Correcting Color of White Wine

[MiBor]

Here is a challenging question for the experts: can white wine be color corrected?
The background story behind this question goes like this: distant relative wannabe winemaker makes a 6gal batch of chardonnay from juice. Everything went OK until he decided to dial in the taste before bottling the wine. He used 5ml of BSG Liquid Oak Tannin - Fruit Enhancer Plus on his batch, per the manufacturer's instructions (0.66oz for red wine, 70% less for white wine in a 5-7.5gal batch). The wine turned from golden color to light brown and looks like it's oxidized. It tastes good, just the color is off. I suggested he tried Polyclar, but I don't have any experience with it and I don't know if it would make any difference. Is there any other way of correcting the color of that wine? Does anyone have any experience with this issue?

 

[Johnd]

Here is a challenging question for the experts: can white wine be color corrected?
The background story behind this question goes like this: distant relative wannabe winemaker makes a 6gal batch of chardonnay from juice. Everything went OK until he decided to dial in the taste before bottling the wine. He used 5ml of BSG Liquid Oak Tannin - Fruit Enhancer Plus on his batch, per the manufacturer's instructions (0.66oz for red wine, 70% less for white wine in a 5-7.5gal batch). The wine turned from golden color to light brown and looks like it's oxidized. It tastes good, just the color is off. I suggested he tried Polyclar, but I don't have any experience with it and I don't know if it would make any difference. Is there any other way of correcting the color of that wine? Does anyone have any experience with this issue?

An excerpt from a Winemaker Magazine article:

There are a few specific instances where other colors come into play with white wines. In particular, Sauvignon Blanc juice has a tendency to “pink.” The color of the freshly pressed juice turns pink on exposure to air. If the color persists in the wine, it is considered undesirable by consumers. A fining with polyvinylpoly-pyrrolidone (PVPP or Polyclar™) will remove the pink color with little effect on the other wine characteristics. Color may also appear from the grapes themselves. Certain “white” varieties have distinct pinkish or purple notes in the skins, most notably Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio and Gewürztraminer. If you are not careful, such grapes may produce wine with an unattractive “bronze” hue. When making white wine from grapes like these, minimize skin damage and contact. If you have a bladder press or hydraulic press, try whole-cluster pressing to minimize tearing of the skins. If you have a manual ratchet press, you will probably need to crush before pressing to get an acceptable yield of juice. If so, transfer the must quickly to the press and avoid soaking. Again, work as cold as you can and use sulfites.

 

[stickman]

It's hard for me to believe 5ml of the liquid oak tannin would cause significant color change in 6 gallons of Chardonnay. In addition to what @Johnd indicated above, it's possible for the tannin to precipitate excess protein, which should settle out in a couple of weeks.

 

[MiBor]

Thank you @Johnd and @stickman for your responses. I got a picture of the offending wine from my relative and another detail of the story. He said that he added the 5ml of liquid tannin at the same time he added 6g of Noblesse, to enhance the mouthfeel of his wine. It is very possible that the combination of those 2 additives may have affected the color of the wine.

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[Johnd]

Thank you @Johnd and @stickman for your responses. I got a picture of the offending wine from my relative and another detail of the story. He said that he added the 5ml of liquid tannin at the same time he added 6g of Noblesse, to enhance the mouthfeel of his wine. It is very possible that the combination of those 2 additives may have affected the color of the wine.

View media item 4653

I’d sure like to see what that looks like in a bottle and a glass. Wine always appears darker in bulk, I’m thinking it might not be so bad as to start adding more stuff to it......

 

[ibglowin]

Hard to believe those additives could change the color drastically. Light or lack of makes a huge difference in the color as well as how much wine you are trying to look though. A carboys worth? A bottles worth? A glass worth? Your pic looks dark but you also have very poor lighting of the carboy and it is boxed in on both sides. I would draw off a bottle take it into good light look it over and compare to a commercial chardonnay wine in a clear bottle. Pour off a glass and do the same. I have had Chardonnays that looked anything from orange to straw yellow depending on the light and the quantity if wine you were looking through.

 

[NorCal]

Add some red wine and make it a Rose.

 

[monty]

If I learned anything from Bottle Shock, you should wait until tomorrow and it might be all good!

 

[MiBor]

If I learned anything from Bottle Shock, you should wait until tomorrow and it might be all good!

True that! I went to see my relative this past weekend and he showed me the wine he was asking about. The bronze changed into a beautiful golden color and I had to ask for a taste of that wine. It was great in my opinion, so we filtered and bottled it together and I got a couple of bottles to take home. Later I came up with this saying regarding wine aging: "when in doubt, wait a month", which I printed and posted on the basement wall, next to my carboys.

 

[beano]

Later I came up with this saying regarding wine aging: "when in doubt, wait a month", which I printed and posted on the basement wall, next to my carboys.

Words of wisdom!

 

[bstnh1]

Almost every oaked chardonnay kit I've made starts out looking pretty dark in the carboy after clarifying. A month or two in the carboy makes a big difference in the color. With no additions other than a shot of K-meta, it lightens on its own. Once in the bottle, it's a nice golden color.