Cold stabilization

[distancerunner]

Cold stabilization is usually performed during the winter in the northeast. One reason is obvious. The wine can be moved into a protected enclosure (or a garage door can be left cracked open) and nature will lower the temperature. The schedule looks like this:

1. Crush
2. Fermentation
3. Press
4. Rack (oak adjunct)
5. Rack (optional?)
6. Cold stabilze
7. Rack into barrel if oak not used in glass earlier)
8. etc. to bottling

Is there any reason to not cold stabilize a wine has finished alcoholic and malolactic fermention but before it goes in the barrel?

Therefore:

1. Crush
2. Ferment
3. Press
4. Rack
5. Rack (or not)
6. Cold stabilize
7. Barrel
8. etc.

Seems like it would simplify things, especially if you have glass or stainless to hold the wine after pressing and racking.

Thoughts, experience, and opinions welcome.

 

[winemaker81]

If you're going to cold stabilize, I'd do it before barrel aging. If your tartrate levels are saturated enough to drop crystals, I'd rather not drop 'em in the barrel. You cannot see what you have, while a glass carboy let's you visually inspect.

 

[mainshipfred]

If you're going to cold stabilize, I'd do it before barrel aging. If your tartrate levels are saturated enough to drop crystals, I'd rather not drop 'em in the barrel. You cannot see what you have, while a glass carboy let's you visually inspect.

Barrels can be cleaned but I agree with waiting, though I don't cold stabilize my reds.

 

[winemaker81]

Barrels can be cleaned but I agree with waiting, though I don't cold stabilize my reds.

My point is regarding racking -- I like carboys for wine with sediment as I can see what the sediment level is and can place the racking cane accordingly. With any opaque container it's a guessing game -- call me lazy, I don't like racking the same sediment back-n-forth.

I cold stabilized some NY Finger Lakes reds, due to high acid levels, but don't see any value in my CA reds as my pH is relatively high and the TA is relatively low.

OTOH, my 2019 2nd run blend has crystals in some bottles, but I also adjusted acid by formula and it's likely the formula was a bit high. The wine is also lighter in body and I have wonder if that has any effect on the situation. I wouldn't think it would, but I don't know.

 

[mainshipfred]

My point is regarding racking -- I like carboys for wine with sediment as I can see what the sediment level is and can place the racking cane accordingly. With any opaque container it's a guessing game -- call me lazy, I don't like racking the same sediment back-n-forth.

I cold stabilized some NY Finger Lakes reds, due to high acid levels, but don't see any value in my CA reds as my pH is relatively high and the TA is relatively low.

OTOH, my 2019 2nd run blend has crystals in some bottles, but I also adjusted acid by formula and it's likely the formula was a bit high. The wine is also lighter in body and I have wonder if that has any effect on the situation. I wouldn't think it would, but I don't know.

I was kind of referring to the sediment as well. Since I wait 3 months for the MLF to complete (in glass) most of the sediment drops out before it goes into a barrel. I may do a rack and return once while it's in the barrel that is all. Prior to blending it goes back to glass and racked and filtered prior to bottling. I do check sulfite levels and adjust accordingly throughout the process.

 

[distancerunner]

Good ideas.

Tartrates are challenging to blast out of carboys. I can only imagine trying to clean them out if a barrel.

Thank you.