Cold Stabilizing Questions

[ibglowin]

This wine has been bottled for 2 years?

 

[rhoffart]

This wine has been bottled for 2 years?

Yes, almost

On my Log Blog it is (B3) the third batch I ever made.

 

[ibglowin]

Geez where you been hiding out for the last 2 years!

 

[rhoffart]

Geez where you been hiding out for the last 2 years!

Well I thought kit wine was going to be crap. I made a few and stopped. Put it in the closet and forgot about it. Wife asked me about two months ago "when can we drink that wine you made" we opened a bottleand was shocked on how good it was. Now I'm hooked.

 

[Gekko4321]

Great story. Thanks for being the test guinea pig for us all. I cannot believe with all the advice I get on CS no one knows the answer to my questions. Maybe all do what you do Rick. I check on mine once a day for a split sec so as to not lose too much cold.

 

[ibglowin]

Scott,

Every wine is different and will thus react differently to the cold stabilization process. The best answer we can give you is still a guesstimate based on our own experiences and the literature.

If you can get your wine down below 25 degrees you should see crystal fallout within about 3 days. If your only down around 38 degrees it will take weeks and more than likely 2-3 weeks to happen.

I cannot believe with all the advice I get on CS no one knows the answer to my questions.

 

[Gekko4321]

That's what I was looking for. I have to get colder. I am going nowhere right now. Do you think my SO2 is okay without any additions at this point? My last add was at clearing/stabilizing, which was part of the kit, and about 6 weeks ago. I would rather wait till crystal fallout to check SO2 but not sure if cold affects levels more or less.

 

[John Prince]

1) Degas and add fining agents
2) Let the wine clear 2-4 weeks
3) Rack the wine off any sediment
4) Cold Stabilize for 2 weeks at 28 degrees
5) Rack and Filter while still cold to remove crystals and polish wine
6) Bulk age in carboy
7) Bottle

I went back and checked my notes. I did degass and added fining agents. I'll wait another week then bulk age. I'm glad I started taking better notes.

 

[ibglowin]

Cold will not effect SO2 levels. Make sure you are topped up and stoppered or under airlock with vodka or sulfite solution. I have kept wine in bulk age for 6 months stoppered and still be within range for SO2 levels.

That's what I was looking for. I have to get colder. I am going nowhere right now. Do you think my SO2 is okay without any additions at this point? My last add was at clearing/stabilizing, which was part of the kit, and about 6 weeks ago. I would rather wait till crystal fallout to check SO2 but not sure if cold affects levels more or less.

 

[grapeman]

I realize I am beating a dead horse but one key thing never seems to get answered. Can someone with crystal dropout experience tell me when the crystals start to drop--right away, 10 days in? And how long do they continue to drop once it starts--one day, full 2 weeks?

Nobody can answer this because such an answer does not exist. Every wine is different, so every time the results differ, even within the same kits. I drop mine into the low 20's and leave there for a month. If a wine is going to drop crystals it will have done so by then.

 

[rhoffart]

Day 1
There are a few small crystals

 

[Gekko4321]

Wow. Already? 11 days in with temps in 30's and I cannot get any to drop.

 

[rhoffart]

Day 2
There are more but the iPhone picture looked the same. Here is a shot with a macro lens ...

 

[ibglowin]

Nice shot!

 

[Gekko4321]

Good call Mike. You can put that on a wall and make people wonder what it is! My debate currently is leaving the carboy in 30-40 degree fridge for another 2 weeks or clearing out the deep freezer for a 2 week run sub 30. With no crystals I feel like I am wasting time and I am concerned over temp range.

 

[ibglowin]

You are not hurting the wine! Its bulk aging at 38 degrees at the moment.

Its happy, you should be as well!

 

[PeterZ]

Remember that cold causes the crystals to form. The goal of cold stabilizing is to prevent crystal formation in the bottle while it is in the fridge. If you have no crystals after two weeks in the fridge at 30-40F, then once you bottle, if you put a bottle in the fridge and drink it within a week you will have no crystals.


I have never cold stabilized (not equipped for it) and have had only one kit throw crystals.

 

[rhoffart]

I have never cold stabilized (not equipped for it) and have had only one kit throw crystals.

By chance was it a MM 23L kit? I have my 5th MM 23L kit in the freezer (in a carboy)and last night I checked it and it also has dropped crystals. That's 5 out of 5 ...

 

[Gekko4321]

That logic makes perfect sense Peter but I wonder why so many say their whites (reds too) throw crystals. Including the RJS EP SB I am making. I do want to proudly hand out my first white wine and crystals is not something I want fam/friends seeing in this new winemakers product. I could quit now and bottle but if crystals form in 6-9 months and I could have done some measure to stop it then I would be extremely bummed.

 

[rhoffart]

Ok, day 5 ... I think this experiment is over because we drank the wine.