WineXpert LE Australian Verdelho

[sangwitch]

Ok... I didn't really use Fleishman's in case there's anyone out there thinking, "boy, what an *****". Angel, you actually had me laughing when I read your response! I was trying to be funny back, but I'm not always good at that.

I have the hiccups right now and they're driving me crazy.

 

[Angell Wine]

Is anyone thinking about doing the "battonage" technique with this kit. I've had good luck with the chard and pinot gris. Any idea's.
Sang you had me going for a little bit there.

 

[masta]

That sounds like a excellent idea...Thanks Angell


Verdelho

by Toni Paterson Master of Wine
Verdelho is one of Australia's niche white wine varieties. Its flavoursome palate and full-bodied nature makes it a good alternative to the market-dominant Chardonnay. Although usually sold as a straight varietal, it also blends well with Chardonnay and Semillon.



Verdelho is native to Portugal. Although grown on the mainland, it is most recognised for its vinification into fortified wine on the island of Madeira, producing a medium-dry style with high acidity, high alcohol and a citrus tang. This is how the world knew Verdelho, until Australia adopted the variety and produced a unique style of table wine.


The first Australian plantings of Verdelho were thought to have been in Camden, southwest of Sydney. In recent times, the warm areas of Western Australia, Langhorne Creek and the Hunter Valley have all had success with Verdelho. However due to the wide variations in climate between these areas, very different styles of wine are produced.


Verdelho from Western Australia is fresh and fruity, sometimes with a honeysuckle vein. From Langhorne Creek, it has a soft and flavoursome palate with tropical flavours such as pineapple and guava. And from the Hunter Valley, the variety expresses a spiciness, both on the nose and the palate. In general, if the variety is picked early, it will exhibit citrus and herbaceous elements. If it is picked late, rich fruit flavours will be dominant.


The production of Verdelho varies from winery to winery. Some producers use barrel fermentation and/or ageing to add creaminess and structure to the palate whilst others prefer a more fruit-driven style. Some styles are slightly sweet, adding to the generosity of flavour and balancing the inherent acidity. In all styles, care must be taken to avoid an alcohol 'hotness' and a phenolic coarseness, which can sometimes occur when the variety is allowed to get very ripe.


Most Australian Verdelhos are best consumed within two years of vintage. Some styles improve with short-term bottle age however this is winery specific rather than the norm. Perhaps the best thing about Verdelho is that it is reasonably priced, with most selling for $10 to $20 per bottle.


Foods to partner Verdelho include seafood and light meats such as chicken, pork and veal. The spicy styles go well with pesto and roasted vegetables whereas the sweeter styles work well with Asian influenced dishes.


So if you are looking for a flavoursome, everyday drinking wine that goes well with food, look no further than Verdelho.

 

[masta]

Transfered to secondary at day 8 (SG 1.004) and aroma is great and I am definitely going to use the "battonage" technique on my batch.

 

[Angell Wine]

Right there with you Masta; Day 8 transferred at an S.G. 1.010. Edited by: Angell Wine

 

[mikeforeman]

Started the Australian Verdehlo on 1/20/07 (SG 1.084).
Racked to secondary 1/27/07 (GS 1.004).
Really active, foaming halfway up the neck.
looking good!

 

[bmorosco]

Ok I guess this is a question for you more experienced winemakers.... With The LE kits. Like the South African Shiraz. The grape juice is definately from this region? Does wine expert fortify these juices? Do they blend with juices grown here in the states? I am sorry for this question but I am wondering about this... I do see a heafty price for them so I am assuming that the juice is from there but was not sure completely. It also says that it peaks in 2 yrs ..Do most of you add more sulphite for longer shelf life??

 

[Fly boy]

Started the Australian Verdehlo on 1/20/07 (SG 1.084).
Racked to secondary 1/27/07 (GS 1.004).
Really active, foaming halfway up the neck.
looking good!

I racked mine yesterday and it sure does foam!

