Barrel Fermenting a White Kit with Surlies

[robie]

I have been planning this "experiment" for awhile now. I just got my Vadai 6-gallon barrel, so I am ready to go.

The purpose of this actually is multiple:
1), To produce a kit Chardonnay that hopefully will be even better than what it would be if fermented in the normal manner in a plastic fermenter bucket and stabilized/clarified immediately after secondary fermentation is completed.

2), Learn and experiment with the surlies/battonage process to improve a white wine. The "experts" say this process should seriously improve the final result of the white wine, even a kit wine.

3), Prep the barrel for aging red wines by first fermenting wine in the barrel.

4), Enjoy the very best hobby I have ever had in my entire life.

...

I have read several articles that indicate a barrel for aging red wines will have extra special nuances/characteristics if it is first utilized for fermenting. It is the result of the yeast and all the enzymes (and stuff) that make up fermentation.

Much of what I have learned so far comes from "WineMakers' Magazine", writer - Tim Vandergrift. He covered this process in the Dec2010/Jan2011 and Feb2011/Mar2011 editions of the magazine.

He fermented 3 whites in his barrel before he turned it over for aging red wines. Of course once a red wine is introduced to the barrel, it can no longer be utilized for white wines, unless you want your whites to look more like a rose. I intend to only ferment one white. The reason being I can't go grab a kit off the shelf for free like Tim can.

Supplies:
Barrel - Vadai 6-gallon Hungarian oak barrel.
I chose this barrel because it is very tried and proven by many home wine makers. Also, these barrels have won trials where the same wine was placed in American, French, and Hungarian (Vadai) oak barrels. When finally blind taste tested, the Vadai beat both the American and French oak.
I was pleasantly surprised when after treating the barrel, it never leaked a drop of water.

Chardonnay Kit: Mosti Mondiale Renaissance, Australian Chardonnay.
Hard to argue against a nice 16liter MM kit. My only reservation was that the kit came with, not a nice dependable white wine yeast, but the old standby - EC-1118. I couldn't believe they put that yeast in such a premium kit.

Had I reread the Tim V. article before I bought the kit, I likely would have gotten the Cellar Craft Washington Chardonnay instead. The reason is not because it is necessarily a better kit, but the article indicated Washington Chards are a little better for surlies than Australian and California Chards might be. However, the MM Ren. Australian Chardonnay kit has a sticker on top that says the grapes came from California and the kit was built in Canada. So, it is not really an Australian Chardonnay after all, just Australian "Style". As it turns out, it will likely do fine and I am glad I bought the one I did; I have made several other MM kits and have always been satisfied with the results.

Yeast: Lalvin ICV D47
This choice is very, very important, as this yeast is especially effective for barrel fermenting whites and aging on their lees, which is exactly what I am going to do. (Ok, maybe I should not be so upset over the MM REN. Chard kit having EC-1118 after all. I would have gone for this D47, anyway, but I can't believe they wouldn't go for a little more applicable yeast.)

Start: I will start the fermentation tonight (08/25/2011).

Primary fermentation: Primary ferment length per MM instructions.

Secondary fermentation: Secondary will be in a glass carboy. (The wine will not be racked from this carboy until surlies/battonage is completed in late November.)

Length of surlies and battonage: Three months. This is a fairly short time period for surlies, which can last up to two years (autolysis doesn't happen until the end of the first year). I feel it is adequate for my first time. According to what I have read, three months is long enough to acquire many of the positive results. (It still will need some additional aging, but I would like to at least sample this by Christmas.)

I won't write anymore now; if anyone is reading this, they might already be dosing off.

More to follow tomorrow!

 

[robie]

One thing I lack is a control source - a bottle of this particular kit, made utilizing the normal process, with which to compare the final results. Not much I can do about that. Mike?

 

[ibglowin]

Couple of things Rich.

Its a "kit" you know they will only package EC-1118 as it will ferment to dry even in the event of a nuclear war.......

