Chardonnay Mistake

[jpp7717]

Bought 2 lugs of Chardonnay grapes on a whim when we picked up our merlot and sangiovese grapes. Unfortunatly didn't read up on how to make white compared to red wine. We crushed, then pressed the chardonnay grapes and then put the juice in a regular primary fermenter. We did not clarify the juice before adding yeast. Will this cause a big problem for us? Right now the white is in my basement which is about 66-68 degrees. Is this too warm for white wine, i know generally you want the temps cooler. Should the fermenter have a lid with airlock on it or can i leave it open covered with cheesecloth like red wine?

thanks for your help!

 

[Rocky]

I don't think you will have any problems. I have never heard of letting the wine clear before adding the yeast. I have helped make wine at a commercial winery and all we did with whites, including Chardonnay, was de-stem and crush into the primary fermenting vessel. Where did you see that you had to clear the wine before adding the yeast? Whites should be fermented at under 70 degrees F so you are fine where you are. I would just cover the fermenter with the lid sans airlock for the first stage of fermentation, i.e. until SG = 1.020 or so.

 

[robie]

Bought 2 lugs of Chardonnay grapes on a whim when we picked up our merlot and sangiovese grapes. Unfortunatly didn't read up on how to make white compared to red wine. We crushed, then pressed the chardonnay grapes and then put the juice in a regular primary fermenter. We did not clarify the juice before adding yeast. Will this cause a big problem for us? Right now the white is in my basement which is about 66-68 degrees. Is this too warm for white wine, i know generally you want the temps cooler. Should the fermenter have a lid with airlock on it or can i leave it open covered with cheesecloth like red wine?

thanks for your help!

When you say "clarify", do you mean add Kmeta?
You don't clarify before fermenting.
If you did not add Kmeta, you should still be fine as long as you start fermentation with your commercial yeast right away. Don't wait!

The temperature at which you ferment a white depends on the temperature range of the yeast you intend to use. Ex: D47 has a temp range of about 59 to 68F. If you want a nice, soft chard, use D47.

But if you use a yeast that is comfortable at 72 to 85F, you won't be able to ferment the chard at 68F very effectively. Yeast and temperature range have to match.

No, never seal a fermenter or add an air lock during primary fermentation. That is asking for H2S or a stuck fermentation. You can leave the lid laying on top loosely and put a piece of paper over the air lock hole. If you want to use cheese cloth, that will work well, also. Be sure to stir the whites once a day and the reds 3 times a day. Once in secondary, that's when you add the air lock and you will no longer need to stir.

 

[Runningwolf]

Ditto what Robie said.

 

[jet]

AFAIK, it's SOP to let white juice settle after pressing and to rack it into the primary.

 

[jpp7717]

I had read 2 seperate places on the net that had said to cool down the pressed white wine for 24hrs and then rack off into the fermenter and add the yeast.

So far everything looks good, i'm going to take a SG reading tonight.


Thanks for the Replies!

 

[winemaker_3352]

I also agree with Robie - D47 is a nice yeast for that wine. I used it for my Chardonel and i fermented at 54* - nice and slow..

 

[robie]

I only recommended starting fermentation right away because he hadn't added pre-dose of Kmeta. My post as about 4 hours after his question was asked. Whites can oxidized rather quickly.

Are you going to do an mlf? If so, which mlb are you planning to use? The reason I ask is that the buttery aspect of mlf really enhances the flavor of a chardonnay. There are things you can do to make sure the buttery flavor is as enhanced as possible in this white, assuming you like that flavor.

 

[naperwineguy]

Morewine has a great manual for both red and white wine making - here's the link for the white wine.

http://www.morewinemaking.com/public/pdf/wwhiw.pdf

I do not believe that it is SOP to leave it in an open top fermenter during primary fermentation. I did my Chardonnay in my Vadai barrel, as a way to break in the barrel. Other guys I know use a variable volume ss tank with an airlock. That small of volume of grapes, I would suspect a Better Bottle 3.5 gal carboy would be about right.

Oxidation effects on white wine is much more noticable than reds - and unlike reds, you do not have the cap from the skins to protect the wine. In a airlocked carboy, you will have the CO2 protecting the wine. If you ever see a chardonnay with a brown hue, its due to poor winemaking techniques which allowed the wine too much exposure to the air. Think of an apple when you cut it - first its a nice clean white. Leave that apple on the table for an hour or more and you will see it begin to brown. Same principle at work here with white wines.

The cooler the wine fermentation temps the better under control you will have against oxidation. High 50s is pretty standard, but without some sort of cooler, or living in a northern climate, its not likely you will get your must temp that low. Low to mid 60s is acceptable.

 

[jpp7717]

I have mine in an open top fermenter. I am going to switch to a closed lid with an airlock.

Not sure which MLB i will use , i am going to the store today to buy one and i will try a MLF.

This is my first time making wine so i have a question on the MLF, when do i want to add the bacteria, after it moves to secondary fermentation?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[naperwineguy]

After racking off of the gross lees. Do not add any kmeta. The link above to the manual I posted above gives you very detailed step by step instructions on the process.

 

[jpp7717]

naperwineguy, thank you very much. That manual was very helpful

 

[Randoneur]

AFAIK, it's SOP to let white juice settle after pressing and to rack it into the primary.

I always chill white juice and let it settle overnight and rack it off the mud before pitching yeast. No rule says you have to, not everyone thinks it is needed.

 

[Runningwolf]

I always chill white juice and let it settle overnight and rack it off the mud before pitching yeast. No rule says you have to, not everyone thinks it is needed.

The cool thing about this hobby is so many people have that one little thing they do different then everyone else and gets the same results. I once visited a winery that does their cold stabilizing before fermentation. Their wine was fantastic.