my wine being in a closet with no light, but I pull it out into the kitchen to rack it.

Will it get light struck in that little time only being exposed to house light and no sunlight?

Can even that cause off flavors?

 

[ajrod27]

A short exposure to light, natural or artificial, will not harm your wine. Ideally, you want to minimize as much light exposure as possible, but I don't think it's detrimental unless your light exposures are constant for several months in duration.

 

[bernardsmith]

I did a search and I'm just not finding what I need.

I keep my wine being in a closet with no light, but I pull it out into the kitchen to rack it.

Will it get light struck in that little time only being exposed to house light and no sunlight?

Can even that cause off flavors?

By "light struck" you mean ... what? Light can affect the color of red grape wine. Not sure that can do anything to white grape wines or elderflower wines or wines made from bananas or honey. Wine ain't beer and fruit ain't hops... I ferment my wines in the kitchen but allow them to age in the basement.

 

[Beernik]

If by "light struck" you mean skunking, then no... Unless you hop your wine.

 

[Yooper]

By "light struck" you mean ... what? Light can affect the color of red grape wine. Not sure that can do anything to white grape wines or elderflower wines or wines made from bananas or honey. Wine ain't beer and fruit ain't hops... I ferment my wines in the kitchen but allow them to age in the basement.

Whites can get light struck as well was reds.

The flavor changes, too, not just the color.

 

[godsmulligan]

Thanks everyone.

Aj- that's pretty much what I was thinking and then I started to over think it and got worried.

 

[RandalG]

Whites can get light struck as well was reds.

The flavor changes, too, not just the color.

So how long does it take to get light struck. I fermented a Reisling in a spare bedroom. Not in direct sunlight but not in a closet either. Probably for a little over a month in secondary. Was that a bad idea?

 

[Yooper]

So how long does it take to get light struck. I fermented a Reisling in a spare bedroom. Not in direct sunlight but not in a closet either. Probably for a little over a month in secondary. Was that a bad idea?

It can happen quickly, depending on the light source. Out of direct light, it may be ok for a long time.

I have towels over all of my carboys, even the ones behind furniture (I put them behind the couch, etc, when I have them aging for a long time). A blanket, a towel, or an upside down cardboard box is cheap and easy insurance.

 

[fuelish]

I have towels over all of my carboys, even the ones behind furniture (I put them behind the couch, etc, when I have them aging for a long time). A blanket, a towel, or an upside down cardboard box is cheap and easy insurance.

Mead here, not wine, but....I put a beach towel mostly covering my primary buckets (probably for no reason, other than formerly being a beer brewer), and I keep the boxes the carboys came in to secondary in box, although my basement is dark, for the most part, so....dunno if anything I'm doing actually helps, but it can't hurt, right??? The mead area of my basememt only gets sunlight for a few hours in the very early a.m., I spend a lot of time checkin' 'em out with a flashlight....LOL...for better or not, I like to keep my fermentors covered....no big deal, no problem