White wine from juice - 3 weeks and about to rack

[Siwash]

I haven't made white from juice in many years. I've waited a full 3 weeks to make sure the fermentation is complete. It is not longer actively fermenting. I am about to take an SG but I am pretty sure it's done. When racking into the carboy at this stage, should I top it right up and So2 it? Usually with red, I don't fill it right to the top of the carboy (and I've usually racked it for a secondary Ferm).

Is this the right step? the wine is a pinot Grigio...

 

[heatherd]

I haven't made white from juice in many years. I've waited a full 3 weeks to make sure the fermentation is complete. It is not longer actively fermenting. I am about to take an SG but I am pretty sure it's done. When racking into the carboy at this stage, should I top it right up and So2 it? Usually with red, I don't fill it right to the top of the carboy (and I've usually racked it for a secondary Ferm).

Is this the right step? the wine is a pinot Grigio...

Yes, it is the right step.

 

[Siwash]

Thanks.

 

[Siwash]

When would you recommend the next racking? I usually rack every three months with reds.. but given that this is the first rack, and it has a lot of clearing to do, I am assuming it'll require one sooner - maybe by Christmas or thereabouts?

 

[BigDaveK]

While in primary I taste and measure SG daily. It's fun to follow the change in flavor. Plus, if the fermentation gets stuck something can be done right away.
I transfer to secondary around 1.020 or so. Since it's still fermenting headspace isn't as crucial since it will quickly fill with CO2.
After that, I rack when it's needed. Each wine is different.

 

[Siwash]

I transfer to secondary around 1.020 or so.

I didn't do this with this white, although I always do so with the reds... I hope this isn't critical. Taste seems fine. The FG was .996.

 

[BigDaveK]

I didn't do this with this white, although I always do so with the reds... I hope this isn't critical. Taste seems fine. The FG was .996.

It's a personal preference, Some transfer at a slightly higher SG, some lower. One thing I've learned is that it's very difficult to ruin a batch of wine. Mother Nature knows what she's doing.

 

[Siwash]

It's a personal preference, Some transfer at a slightly higher SG, some lower. One thing I've learned is that it's very difficult to ruin a batch of wine. Mother Nature knows what she's doing.

Well Mother Nature forgot about a couple of my batches over the years!!

 

[winemaker81]

When would you recommend the next racking? I usually rack every three months with reds.. but given that this is the first rack, and it has a lot of clearing to do, I am assuming it'll require one sooner - maybe by Christmas or thereabouts?

It all depends on the wine. Assuming you rack now, you may not need to rack again before bottling.

Racking now (after 3 weeks) should eliminate the gross lees (fruit solids), so anything that drops after this is fine lees (yeast hulls). Search on fine lees, sur lie, and battonage.

I was originally taught to rack every 3 months, because that was how it was done. I've learned since then, to rack only when there is need. Racking a clear wine does nothing beneficial, and unnecessarily exposes the wine to air.

 

[Siwash]

Great points. I have a couple of carboys of reds that I may have to rack (even though they are clear and have been racked two to three times). I over did it with ko2 and it is detectable to the nose (a bit of a burnt rubber smell). I think racking them will be one of the only effective ways to diminish the amount of k02.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

My 2022 whites are currently in carboys, racked 1x to get them off gross lees. I plan to rack into kegs in a month or two in order to put them outdoors for cold stabilization, then I will rack again once (hopefully) tartrates have precipitated out. I don't anticipate further racking unless it's a final polishing step immediately prior to bottling. As @winemaker81 says, only rack when there is a reason to do so, particularly for whites which are more prone to oxidation.

 

[Siwash]

Thanks. Tell me more about cold stabilization- is this intended for whites? What's the point? What temps do you "cold stabilize"? I have a cold cellar that's sits around 45 at this time of year then dips to upper 30s in dead of winter. If I try it, I wonder if those temps work?

Thanks

 

[winemaker81]

Thanks. Tell me more about cold stabilization- is this intended for whites? What's the point? What temps do you "cold stabilize"? I have a cold cellar that's sits around 45 at this time of year then dips to upper 30s in dead of winter. If I try it, I wonder if those temps work?

Cold stabilization is typically performed to reduce high tartaric acid levels, typically in white wines but potentially in cold weather reds. The greatest effect is achieved by reducing the temperature to ~0 C / 32 F and keep it there for a week or two. Excess acid in the form of potassium bitartrate will drop, reducing the acid.

Do Not do this unless your wine tastes sharp, e.g., has too much acid, as it's possible to make the wine flabby tasting. When I lived in Upstate NY, I cold stabilized whites as they were likely to be acidic.

OTOH, reducing the wine to 50-ish F can be done to cause some excess crystals to drop. This may be done to avoid "wine diamonds" in the bottle.

https://wine.bkfazekas.com/cold-stabilization/

 

[cmason1957]

I cold stabilize the hybrid red wines I do. They generally are higher ph and also higher Ta, so they can stand some drop-out. I try to get the ph around 3.5-3.6 preferment, without regard to Ta and then know I will be cold stabilizing some.