 

[masta]

Benny,


Some time ago I started adding the extra 1/4 tsp/1.5 gram of K-meta to all my kit wines. I would say if the kit says South African Shiraz then that is what you are getting. Winexpert takes great pride in sourcing grapes from all over the world and they have my trust I am getting what I pay for. Here is a few quotes from Tim V. of WE on this subject:


"Winexpert and related companies represent one of the largest grape-purchasing consortiums in the whole world. There are no federal or provincial guidelines governing the name of wine kits versus the contents. However, you'll find most manufacturers eager to make a kit very close to the described style on the label. The only way to do that is with the real varietal grapes.

In the short evolution of modern wine kits we've moved from naming them after traditional European places (Burgundy, Bordeaux, Chablis, etc) and closer towards varietal names. Part of this has to do with a legal agreement reached with several European governments regarding copyrighted trademarks, and partly because we didn't want to be hemmed in by the weirdness surrounding the names themselves (did you know that two of the grapes that have to go into Chateau Neuf du Pape are white?)

Now, if you examine the kit lines of many of the manufacturers, they have them delineated into non-acknowledged source kits, country-of-origin kits, regional kits and single-vineyard. The first category is usually all from California--proximity and value play a lead here. As you get closer to single-sourcing, the quality--and usually the price--goes up."

 

[bmorosco]

Thanks for the info Masta!!!

 

[docbee]

I need to ask since it is a term I have not seen so far. What is Battonage technique??

 

[masta]

<a href="http://www.finevinewines.com/Buttery-Chardonnay.htm" target="_blank">


http://www.finevinewines.com/Buttery-Chardonnay.htm</A>

 

[docbee]

Thanks!! Another question comes to mind from looking at that technique. On other topics there was discussion of the importance of the lees being present for clearing, but this "battonage" seems to rack off the lees and then do the clearing steps. Does this mean that the clearing stage will take much longer??

 

[geocorn]

No, According to Tim Vandergrift, due the battonage technique there are more other items to work with the fining agents, so you don't need the sediment.

 

[docbee]

Thanks

I love it when I can learn something new and this is a great forum for just that

 

[PeterZ]

As I read the instructions, the battonage is performed on wine that has only been racked from the primary into the secondary. When I "rack" from the primary I use the bung instead of the racking cane (one less thing to sterilize) and tilt the bucket as it drains to get the maximum transfer. The net result is lots of sediment being carried over into the secondary.

I don't worry about sediment until the next racking, after sorbate, k-meta, and fining. Then I am as careful as possible to avoid disturbing teh sediment. I was lucky with the RJS Merlot I am making right now. It is currently crystal clear and there is no sign of sediment in the bottom of the carboy - and that with only two rackings in its young lifetime.

 

[masta]

The term racked is used in wine kit instructions in the transfer from primary to secondary vessel. To get technical I agree it should be called a transfer and not racking but I believe it is done to make it simple to understand.
I also use a spigot on all my primary fermenters and don't get too concerned about sediment getting into the secondary. The main objective of this first transfer or racking is to get the batch under an airlock so the yeast can concentrate on completing the fermentation of all the sugar.


My point is that whether you transfer some or all of the sediment you certainly can proceed with the battonage technique with success.

 

[sangwitch]

I was a little confused on the battonage technique myself. The last step says:

* Let the wine settle for two weeks, rack it into a clean, sanitised carboy, and follow all the remaining instructions on schedule, omitting no detail however slight.


Well, we're already in the secondary at this point so racking here implies (for me) to leave the sediment behind, but we all know that WinExpert instructions call for the sediment to be present when clearing. I didn't know what to do at the time so I transfered the sediment as well and thendid the clearing. The wine cleared just fine, but I did have the "bubbles" issue that OilNH20 had... I wonder if that had anything to do with it... I can't think how, but you never know. (no detectable C02, but bubbles. I did the test tube-shake-poof test for verification)
Oil, if you read this... I'm curious, did you rack the sediment on that last step or leave it behind?

 

[Angell Wine]

One of the weird things about the battonage technique, is the longer you stir it up (as in weeks not actually stirring time) the faster it will clear up between stirs.

 

[James]

This battonage technique sound interesting but I'm a little confused. With this technique are you skipping the degassing/addition of fining agents step or are you adding this stirring every few days for a month step and then following the kit instructions for fining?


Also, can a red wine benefit from this technique?


Jim