Secondly, I have 2 bottles left of this 2009 kit and my kit juice came from Australia according to the package contents!

Sorry, not sharing as it would not be a good control source as the juice is not the same!

I am very interested in your results however!

 

[Wade E]

Sounds like it can only improve the wine.

 

[robie]

Thanks, Mike.

A bottle that aged wouldn't have made a good control compared with a young bottle, anyway.

I know about the EC-1118 and the reason why they pack it. However, the Meglioli Barolo (more expensive!) did not have EC-1118, so I was hoping against hope.

The D47 is a perfect yeast for what I am doing. I have high expectations for the barrel fermentation and the surlies process. Pinot N. is my favorite, but I do enjoy a nice chardonnay. Actually, maybe I enjoy it all.

 

[uavwmn]

Dancer, actually I am NOT dosing off but copying and pasting this thread. I have been lately thinking about getting an oak barrel and using it for aging my wines.


Funny, all of a sudden you pop up with this thread. And I have been picking at Mikes wine head also.


I would definitely use my barrel for a couple of whites also before the reds go in. I have used the battonage process on my first chard and it was wonderful. So, I wish you the best of luck with that process.


Keep updating this thread.

PS......what is a "surlies"?

 

[ibglowin]

Sur Lies and Biolees are 2 additives that are supposed to give your wine the same taste/mouthfeel as the battonage process in just a few weeks time.

 

[robie]

Sur Lies and Biolees are 2 additives that are supposed to give your wine the same taste/mouthfeel as the battonage process in just a few weeks time.

Biolees and Surlees are pretty much the same product,just different makers.

I have used Biolees a few times on some kits and like the results. It works great for taking the "edge" off (example) a chardonnay that didn't get MLF. You can put a pinch in a bottle of wine, seal it up for 24 hours then taste it; it really does smooth things out. It gives the wine an almost "slightly sweet" taste. Its affects are more pronounced where the kit wine really needs the enhancement, of course. If it works, you will definitely know it.

A few weeks before bottling, I like to add it to a small sample of my kit wine and determine if it will improve the wine.

From what I have read about Biolees, it is not recommended for a quality fresh or frozen wine from grapes. It is best suited for kits. Some may disagree.

The surlies process also smooths out the wine, but it also adds a lot of flavor differences and enhancements that Biolees and Surlees additives don't/can't.

I plan on allowing 1 gallon of my chardonnay to stabilize and clarify the standard, non-surlies way. The other 5 gallons will receive the 3 months of surlies/battonage.

Once my wines are ready, if I can't tell the difference between a Biolees treated sample of the 1 gallon and a sample of the surlies/batonnage processed sample, I will certainly let everyone know. Yes, I will make sure I do this trial and report on it.

 

[robie]

Dancer, actually I am NOT dosing off but copying and pasting this thread. I have been lately thinking about getting an oak barrel and using it for aging my wines.


Funny, all of a sudden you pop up with this thread. And I have been picking at Mikes wine head also.


I would definitely use my barrel for a couple of whites also before the reds go in. I have used the battonage process on my first chard and it was wonderful. So, I wish you the best of luck with that process.


Keep updating this thread.

PS......what is a "surlies"?

It is encouraging when others are interested, so thanks, I will keep posting.

The surlies/battonage process is not as effective on the aromatic whites, like Gerts. and Riesling (and the others). However, I have read where some wineries do it on them successfully, anyway. I also read where it can work well with Pinot Noirs, even though it is not at all recommended for other reds.

The article in WineMaker recomends Chardonnay, Sav Blanc, and Pinot Grigio. According to my research, Pinot Blanc and Chenin Blanc also work with it.

Sur lies in French means "on lies". It is the process of, after secondary is completed, leaving the wine on the fine lees (dead yeast) for a period of time. Battonage, as you already know, is the process of periodically stirring those lees back into suspension in the wine.

