"Ray Calvert" > wrote in message
...
> Back in '95 we had a bumper crop of dewberries and my wife picked a LOT
and
> she let me make wine (the darling). And like the @$C that I am, somehow,
I
> misplaced the batch and let the airlocks dry out and 10 gallons oxidized.
I
> was so upset with myself that I put it back and would not even look at it.
> I certainly would not tell her. It was always "bulk aging". For 9 years
it
> was "bulk aging" with an empty airlock. It had turned reddish brown.
> Finally, in '03 she was on an extended visit home and I thought it was
safe
> to dump it and salvage the carboys. It had not been racked in 8 years.
Got
> the first one to the sink and started to dump it and then curiosity got
the
> better of me. This was my chance to see what REALLY oxidized wine tasted
> like. So I moved it back to the table, poured a little in a glass and
> tasted. Wait a minute. That's not wine! That's Dry Bristol Cream
Sherry!
> My wife loves Dry Bristol Cream Sherry!
>
> I was not only saved -- I was a hero! This is the most wonderful hobby in
> the world where even your worst mistakes turn out great. Yes, I have had
> batches go down the drain but I none where my wife spent days picking the
> fruit! And yes, I did come clean with the whole truth. And, No I would
not
> have if it had really gone down the drain.

Always use glycerin once active fermentation has stopped. It will never
dry out.


>
> Ray
>
> "Chris" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > Yea,
> >
> > I had to bottle a mead too soon because I was moving across country
> > (something I seem to do too often). Anyway, the stuff just sat on a
> > rack for years, any movement and a swirl would form in the bottle. In
> > preparation for yet another move across country I decided to get rid of
> > all but the best of my wines. There were many that had oxidized and so
> > forth. Well the critters in the pipes had a jolly time on those but
> > when I got to this peach mead, by then about ten years old, it was
> > superb. The cork was off though so I sipped it and continued my
> > testing. I opened another because surely it was just a fluke that the
> > first bottle was good and lo and behold the next was every bit as good
> > as the first but it was already open too. I packed the remaining and
> > celebrated with those already opened.
> >
> > Chris
> >
>
>