I appreciate the replies!
I am going to investigate plastic carboys along with some stainless kegs as others have mentioned. This feels like a setback, but I think my procedures will improve as a result.
Thanks to all!
Last night, I racked my chardonnay into a 5-gallon carboy. I had used bentonite a few weeks ago and it was time to rack off. Bottles are in and I was planning a weekend this month to bottle. It tasted great, and was comparable to a retail bottle I opened at the same time.
This morning, while...
Can I ask how this wine progressed? Did you add a second dose of bentonite?
I am in a similar situation. My Chardonnay has a protein haze and the first round of bentonite has not cleared it all the way.
Curious what you’ve done!
I definitely will test at the end of racking and adjust accordingly. A great learning experience. Also, nice to know that SO2 levels can reach 100ppm and not be detectable. Wine literature indicates this is true up to about 150ppm, but I have never tasted a wine even close to that.
Hey Vinny,
The riesling is the first wine I've made that's in the drinking window. I started a chardonnay last Fall that still needs some time. I have been completely enamored with white wines. That is all I plan to make for now. I have my eye on some viognier and chenin blanc this coming...
I racked my Chardonnay off the lees about 2 weeks ago. It is currently in a 5-gallon carboy, and that is the only one I have.
I racked the wine off the lees into a 6-gallon carboy. Cleaned and sanitized the 5-gallon carboy, and then racked from the 6-gallon carboy back into the 5-gallon carboy...
I wanted to revive this thread just for a moment. My FWK Riesling is now 12 months old. I tried the first bottle last week and it was VERY good. It was comparable to retail riesling from the grocery store. I made it bone-dry, so it is stylistically very different from most American riesling. It...
I appreciate the reply. I suspect you are right.
My initial decision to use Fresco was due to a bad experience with H2S in a Riesling kit. Scarred by the experience, I wanted to use Renaissance moving forward.
Fresco was readily available in 10g batches via a supplier I routinely use. It has...
Absolutely!
This is chardonnay from Chehalem AVA in Oregon. Purchased as a juice bucket from Wine Grapes Direct, my process was this:
Pre-fermentation: added 25ppm SO2 and pectic enzyme. Settled for 24 hours. pH: 3.46, TA: 5.7 g/L
Fermentation: Inoculated with Renaissance Fresco (non-H2S...
The TA at fermentation was 5.7 g/L. I haven't checked since MLF, but a quick rule-of-thumb calculation for every would suggest my current TA is around 4 g/L.
I guess that would still be quite perceptible.
I"m thinking more and more that perhaps this chard is just simply low in flavor, and...
I appreciate the replies. I'll bench test glycerin and give it more time in bulk aging.
I'm beginning to understand why so many hot-climate chardonnay makers use oak....it probably helps balance out the high abv and otherwise neutral profile of the grape.
I meant to change the thread handle prior to submitting. I originally thought backsweetening would be my only choice. I feel I have more options though.