The Amber Wine Thread

[balatonwine]

This is the place to be to generally discuss topics, share photos and experiences, and ask questions about making Amber wine. Also known as skin-contact white wine or "orange" wine.

 

[winemaker81]

Your timing is impeccable. I'm buying Vidal next weekend, doing half as juice and the other half on the skins.

 

[yanick]

Tried my first batch of orange wine last year, and it was pretty good ! I'm in Montreal, so grape options are limited, and our go-to for decades have been Piazza, the mosti mondiale family, who are really great. Picked up some moscato, as options were limited, and since I like passito, I wanted to try it. Turned out really floral, mineral, and with abricot aromas (not surprising). I dindnt extend maceration as much as I would have liked, simply because when alcoholic was complete, I loved what I had, and didnt want to chance losing 60 liters. This year, I'll keep longer with skins to get even darker colour.

This year, I went again with moscato, and decided to add a bit of albarino (yeah, the only other option they had...) so will have a blend.

Got the grapes back home yesterday, and will update how it goes this year, but pretty much simply doing some orange wine, with white grapes, the way I generally do with my reds, nothing too complicated...

 

[yanick]

Some pictures for this year :
Moscato SG 1.096 (juice has greener tint)
Albarino SG 1.088 (juice has browner tint)

 

[yanick]

Quick update on this one. Fermentation is progressing slowly, as I've opened the windows (temperature is in the upper 50s here now). I used EC1118, so I think it can hold up to these colder temperatures. I thought having colder ferment would help me have a darker colour, but it seems that what I have been reading, much warmer fermentation is what would give it darker colour...

The issue I might be having is I'll be away from Monday to Thursday next week. I anticipate the primary fermentation to hit 995 sunday (Its 1.022 now). I was thinking of pressing the moscato on sunday before I leave.
Question : If I press before it hits 995, will it still finish fermentation ?
I know it can continue a little, but would this end up affecting the dryness of the finished wine later ?

I also might want to keep the albarino-moscato blend macerating until thursday (in one week from today) when I'm back.
From what I've read, a week should be ok, but is there still a risk the wine and cap have bacteria start to grow ?
I could drop in the Wineeasy vaccum top to minimize contact with air, and open the windows to have colder temps.

Thoughts on these ?
Thanks

 

[winemaker81]

Question : If I press before it hits 995, will it still finish fermentation ?
I know it can continue a little, but would this end up affecting the dryness of the finished wine later ?

The yeast care about sugar. If they have sugar, they'll keep eating. You can press any time you want. Personal stuff affects winemaking actions more than most people realize.

 

[yanick]

Thats what I thought, and I guess I'll be able to compare pressing around 995 vs pressing a couple days after 995.

I also plan on trying something "different". I've got some 2021 Pinot Noir that still has too much residual sugar (started with sky high potential alcohol...). I'll pour it over the pressed white skins and go for a second press wine (adding water, sugar, acid blend, yeast). We'll see what comes out !

 

[balatonwine]

Question : If I press before it hits 995, will it still finish fermentation ?

I agree with what @winemaker81 said above.

But also note, traditional, ancient methods or Amber wine was to seal the wine into clay amphora and not press for months if at all (just skim off the wine at the top).

I personally press my Pinot gris Amber wine when it reaches about 8 Brix (1.0318 SG). Waiting longer and I find it makes a final wine too bitter for me. The skins seem to me, to have all the tannins but not the full complexities of a full red grape.

To each their own.