Is it necessary to top off wine in a carboy?

Inspired by Ron's post here, I'm wondering how necessary it is to top off a carboy of wine that is aging. I have 5 containers of mead/wine right now and they all have headspace. Not a ton but they definitely are not full to the neck.

I imagine the answer has to do with whether or not/how often you open the container to take samples. I don't think I've ever had any major issues related to headspace in my beer/cider but I don't have as much experience with wine. I imagine if it was an issue I'd already be in trouble since this mead has been in there for a year now (as of this past Monday).

Topic headspace aging wine mead homebrew

Category Mac

1
answered at

I believe the main reason for topping off wine is to reduce headspace. This is only necessary after initial fermentation, when the CO2 produced wards off Oxygen. Wine is very susceptible to oxidation. However, if you have the wine in a carboy already, use instinct to think about how much you will disturb the wine by topping off. I think people normally top off directly after a racking. Also make sure you are topping off with juice or wine that hasn't been exposed to contaminants.

1
answered at

Just finished my first batch of mead, aged for two years in carboy, racking 4-5 times total. It got to have a bit of head space, but turned out fine without any topping off. I don't have any authoritative sources, but anecdotally it can work alright without any special precautions.

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