Other FWK - very fast ferment

[Lynx rufus]

I did an 8 wk EM in a Fermonster with a Super Tuscan. Just bottled it at the end of last month. It turned out great!

 

[winemaker81]

I racked the Chardonnay a few nights ago, way too long after fining. As previously reported, the wine did not clear as expected. IME kieselsol & chitosan nail sediment within hours -- this took nearly a week. At this time I have no idea why.

However, it worked.

As others have reported, the wine in the carboy is very dark, the darkest Chardonnay I've made or seen:



However, when poured into a glass, the wine looks very nice. It's on the dark side for a Chardonnay, but it's still within what I consider normal. More importantly, it's got a nice nose and for a 2 month old wine tastes FAR better than I expected. I have good expectations for this wine.



The wine is now in a 23 liter carboy -- I needed just a bit more than 1 bottle of commercial Chardonnay to top it. I used just a bit less than a full bottle when I fined, so topup took almost exactly 2 bottles. This is normal IME.

My current plan is to bulk age for 2 months, then rack to fill a 19 liter carboy. The remaining 4 liters will be sparkled, so I'll have 5 bottles. I'll bulk age the 19 liters for another couple of months, then bottle.

BTW: last night we racked my son's Riesling, and his color is good as well! We are both pleased with the nose and aroma. It took just under 2 bottles of commercial Riesling to topup.

The one he chose is off dry, and we tasted the topup wine, the untopped Riesling, and the post-topped Riesling. Oddly enough, we both liked the post-topped Riesling best. As much as he likes dry Riesling, it was better just a bit off-dry. We plan to do bench testing with the sweetening pack before bottling. As much as we both prefer bone dry, the off-dry hit us both as obviously better. There was no discussion, just "this is wow!"

 

[Bmd2k1]

I racked the Chardonnay a few nights ago, way too long after fining. As previously reported, the wine did not clear as expected. IME kieselsol & chitosan nail sediment within hours -- this took nearly a week. At this time I have no idea why.

However, it worked.

As others have reported, the wine in the carboy is very dark, the darkest Chardonnay I've made or seen:

View attachment 83329

However, when poured into a glass, the wine looks very nice. It's on the dark side for a Chardonnay, but it's still within what I consider normal. More importantly, it's got a nice nose and for a 2 month old wine tastes FAR better than I expected. I have good expectations for this wine.

View attachment 83330

The wine is now in a 23 liter carboy -- I needed just a bit more than 1 bottle of commercial Chardonnay to top it. I used just a bit less than a full bottle when I fined, so topup took almost exactly 2 bottles. This is normal IME.

My current plan is to bulk age for 2 months, then rack to fill a 19 liter carboy. The remaining 4 liters will be sparkled, so I'll have 5 bottles. I'll bulk age the 19 liters for another couple of months, then bottle.

BTW: last night we racked my son's Riesling, and his color is good as well! We are both pleased with the nose and aroma. It took just under 2 bottles of commercial Riesling to topup.

The one he chose is off dry, and we tasted the topup wine, the untopped Riesling, and the post-topped Riesling. Oddly enough, we both liked the post-topped Riesling best. As much as he likes dry Riesling, it was better just a bit off-dry. We plan to do bench testing with the sweetening pack before bottling. As much as we both prefer bone dry, the off-dry hit us both as obviously better. There was no discussion, just "this is wow!"

View attachment 83331

Looks awesome!

Wondering what your protocol is for sparkling? I'd like to do that with 3L of both my Chardonnay & Viognier.

Cheers!

 

[winemaker81]

Wondering what your protocol is for sparkling? I'd like to do that with 3L of both my Chardonnay & Viognier.

I've tried various methods, none of which worked well. Last year I helped my son sparkle cider using commercial drops. That worked great, so I'm going with that. Two drops in each 750 ml bottle, fill with wine, and crown cap.

This will leave a fine layer of sediment in the bottle, but that's handled by decanting carefully.

 

[Bmd2k1]

I've tried various methods, none of which worked well. Last year I helped my son sparkle cider using commercial drops. That worked great, so I'm going with that. Two drops in each 750 ml bottle, fill with wine, and crown cap.

This will leave a fine layer of sediment in the bottle, but that's handled by decanting carefully.

No additional yeast?

 

[winemaker81]

No additional yeast?

We didn't for the cider. If we bottle after 4 months, the existing yeast should be live. If this fails? It's only 5 bottles so not a lot to deal with.

One thing I'm considering is adding a 1/4 tsp K-meta, to jack the acid. Sparkling wine is typically a bit more acidic.

 

[ratflinger]

My Riesling & Muscato cleared in 24hr. Colors are as winemaker81 reports

 

[winemaker81]

I suspect the delayed clearing of the Chardonnay was an anomaly, as no one else has experienced it.

 

[Old Corker]

I had a similar thing happen with my white FWKs. Made the Riesling and the Sauvignon Blanc at the same time. They both cleared about the same but when I went to bottle the SB had a slight haze still. I bottled the Riesling but waited on the SB. Just two weeks later though it was clear so I racked it again and bottled.

 

[Swedeman]

Two drops in each 750 ml bottle,

What is the weight of these drops?

 

[winemaker81]

What is the weight of these drops?

I have no idea. They are the size of a typical hard candy, maybe 1/2" (1.25 cm) long. This one is not the same brand our LHBS carries, but it appears to be the same.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/carbonation-drops-60-pieces.html

I had a similar thing happen with my white FWKs. Made the Riesling and the Sauvignon Blanc at the same time. They both cleared about the same but when I went to bottle the SB had a slight haze still. I bottled the Riesling but waited on the SB. Just two weeks later though it was clear so I racked it again and bottled.

Has anyone else experienced this? The more info we can supply to @Matteo_Lahm, the more data points he has to figure things out.

 

[winemaker81]

I'm re-posting a picture I recently posted in the FWK threads. The wine on the left is Chardonnay, and the middle and 4 liter jug are the same batch or Riesling.

Note the color difference between the two Riesling containers -- the width of the container, which is the depth of wine that light is shining through, directly affects the perceived color. In the glass, both the Chardonnay and Riesling are within normal bounds for their varietals.