 

[robie]

Update:

8/25/2011 I built the kit in a standard fermentor bucket. I hydrated two packets of D47 yeast with some Go Ferm and stirred it into the must.

Starting SG was 1.100 (That seemed high for a Chard, so I used two different hydrometers to make sure my reading is good).

The yeast works best at between 59 and 68F, so trying to keep the fermentation cool is going to be a challenge. My tap water is about 70F. My basement this year is about 70F, although in normal cooler years it is about 66F.

8/26/2011 at 7 AM.
The wine looks cloudy, as though fermentation is getting ready to go, so I poured the must into my barrel. Immediately, the fizzing started in the barrel. Fermentation is well underway.

The temperature of the must is about 68F, since I had set the fermenter bucket directly on the cooler floor (on purpose).

I placed the barrel in a tub filled about halfway with 70F water. The barrel is about half under water to keep it cool.

I added a bung with a tub coming out. The other end of the tube was placed in a wine bottle that is about 1/3 filled with sanitizing solution. The end of the tube is under the surface of the solution as it must be, so lots of bubbling is going on.

8M - stirred the must well. Still lots of fizzing

8/27/2011 - 8 AM.

Checked temperature - 72F. I know I am going to have a challenge keeping the fermentation as cool as the yeast wants. I figure 72 to 74F is about the best I will be able to do. I could add ice, but I don't intend on doing so.

Wine is really fizzing!!!! Hard to believe it could be so active at such a low temperature. No foam.

Stirred the must well. Up to this point there had been almost no foam at all. Wow! When I stirred it, it really foamed up and out of the barrel. I think it was the yeast reacting with the loose oak pieces still in the barrel.

Foaming settled down in about 10 minutes. SG is now about 1.085.

Left off the bung and placed a folded paper towel over the hole. This is to let in more oxygen, which this stage of fermentation requires.

 

[robie]

8/29/2011 - AM
SG is at 1.048. Temperature is 72F.

Still fermenting very hard. Still no foaming going on.

The instructions say that at between 1.040 and 1.050 to add yeast nutrient to the primary, stir it well, and rack everything to a carboy.

Hm-m-m-m-m, that seems a little high an SG for me to rack, so I modified that just a little -
I added the nutrient to the fermenting barrel, stirred it well, but left the wine in the barrel for now.

My experience with MM kits is that the nutrient can cause excessive foaming to start up, which if in a carboy, can create the dreaded wine volcano. Same can happen in the barrel of course, so I put the bung in with the end of its exhausting hose placed in a bottle of sanitizing solution, its end under the surface of the solution.

I will give it all day today and likely all night tonight and check it again. If foaming is stopped or never start in the first place, I'll go ahead and rack it to two carboys:
1 gallon to a gallon jug to be stabilized and clarified per the instructions.
5 gallons to a 5-gallon glass carboy for surlies/batonnage treatment, with no stabilization or clarification yet. The surlies/battonage process itself helps protect the wine from spoilage, so I will add the Kmeta a little later.

I will likely not add the sorbate at all. Clarification will not start until late November.

 

[ibglowin]

Take that guy to dry in the barrel!

 

[robie]

Take that guy to dry in the barrel!

That was my first inclination because had I been fermenting a Mosti kit in a fermentor bucket, I would definitely ferment to dry in the single container.

This go around, I am concerned about that extra oak time on a more delicate chardonnay and how well the D47 yeast might do if left that long in a barrel. Also, I am going out of town and likely won't return before secondary finishes, so I decided I would do secondary in a carboy this time.

If the oakiness turns out to be low, I will likely ferment to dry in the barrel next time. (If this turns out to be a good process, there likely WILL BE a next time, since I figure I will buy a new barrel every year.) According to what I read, the amount of oakiness a red aging in the barrel would absorb will be more than the amount absorbed during fermentation in the same barrel. The oak clings to the yeast and other stuff so much of it will eventually get racked off during clarification.

 

[robie]

8/30/2011 -- 6AM



Checked the SG; it is 1.030. Time to rack to secondary.



