So the question I have is once fermentation and Stabilization is done. The direction say store in a cool place for a couple weeks (Day 35). The wine is already crystal clear so I'm assuming that's why they want it in a cool dry place for a couple weeks. I have airlock on it and there are no signs of fermentation going on. I have about 10 more days before that 35 day mark so the question is can I go ahead and start to cold stabilize it? Meaning putting it in the fridge for a couple weeks at 30 degrees? Thank you.
After Fermentation/Stabilization
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There would be nothing wrong with doing that. I do not think that the instructions you are following contemplate cold-stabilizing the wine.
I agree with @sour_grapes about the instructions not being directive of cold stabilization, they just intend for you to properly store your wine at 55 - 60°F.
I’m also curious. Why do you want to cold stabilize this wine? It’s not just another step in the process, it’s a conscious decision to change something about your wine.
If you intend to prevent the formation of tartrate crystals when it’s chilled, you should check the tartrate stability by storing a sample at the coolest temps you intend for the wine, and see if it occurs or not.
If your wine is too acidic, and you’re trying to modify the taste by CS, why do the whole batch prior to knowing the outcome? Again, try a sample to see what happens.
I see lots of people making and “cold crashing“ wine because it sounds like the thing to do, or somebody told them to, or they heard it was a good idea, or that’s what Uncle Vinny always did, etc., but it’s just another tool in our winemakers tool belt. Don’t whip it out til you’re sure it’s needed. Just one mans opinion......
I’m also curious. Why do you want to cold stabilize this wine? It’s not just another step in the process, it’s a conscious decision to change something about your wine.
If you intend to prevent the formation of tartrate crystals when it’s chilled, you should check the tartrate stability by storing a sample at the coolest temps you intend for the wine, and see if it occurs or not.
If your wine is too acidic, and you’re trying to modify the taste by CS, why do the whole batch prior to knowing the outcome? Again, try a sample to see what happens.
I see lots of people making and “cold crashing“ wine because it sounds like the thing to do, or somebody told them to, or they heard it was a good idea, or that’s what Uncle Vinny always did, etc., but it’s just another tool in our winemakers tool belt. Don’t whip it out til you’re sure it’s needed. Just one mans opinion......
I'm only doing CS to push out the tartrate crystals before bottling. I've read that other users of this kit had them in their bottles so I wanted to push them out and rack it all before bottling. I assume this is a good idea if others had it happen in bottle.
The question then becomes since I CS'd the Rose and then bottled, would it be ok to store the Rose at 57 degrees (Cellar Temp)? Something tells me that going from 30 degrees to 57 degrees could mess it up but I'm by no means an expert.
The question then becomes since I CS'd the Rose and then bottled, would it be ok to store the Rose at 57 degrees (Cellar Temp)? Something tells me that going from 30 degrees to 57 degrees could mess it up but I'm by no means an expert.
If the kit is known to produce crystals, that's a good enough reason to give it a shot. If you intend to cellar and serve the wine at 57F, there's no need to CS to a temperature much lower than that. If you chilled the wine down to 50 F and allowed precipitation, then racked and bottled, you'd be good at 57 F.
The more you chill the wine, the less its ability to hold on to dissolved substances, hence, the more tartaric acid that comes out of solution. If you do decide to CS the wine at 30 F, and later bottle it and store it at 57 F, it won't be a problem, but you'll have precipitated out more tartaric than you need to, which could affect the "zing" in your wine.
