I was wondering if back sweetened wine have a shorter life span than one
that is fermented and bottled dry?
Also since the s02 drops off over time and being that it takes a calculated
amount of s02 in combination with sorbate should there be any concern of
fermentation restarting somewhere down the road?

Rick

> I was wondering if back sweetened wine have a shorter life span than one
> that is fermented and bottled dry?

Not from personal information but what I've read, sweetened
wines can have a long lifetime as well. I remember reading
about some of the sweet rieslings, the aush...something or
others, and they have 20 to 40 year lifespans. In fact, I
think one of the oldest wines ever drank, that still tasted
like wine, was a 400+ yr riesling. I just can't remember
if it was sweet or not.

Don

"Rick" > wrote in message >...
> I was wondering if back sweetened wine have a shorter life span than one
> that is fermented and bottled dry?

Not really. Or I should say, not just because they are sweet. Some of
the oldest and best aging wines in the world are sweet wines.

> Also since the s02 drops off over time and being that it takes a calculated
> amount of s02 in combination with sorbate should there be any concern of
> fermentation restarting somewhere down the road?

Probably not much chance of that, as long as the wine is stable before
bottling. What ever yeast remain in the wine will probably be dead
long before the Sorbate/Sulfite loses its effectiveness.

>
> Rick


Andy

Most sweet wines are also acidic. The two work together to balance the
wine. High acid wines need less sulfite to protect them and probably tend
to age better than low acid wines.

Ray

"Rick" > wrote in message
...
> I was wondering if back sweetened wine have a shorter life span than one
> that is fermented and bottled dry?
> Also since the s02 drops off over time and being that it takes a
calculated
> amount of s02 in combination with sorbate should there be any concern of
> fermentation restarting somewhere down the road?
>
> Rick
>
>

Thanks for the replies, for some reason I always had it in my mind that a
back sweetened wine had a lifespan of 1 to 3 years tops after bottling so
that's great news.
I understand having the ph in the 3.35 to 3.45 range is very important for
longevity but I must admit I to often have a problem getting the ph in that
range without the overuse of acid blend or pot meta.

Rick


"Ray" > wrote in message
...
> Most sweet wines are also acidic. The two work together to balance the
> wine. High acid wines need less sulfite to protect them and probably tend
> to age better than low acid wines.
>
> Ray
>
> "Rick" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I was wondering if back sweetened wine have a shorter life span than one
> > that is fermented and bottled dry?
> > Also since the s02 drops off over time and being that it takes a
> calculated
> > amount of s02 in combination with sorbate should there be any concern of
> > fermentation restarting somewhere down the road?
> >
> > Rick
> >
> >
>
>

I would agree with that comment, back sweetened wines are not destined
for long aging. This is not how high end sauternes are made. I would
not expect much after 2 years to be honest. All of ours are gone in a
year or 2. The exception to that might be a mead, but that may not be
back sweetened either....
Regards,
Joe

> ... for some reason I always had it in my mind that a
> back sweetened wine had a lifespan of 1 to 3 years tops after bottling so
> that's great news.