WineXpert How to make an awesome white wine

[Frosty]

I posed this question under Stuck Wine when I should have started a new post. In summary I am pretty confident in my reds but have not been satisfied with my whites.

I want to produce a bone dry light and refreshing white. I want a drink for hot sunny afternoons that is flavourful and probably fruity.

Based on commercial wines I'm going with Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gregio.

Any hints would be appreciated. I usually bulk age my reds for upwards of a year. However to get a fruity wine should I limit the aging? I have had better success with intermediate kits (10 to 12 litre) then top end kits unlike my reds where I only do premier kits. What have you had best luck with to reach similar goals?

Thanks. I had almost given up on making whites. We drink primarily red and if the wine isn't as good as commercial wine I'd rather buy it. It is all about enjoyment and perfecting my craft.

Sorry if this is redundant but I can use all the help I can get.

 

[pillswoj]

I like you make primary high end reds, for the whites I like a lighter wine, typically a 6 to 10L kit. Pinot Grigio I do 10 L kits following directions. I also do a lot of Riesling, often throwing peaches or another fruit in the primary and back sweetening just enough to take the edge off. If I am adding fruit I will go with a 6-7 L Kit.

 

[salcoco]

Mezza Luna White wine kit from Wine Expert is a economical kit that will satisfy summer sipping. Best procedure to making white wine is to keep fermentation cool at about 60-65DegF. Riesling will also give you a good wine.

 

[someirishman]

I dont have carboys so I dont bulk age my wines just bottle after about a month of fermenting and clearing, generally the reds get better with time but the whites are drinkable right out of the fermenter, I find whites to be better young apart from more full bodied whites like a chardonnay, the fruit and freshness of a young white is lovely, Two kits I would recommend would be we selection California sauvignon blanc and kenridge showcase chenin blanc 16 liter kits each, the sb in particular is nice and dry yet zippy with fruit and freshness when the zest of a grapfruit is added for a week or two when clearing.

 

[Frosty]

How

Some Irishman,
How exactly what do you do the grapefruit zest? I have a French SB clearing and would love to try it.

 

[someirishman]

I just washed a grapefruit and used the very outer zest with a fine grater, I added it to the wine for a week before clearing and bottling, If your wine is clearing atm you could still add it for a week and rack before bottling, It adds a nice zippy kick well worth doing in a sb.

 

[Putterrr]

I second the addition of zest. I usually add it during final fermentation in the secondary carboy.

Koodos to Joeswine for getting me started on zesting

cheers

 

[Frosty]

How much?

How much do you add and what is the impact on the wine?

 

[someirishman]

I used 1 grapefruit zest some people say use half a grapefruit zest, It seems to enhance the citrus notes which works well in a dry sb

 

[Putterrr]

depends on how good your zester is. last one I bottled was 1/2. also doing one that has grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime. we call it our zazzle wine

cheers

 

[Smok1]

I did a sauv blan new zealand 16 liter from rjs dry white which is great

 

[Trick]

I am doing a very cheap Chardonnay kit (6L? Harvest - looks the same as Fontana even the instruction) by adding water to 5 gal and top up with 1 gal apple juice to 6 gal and some raisons, oak chips, pectic enzyme, tannin powder, some acid blend to drop pH in primary. QA23 was yeast to be used.
Orange zest was added in secondary carboy. No sorbate. It is now in stabilization phase (waiting for the 3 gal carboys). Plan to spit into two 3 gal carboys, one adding fining agent to finish quickly for immediate drink with fruity crispy taste, all the lees will left in the other 3 gal to undergo 8 months sur-lie aging test to see what can it bring to the taste. No fining agent will be used for the second half unless natural clarification process fails.
A "Long term" project for fun only. No pressure for the cheap kit.
Sample tastes not bad so far.