 

[bearpaw8491]

Bryan, in your experience, is there a general "rule of thumb" concerning how much acid (g/L) cold stabilization will reduce; I know there are few hard and fast rules in winemaking; however, some of my muscadine finished in the range of pH 2.9 (don't do titration) and that's far too sharp . Have been considering cold stabilization rather than chemical adjustment.
Thanks/

 

[winemaker81]

Bryan, in your experience, is there a general "rule of thumb" concerning how much acid (g/L) cold stabilization will reduce; I know there are few hard and fast rules in winemaking; however, some of my muscadine finished in the range of pH 2.9 (don't do titration) and that's far too sharp . Have been considering cold stabilization rather than chemical adjustment.

I don't know of any estimation tool or rule. I suspect there are too many variables. I suggest you get the wine as close to freezing as you can -- wine will not freeze at 32 F / 0 C. Keep it there for 2 weeks, then rack. If you're under 40 F, it will still help.

This may not completely reduce the acid, but it should help. My experience with Muscadine is that it needs a bit of back sweetening, so cold stabilization should reduce the amount required to balance the acid.

Note -- I've read numerous recommendations to chill the wine down to the wine's freezing point (ranging from 20 F to 27 F, depending on ABV and other factors). I've also read two research papers that stated that chilling wine below 30 or 32 F does not change the amount of bitartrate precipitated. Based upon this, I see no point in chilling the wine below 32 F, as it doesn't help, and freezing wine damages it.

Unless you're up in the NC mountains, cold stabilizing on your porch (as I did in NY) won't work. If I had to cold stabilize now, I'd put the wine in 4 liter jugs and put in the fridge for 2 weeks at a time.

 

[cmason1957]

Cold stabilization of a wine below ph 3.6 will push the ph even lower, how much is probably dependent on the buffering capability of the wine. It is counter intuitive that it goes that way. Also I've never seen much of a change in ph from the cold.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Thanks. Tell me more about cold stabilization- is this intended for whites? What's the point? What temps do you "cold stabilize"? I have a cold cellar that's sits around 45 at this time of year then dips to upper 30s in dead of winter. If I try it, I wonder if those temps work?

Thanks

It's somewhat optional in most cases, and most often used for white wine rather than red. Wine is essentially a saturated solution of potassium tartrate (though the degree of saturation of course depends on many factors - grapes, fermentation conditions etc). If you don't cold stabilize, then when you bottle your wine and put it in the fridge to chill prior to serving, there's a chance that tartrate crystals will precipitate out. They are harmless but visually unappealing - though it should be said that a lot of fine wines are not cold stabilized and it's just accepted as part of the winemaking process.

Cold stabilization isn't an all or nothing phenomenon - if you can only consistently chill to, say, 40 F, your wine may be stable at that temperature but not at colder temperatures. The one case where it's critical to cold stabilize is in sparkling wine, where any residual microcrystals in the bottle can create nucleation sites for CO2 bubbles and lead to explosive gushing when the bottle is opened.

Finally there are some additives that can mimic the process of cold stabilization, discussed here.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Unless you're up in the NC mountains, cold stabilizing on your porch (as I did in NY) won't work. If I had to cold stabilize now, I'd put the wine in 4 liter jugs and put in the fridge for 2 weeks at a time.

Yes, I'm not convinced that I'll get effective cold stabilization here in N. California. There is a spot on the NW corner of my house that never gets sun in winter, so I was thinking of putting my keg(s) there and maybe making a bubble wrap jacket to keep them from warming up too much in the daytime. But it's always going to be a bit hit or miss. I would love to put it in my chest freezer but it's full of food... The only other option I can think of (apart from using chemical means, which I will probably do anyway) is if I can find a friendly local business that will let me keep a keg in their walk-in for a few weeks. I'd have to rack in place there, or course, but it might be the best way if it's available.

 

[bearpaw8491]

I don't know of any estimation tool or rule. I suspect there are too many variables. I suggest you get the wine as close to freezing as you can -- wine will not freeze at 32 F / 0 C. Keep it there for 2 weeks, then rack. If you're under 40 F, it will still help.

This may not completely reduce the acid, but it should help. My experience with Muscadine is that it needs a bit of back sweetening, so cold stabilization should reduce the amount required to balance the acid.

Note -- I've read numerous recommendations to chill the wine down to the wine's freezing point (ranging from 20 F to 27 F, depending on ABV and other factors). I've also read two research papers that stated that chilling wine below 30 or 32 F does not change the amount of bitartrate precipitated. Based upon this, I see no point in chilling the wine below 32 F, as it doesn't help, and freezing wine damages it.

Unless you're up in the NC mountains, cold stabilizing on your porch (as I did in NY) won't work. If I had to cold stabilize now, I'd put the wine in 4 liter jugs and put in the fridge for 2 weeks at a time.

Thanks Bryan, certainly food for thought and I do plan to backsweeten but hopefully not have to use as much sugar as a "down and dirty" bench trail last week required! I have an unheated utility building that is shaded most of the day. I may try to stash one of the carboys there once we reach more normal winter temps.
Your last point is well taken and has been logged as another data point for moving to the hight country!
Thanks again