Although the concentrate wine kits can be done quickly, some winemakers elect to store the wine longer before they start to drink it. The reason is because a good wine can become a great wine when you allow it to age. However, this is all a matter of taste to the individual. Some wine drinkers really enjoy a bold, strong, new tasting wine, and others want a very smooth, laid back, easy drinking wine. Try a bottle of your wine from time to time until you are happy with the flavor. There is no set time frame on when you will enjoy the wine that you made.The following are some general considerations for wine storage. See our wine bottles for sale here.
Aging Process
What does the aging process really do for you? The aging process is allowing a small amount of air (oxygen) to come in contact with the wine over a period of time. Some wines only need a short period of time, while others can be stored for many years. You are essentially allowing the wine to oxidize at a very slow rate so that the flavors blend better, and the alcohol bitterness is allowed to subside.
White Wines
White wines produce a light and subtle flavor when they are done, and do not require a long age time to produce great results. Most white wines can be enjoyed within 6 months of making them. The fruit flavor is lighter than a red wine, so you are only waiting for the alcohol flavor to mellow out and become more subtle. White wines are not a great style of wine to store for longer periods of time. Most wine makers feel that 5 years is about the maximum amount of time that you want to store a white wine.
Light Red Wines
Lighter red wines, such as, Blush, White Zinfandel and Chianti's can be drunk fairly early on. Most people enjoy these types of red within 9 to 12 months after making them.
Dark Red Wines
Darker styles of red wines, like Zinfandel, Merlot & Cabernet are meant to be aged. These types of wine are very bold in flavor, and can take years to achieve greatness. Yes, you can drink them as early as 12 to 18 months, but most people enjoy having even more age time on their wine. This is the type of wine that you place in the back of your cellar and forget about for a few years.
Orchard Breezin'
I know that some people don’t think the Orchard Breezin' kits are considered a true wine, but they sure are good. These wines are designed to be ready to drink in a very short period of time. The flavor is mostly from a fruit extract, so you aren’t as worried about the alcohol mellowing as other types of wines. You can start drinking these wines almost immediately, but they improve in taste for up to 6 months. They store in the same time frame as white wines, so 5 years is about as long as you want to age it. But, we doubt the wine will make it that long anyway.
Fruit Wines
Wines made from apples, rhubarb, plums, etc. usually fall into the same time frames as white wines. The fruit tends to be more subtle in flavor, so a long age time is not required. Most styles of this variety will be ready to drink in around 6 months. Some wine makers wait for 12 months, but it depends on the fruit. These wines are not great at storing for long periods of time as they can oxidize quickly. You are looking at 3 to 5 years to drink your fruit wines.
We recommend taking a bottle or two from each batch and hiding it toward the back of your wine collection. People get very excited about the wine they make, and next thing you know, the wine is all gone. To build a better understanding of your wine knowledge, hiding a bottle will allow it to age longer. Maybe you find that bottle a year or two into the future. Give it a try and see how it compares to when it was younger. You might find that you enjoy it even more now than you did 12 months ago.
Hint: The first year or so can be hard on a new wine maker because you want to try the results of your efforts. We understand because we can be the same way as well. Something that we do is plan a few whites or Orchard Breezin' kits for every red wine that we make. You can make several white wines in the same time frame as you can a red, so you are able to always have the wine that you have made on hand. An extra secondary can really help keep the wine flowing as well. It all depends on how much wine you like to keep on hand, and how much you want ready to drink.