Cold Stabilizing Questions

[grapeman]

Oh you will soon be aging faster than you want. Congrats.

 

[John Prince]

Just to beat this in my head.

After I Cold Stabilize,
Room temperature,
Degass
Filter
Bottle

No bulk aging?

 

[ibglowin]

It should be degassed before you attempt to cold stabilize.

 

[ibglowin]

Cold stabilization is the last thing you would do before you filter. You want to filter cold because if you let the wine warm up to room temp some of the crystals that have precipitated out could go back into solution.

Never bottle cold, though only at room temp!

 

[rhoffart]

My methodafter fermentation;




1) Degas and add fining agents
2) Let the wine clear 2-4 weeks
3) Rack the wine off any sediment - test SO2
4) Cold Stabilize for 2 weeks at 28 degrees
5) Rack and Filter while still cold to remove crystals and polish wine - test SO2
6) Bulk age in carboy
7) Bottle


This is my process as of now.

 

[ibglowin]

Looks good. I would remove "test SO2" from step 5.

Make test SO2 its own step and move down to just before bottling.

 

[rhoffart]

My methodafter fermentation;




1) Degas and add fining agents
2) Let the wine clear 2-4 weeks
3) Rack the wine off any sediment
4) Test SO2
5) Cold Stabilize for 2 weeks at 28 degrees
6) Rack and Filter while still cold to remove crystals and polish wine
7) Bulk age in carboy / barrel
8) Test SO2
9) Bottle
10) Drink


This is my process as of now.

Ok, 10 easy steps

 

[ibglowin]

11) Take Excedrin the next AM......

 

[Gekko4321]

So 10 days in on a planned 14 day cold stabilization. Temps seem to bounce between 30 and 40 degrees. Not one sign of crystal fallout. Should I have seen something by now?

 

[grapeman]

You may have a kit that doesn't precipitate out crystals-not a lot of the kits do. If none after two weeks I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Gekko4321]

I have a RJS EP Sauvignon Blanc. My concern is the temp range. I can clear out the wife's deep freezer if I need to hold the temp lower. Just trying to figure if I did enough or if I need to try something else.

 

[ibglowin]

I think you guys are making much ado about nothing. I have made 8 high end white wine kits and not a single one has dropped a single crystal and some are now over two years old. The CC Showcase reds are a different story. Every one has dropped a small amount of fine wine diamonds after going through about the 18 month time range (including a winter where the temps in the winery are ~55 degrees for 5-6 months)

 

[rhoffart]

That's funny Mike ... I have made 4 MM kits and the all dropped a bunch. The picture attached has about 1/4 inch in the valley's of the carboy.

 

[ibglowin]

Were those the Meg or Masters kits? My Mosti kits were the Renaissance. Still have two bottles of the supposed "Aussie" Chard with not a single drop as well as 2 bottle of the Pinot Grigio.

 

[rhoffart]

Were those the Meg or Masters kits? My Mosti kits were the Renaissance. Still have two bottles of the supposed "Aussie" Chard with not a single drop as well as 2 bottle of the Pinot Grigio.

Two of each ... all whites. I got so much in the Meg that is 18 months old ... I'll never make another white without CS step. I will not give friends/family wine that drops crystals.







Here is a pic of that one.

 

[ibglowin]

At least you know there is a difference in the quality of the juices on those expensive kits!

 

[rhoffart]

I'm still a greenie but I will be moving up to frozen jucie and/or grapes soon. I'm just cutting teeth on these kits.

 

[Gekko4321]

I realize I am beating a dead horse but one key thing never seems to get answered. Can someone with crystal dropout experience tell me when the crystals start to drop--right away, 10 days in? And how long do they continue to drop once it starts--one day, full 2 weeks?

 

[rhoffart]

I realize I am beating a dead horse but one key thing never seems to get answered. Can someone with crystal dropout experience tell me when the crystals start to drop--right away, 10 days in? And how long do they continue to drop once it starts--one day, full 2 weeks?

I don't know ... I put it in the freezer and did not take it out (in the picture above) for 10 days. I don't know when it started to drop -or- if I left it in longer would it drop more ???

It's a small freezer and I would have to lift it in and out every day.

I do know I can put my 18 month old wine in the wine cooler and in 3 days there will be crystals in the bottle. I guess I can run a test with one bottle. In fact I'll go put one in the refrigerator right now.

 

[rhoffart]

Day 0 - Test
Kit - Mosti Mondiale Meglioli Riesling
Wine was filtered
Bottled 10-5-2009
Place in Home refrigerator - Set point 39 degrees