Winemaking Tip: Leaving WIne on the Lees

      One thing I have noticed about home winemakers, mead makers, and brewers is how overly controlling many van be about making their product.  It is great that in this modern age, we have science, precise measuring tools and the technology to replicate earlier recipes.  However, one shouldn't get so involved in all the details that wine making, mead making or brewing loose their charms.  Too often, I have encountered brewers that have two-thousand dollars worth of equipment and fret over the most minuscule details, but their beer isn't all that great.  On many occasions people have even complimented me on one of my creations, and then after asking me how I made it, they seem upset when I explain my techniques and they then proceed to tell me what I did "wrong."  What is both frustrating and amusing is these people usually don't make wine, mead, or beer that tastes as good as mine.  Don't misinterpret me, I still use good techniques (e.g. proper sanitation, record keeping, utilize high quality ingredients), but I do believe that sometimes too much effort is invested for too little returns.  In these cases, it may be easier to just do it the simple way.  So, in my new series of posts, I will be giving little tips on how to brew, make wine, or make mead the simple (not to mention cheap and easy) way!  I have already discussed many of these techniques with both friends and strangers at bars and I've got plenty of resistance.  To any doubters I will say the same thing I say to everyone else.  Before you label my techniques as rubbish, come on over to my place and try some of my drinks that are made simply.  Then (like some ignorant people) you can tell me how wrong I am while we both drink some delicious, improperly-made drinks.  Any, I have vented enough, on to tip number 1!
      When it comes to wine and mead, patience is important, but sometimes even laziness can pay off.  This past weekend, I finally bottles some wine that was made years ago.  The second rack was done in January of 2011, and by May 2011 it was ready to be racked again.  However, if you frequent this blog, you will know that I have moved and traveled a lot over the past two years, so I never had time to mess with the wine.  Like any decent recent college graduate would do, I just left it at my parents house until I could deal with it.  A year and a half later a finally got around to bottling this wine that had been sitting on the lees for months.  Some folks assured me that the wine would be metallic, musty, or hydrogen sulfide tasting after such a long contact time with the lees.  In all actuality, it wasn't.  I guess the lesson to learn from this is don't worry about things.  When you can care, you should care, but if things come up and your wine or mead is literally put on the back shelf, don't stress out about it.