Cold Crashing

[Spikedlemon]

How long and at what temperatures should I consider to be adequate for cold crashing a white wine to get the tartrates to drop?


With the cold weather making its way to me: my garage is likely going to make it down below 10C (50F) and I can finally turn off my beer fridge out there. But it'll still fluctuate a little bit (likely ranging from 5-10C night-day swing) - I am homing this is this adequate for cold crashing a white.

 

[ffemt128]

How long and at what temperatures should I consider to be adequate for cold crashing a white wine to get the tartrates to drop?


With the cold weather making its way to me: my garage is likely going to make it down below 10C (50F) and I can finally turn off my beer fridge out there. But it'll still fluctuate a little bit (likely ranging from 5-10C night-day swing) - I am homing this is this adequate for cold crashing a white.

Living in SW Pennsylvania, I'll stick my wine out under the cellar steps when the temperature reaches and stays around 25 degrees. I generally leave outside for 3-4 weeks at those temps. Tartrates drop out like crazy.

 

[Spikedlemon]

Would it be an issue for temp fluctuations for the wine (I'm only talking 5degC)?
My cold cellar might be more stable but doesn't get as cold.

I don't have a safe spot I could put wine that would get under freezing and it would take until January before my garage could be reliably under 5C (40F?)

 

[Johnd]

Would it be an issue for temp fluctuations for the wine (I'm only talking 5degC)?
My cold cellar might be more stable but doesn't get as cold.

I don't have a safe spot I could put wine that would get under freezing and it would take until January before my garage could be reliably under 5C (40F?)

If you perform cold stabilization on your wine at 40 F and leave it in that environment for several months, allowing precipitation to occur, your wine will be cold stable down to that point. That is, if it's never dropped below 40 F again, no additional precipitation should occur. Since most whites are served warmer than 40 F, you should be just fine.

 

[Spikedlemon]

Thanks. I understand the logic clearly now.