Stirred the barrel really well then let it set for about 30 minutes.



Using a vacuum pump, racked first to the gallon jug, which will be finished the normal way, according to the remaining kit instructions.



Racked the remainder to a 5-gallon glass carboy. Had about 750ml extra, so it went into a wine bottle.



All three bottles kept right on fermenting. Placed an air lock on each bottle.

Placed bottles in a tub of 68F water to keep the temperature down.



The wine in the 5 gallon carboy will not be removed from this carboy until late November.



I will start the battonage (stirring) next week. i plan on stirring twice a week for awhile, then moving to once a week.

I am surprised at how quickly the D47 yeast has fermented the wine at such a low temperature (~72F).

The instructions say I should have racked when the SG was between 1.050
and 1.040. The reason I waited until 1.030 was to give the wine one
more day in the barrel. As it is, it didn't stay in the barrel very
long. I might have waited one more day, but I didn't want to buck the
instructions by too much. The more I think about it the more I wish I had waited one more day to rack out of the barrel... next time.

 

[ibglowin]

Your going to be saying just one more day for a long time........

You can always add some light toast Hungarian beans if it needs more oak down the road.

 

[robie]

Your going to be saying just one more day for a long time........

You can always add some light toast Hungarian beans if it needs more oak down the road.

No, I won't be saying "one more day", because I am caving.

After I read your previous post and the more I thought about it, considering I would have left the wine in a primary bucket the whole time, I will go home tonight and see if I can even taste the oak in the chardonnay. If the oak is not too strong already, I believe I will put the 5-gallon
carboy and the split back into the barrel until Thursday or Friday,
depending on the SG.

The whole idea of barrel fermenting in the first place is to condition
the barrel. Considering the wine has been in the barrel only about 4
days, and that I am only going to ferment one kit in it, I really ought to give the barrel some more time on the yeast.

I took all the lees over when I racked, so nothing of significance has been lost. I know there will be lots of oak in suspension, but I should be able to judge what might stick to the wine. I'll leave the one gallon in its present container.

The yeast is still going pretty strong, so I figure it will survive moving the wine back, if I do it tonight; the SG should still be above 1.020.

This definitely is a learning experience.

 

[robie]

8/30/2011 PM

I moved the wine from the 5 gallon carboy and the 750ml bottle back into the barrel. Everything seems to be fermenting well, still.

8/31/2011 AM
Checked the barrel. SG is down to 1.012. Temperature is about 72F, still. All looks well. Not regrets about going back to the barrel.

 

[ibglowin]

You going to do another white after this or switch to reds?

 

[robie]

You going to do another white after this or switch to reds?

I'd love to ferment one more white at least, but I am out of kits. It turns into a fight when I want to buy another kit. So, I'll switch to aging reds after this one. I don't need another Chardonnay and I am not that crazy about the other whites, which I can get in a kit and which can handle barrel fermentation (oaking), like Pinot Griz and Sav Blanc can.

Problem is, it doesn't look like my grapes will be here until early October, but my barrel will be empty by next Saturday. Currently aging in carboys, I have a Pinot Noir, Melbec, Barolo, and CC Cab/Syrah blend. Some of them can use a little more oak. I will run them through the barrel just to keep it busy until my fresh grapes get here.

 

[robie]

9/2/2011 PM
SG .999
Racked the wine from the barrel to a 5 gallon carboy. (The 1 gallon had already been racked from the barrel a few days earlier.)

The wine still has a little fermentation to go, but it is close to being finished fermenting.

I will process the 1 gallon container as per normal instructions - add stabilizer and start the clearing process.

The 5 gallon container will start the surlies(lees aging)/battonage(stirring) process in a few days. No stabilizer will be added for awhile, though. I don't intend on ever adding any sorbate.

Since it is a white, if the wine doesn't clear normally, I will use a clarifier. I do intend to filter this wine before bottling.

From now until the end of November, it will be check (smell), stir and wait.