"The Meading Place" (4): Aging and corking...
Jim Brangan

So what exactly does "aging" do to or for a mead? We already know that it can smooth out harsh flavors, and effectively reduce higher alcohols. But what is actually happening? I don't know, but I'm not alone. Despite an awful lot of extensive testing and analysis, there is no clear, concise understanding of all the mechanics and chemistry of aging. We can, however, derive some good conclusions from centuries of trial and error.

Meads, like other wines, were often aged in oak barrels. The volume of liquid in the barrel would diminish over time. The mead or wine would actually evaporate through the wood. As liquid escaped, it would be replaced with air. This created a slow, somewhat controlled oxidation of the product within the barrel.

Over time, it has been discovered that meads and other wines age 'better' in bulk than in bottles. This is why wineries age their wine in bulk. Clearly, if they could bottle and ship their wines earlier, they would do so.

Lastly, meads age better when stored in corked bottles than in crown cap bottles. This is an experiment that you can try at home, if you have the equipment and the patience. When bottling your next batch of mead, fill a half dozen bottles and crown cap them. From the same batch, cork a half dozen split sized bottles (to keep the volumes and shapes roughly even). Store them together, and compare a corked verses a capped bottle every 6 months. The difference will be evident even at the first tasting.

The point of all this is not to tell you to pump up your meads with air, but rather to highlight the role that slow, controlled oxidation plays in aging mead.

Okay, so you're ready to stick a cork in it, but you're wondering just how to do it. Not surprisingly, this is as controversial in mead making circles as is the preparation process. Boiling corks has fallen out of favor due to the destructive effect on the cork. A common practice among many mead makers is to soak their corks in a warm sulfite solution (1 campden tablet per gallon) for 30 - 60 minutes prior to insertion. This softens the corks and sanitizes them somewhat.

Now you're probably thinking, "Okay, now that it's inserted, what do I do?" Store the corked bottles upright for 7 - 10 days. This allows the corks to expand, dry out a bit, and "set". After that period, store the bottles on their side, to keep the cork wet. This prevents the cork from drying out completely, and losing the integrity of its seal. Corked bottles that have been stored off their cork too long will leak if they are later stored on their side. (This also happens to commercial wines purchased from retailers that do not keep the wine on its cork during storage.)

Store the mead in a cool, dark place with moderate humidity. Excessively dry environments will cause the cork to dry out, even if the bottle is stored on its side. Bottles stored in a damp place will grow mold on the cork, which can eventually contribute to off flavors in the mead.

Next month: Sparkling meads...

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