Brown chardonnay

[nicklausjames]

I purchased 3 6 gallon buckets of chardonnay. 2 were clear but one bucket was very brown. Is this still good? Can I combine it with the two clear buckets still? Why is it brown v the others?

 

[beano]

I purchased 3 6 gallon buckets of chardonnay. 2 were clear but one bucket was very brown. Is this still good? Can I combine it with the two clear buckets still? Why is it brown v the others?

I'm not a grape person, mostly fruit wines for me, but I suspect maybe the juice is oxidized or someting of that nature. I would question the seller on this. Someone, I'm sure will chime in and be able to say for sure.

Joe

 

[peaches9324]

yes oxidation was my first thought. I wouldn't combine them and taint the good two. Is there an expiration date? Might the seal had been broken? How does it smell? Until you get an answer from the pros don't combine them

 

[acorn]

I purchased 3 6 gallon buckets of chardonnay. 2 were clear but one bucket was very brown. Is this still good? Can I combine it with the two clear buckets still? Why is it brown v the others?

I agree with beano. You should contact the seller with this issue, which is most likely oxidation. If they are cooperative, they should replace your juice.

Also note, if it ever got brown as a result of oxidation in the fermentation or racking you could use activated carbon in combination with bentonite to restore the color, though books say this should be done as the absolutely last resort before considering sending the wine down the sewer.

 

[grapeman]

Check the lot numbers of the pails. See if the two are from one batch and the other is from a different one. It could be that the darker one was produced from grapes that had better sun exposure. A lot of white grapes will get a golden color to light brown when in full sun. Juice from them is always darker than from ones grown in shadier conditions. I would do them in seperate carboys. Often the darker juices and musts will stay darker and sometimes they clear to a lighter color. If they all turn out well, I would blend them when ready to bottle (unless you want to bottle separately).

 

[nicklausjames]

Thx everyone. It is very brown like iced tea. Right now I have not combined them. I'm still not sure as I read online sometimes these juices come brown and turnout fine.

 

[nicklausjames]

Also I took a brix reading it is 15. Does this mean it fermented down to 15? Or I just need to add sugar to bring it to around 22?

I added some sulfite to try to kill the natural yeast that was fermenting.

 

[nicklausjames]

I measure the brix to and it was at 0. Clearly something wrong with this. Hopefully the seller will stand behind their product.

 

[Runningwolf]

I'm a bit confused. First off what kind of Chardonnay is this. Is it local or is it a California Pail. I doubt if there is any lot numbers on a CA. pail of juice. Tell us about where you bought it. Was it cold and refrigerated when you got it? Most places only handle the pails if they can keep them refrigerated but I know of even a few hardware stores sell them hoping customers come in the day they receive them. Did you pick them up they day they arrived or wait? I'm sure the seller can't replace it now since they probably only brought in what was presold, but the may credit you. I bought a Chardonnay also a few years ago and it ended up being a straw color but it tasted ok. I can't remember if it was Chilean or California. It is odd though that one out of three is a shade off.

My next question is you said you took a brix reading and it was 15° then an hour later it was 0°. I am assuming you meant it was 15° at the time when you brought it home. What was the brix on the other two pails. Some processors add yeast to the pails. Do you know if yours had it added? I never heard of any of these pails being processed under 21°, so I would not add sugar. Because you measured 15°, it makes me believe you picked up a pail a while after they arrived and so that should be expected. You can't hold of yeasties forever.

 

[nicklausjames]

The two that were ok in color were 15 brix. So no sugar? The brown one was 0 brix. The store said they were kept in a cooler. They were ca lodi gold chardonnay. One pail has a date on it of August 28 2014.

 

[Runningwolf]

So they are two months old. They no doubt fermented on there own after all that time. I would not add sugar if it was mine. Keep the three separate as Grapeman said and go foward, finish and age them. You can make the decision at bottling time if you want to blend them all together or not.

You called this a "ca lodi gold chardonnay". I never heard of a gold Chardonnay. Is this the clue to the color and the other two were not gold? Ask your supplier about it and let us know how you make out.

 

[Runningwolf]

The two that were ok in color were 15 brix. So no sugar? The brown one was 0 brix. The store said they were kept in a cooler. They were ca lodi gold chardonnay. One pail has a date on it of August 28 2014.

Just one more thing, only one pail had a date on it you said. Is this the one the straw colored one came from. Like Grapeman said, you may have two different batches that came out of different vineyards which could explain the difference in color.

 

[nicklausjames]

No the brown did not have a date

 

[sour_grapes]

You called this a "ca lodi gold chardonnay". I never heard of a gold Chardonnay. Is this the clue to the color and the other two were not gold? Ask your supplier about it and let us know how you make out.

Dan, the "Gold" does not modify the Chardonnay. Rather, Delta Packing Company calls seemingly ALL of their grapes "Gold," modified by the place name where the grapes originated. (Lodi, in this case.)

See: http://www.deltapacking.com/commodities/grapesofgold/,
where we read about
Amador Gold
Napa Gold
Sonoma Gold
Lodi Gold, etc.

 

[Runningwolf]

Thanks Paul, I did not know that and was just reaching.

 

[nicklausjames]

I wanted to post a pic bc I fermented the juice and I'm wondering if it is still good. Will the color clear or is it going to look like pond water forever. It doesn't taste that bad.

 

[grapeman]

Still lots of bubbles so it won't drop sediment yet. When it does it will begin to clear and will probably lighten up a bit. If it tastes good, who cares if it isn't very light. When in the bottle and then the glass, it will look lighter in color and probably be a nice light color.

 

[nicklausjames]

I have 12 gallons that is much less brown is it ok to combine them? I was under the impression something is wrong with it but maybe this is normal? I have not made chardonnay before.

 

[ReefKeeper]

I would talk to the store you got them from. It sounds like the two good buckets are half fermented and the brown bucket has completed fermentation and is oxidized. Never combine wines until they are clarified, stabilized, and evaluated. Even still, I'd recommend bench trials to determine blending percentages for the desired style.

If the store won't work with you, I'd give the brown bucket a chance to settle a bit. I've found that whites always look darker in the tank/carboy than they actually are. You could thief a sample and examine it in a glass to give a more accurate evaluation. If it is brown (oxidation), I'd add some SO2 stat and try PVPP fining and see where that gets you. A tannin made for white wine may help prevent further oxidation but it won't remove what is already there. Do not attempt MLF on the brown bucket bucket.

 

[ReefKeeper]

Perhaps I misread this. Are you asking if you should combine the good buckets and leave the brown one on its own? If so, than maybe... always evaluate before blending. I'd be more prone to leave them in their own carboys and blending after they are finished though.