Key differences to make a good white wine?

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NorCal

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Thinking of doing 60 gallons of Chardonnay this year with a wine buddy. I have a destemmer, press, macro bin and an air conditioned area for the fermentation. I get the destem and immediately press, resulting in a skinless must to ferment. What are the key differences and important things to do in the fermentation and handling of the grapes / wine to make a good white wine?
 
The only advice I would give is this: I would consider not using the crusher/destemmer on a chardonnay. Instead, just toss your whole fruit into your press and gently squeeze over time.

Crushing and destemming whites is not only unnecessary, but (I have found) will do more harm to your wine then good. This is because crushing the grapes increases it's exposure to the tannins in the skins and seeds to make your white wine much more astringent. Although astringency is often a sought after trait of some red wines, is does not work so well for whites.

By simply tossing your whole unmolested fruit into your press, you greatly decrease the amount of exposure your wine will have to these tannins, making the wine softer, crisper, and much less bitter.

I also take this a step further. I allow the soft press juice to settle, then I rack it to remove as much of the pulp as possible before fermentation. This, IMHO, also goes a long was to cut down the bitterness of my whites, resulting in that balanced, cool, crisp, flavorful whites that I like so much.
 
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