New jersey winemakers talk

This is really serious!!

 

New wine talks

Nice video very good there are a lot of winemakers in ñew jersey give the thread time at the least it brought us together ,correct,.

 

You must have just beat me to it. I got down there at around 1pm and they only had 1 bucket of chennin blanc left!!!!!

 

We got home around that time from getting the juice. I didn't know it was the last three jugs. Good luck fermenting it.

 

Still bubbling, a bit more vigorously this morning no change in temperature. I will rack it next Monday or Tuesday. Not bad for a frosty morning.

 

Mine was already fermenting the moment I warmed it up. I do not know if a cultured yeast was already added or if this is wild yeast that is at work. I noticed a layer of yeasty lees at the bottom of each bucket when I transferred the juice to my primary.

I ended up getting 1 chennin blanc and 3 of another varietal that I never heard of that I ended up blending together. My thinking is that at these prices. what do I have to lose??

 

YES, we had some ugly settling on the bottom of the pail both lees and solids. I siphoned the liquid above it and pitched in the yeast I bought. It warmed up to 60 degrees F and has remained so overnight and all day today. It is bubbling just fine, slowly yesterday and quickly today. More lees forming on the bottom. The cellar smells great from all the out gassing.

 

I just got some good info off of wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenin_blanc#Winemaking_and_wine_styles
"One of the major differences between Old world and New world styles of Chenin blanc is the fermentation temperature. Old World style producers in the Loire tend to ferment their Chenin blanc at higher temperatures, 60-68°F (16-20°C), than New World producers in South Africa and elsewhere, usually fermenting their whites at temperatures around 50-54°F (10-12°C). This is because Old World wine producers tend not to put a premium on the tropical fruit flavors and aromas that come out more vividly with cooler fermentation temperatures. Chenin blanc can accommodate some skin contact and maceration which will allow extraction of phenolic compounds that could add to the complexity of the wine. Two of the aromas that skin contact can bring out is the characteristic greengage and angelica notes of Chenin. The grape's characteristic acidity can be softened by malolactic fermentation, which will give the wine a creamier or "fattier" texture as would a period spent aging on the lees. The use of wood or oak aging is up to each individual producer. Old World producers tend to shy away from the use of new oak barrels which can impart flavors of vanilla, spice, and toastiness; though these notes may be desirable for a New World producer. In Savennières there is a tradition of using acacia and chestnut barrels for aging; though acacia can impart a yellow tint to the wine, and chestnut barrels may add some buttery notes.[3]"
Never done this kind of grape before it should be an interesting experiment. Hope my wife likes it when it is done.

 

Check out the thread about Corrado's Contest at:
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51683

 

CUVEE slide show

These are some of the photos I took at CUVEE:

https://youtu.be/6lwE8jg0fPk

 

Awesome video thanks for sharing

 

I found out something today that I wished I knew before starting this batch of Chenin Blanc wine. It is to put in Bentonite (Calcium Bentonite to be precise, if you don’t want the added sodium) before the yeast. That way the wine will automatically clear itself as the bubbles rise and pop at the surface, the bentonite particles fall to the bottom collecting more stuff that makes the wine cloudy or off taste. The next batch of white that I am going to do that. Instead of putting it in after the fermentation slows down. Sure beats doing it at the end.

 

Is it done fermenting? If no, when did you start it? Might not be to late

 

I think so very slow bubbling almost non-existant. Will do it traditional way now. Thanks for the info.
Bill

 

Some do this, but I do not. I age the wine for at least a year and (with proper racking) the wine clears on it's own. For that extra special level of clarity, I filter the wine just before bottling.

I do believe (and I might be wrong here) that bentonite before fermentation aids is ridding your wine in excess CO2, making degassing easier. I believe that the bentonite provides a source of nucleation for the excess gas.

 

I tend to get impatient. Gotta learn to wait it out. I too filter before bottling but that is 6 months to a year from crush usually. Reds seem to clear up so fast compared to whites for me. I am going to wait it out now. Thanks.

 

I mixed up a slurry from a sealed new package of Bentonite recently and it smelled musky, like an old cellar. Didn't use it cause I didn't want the possibility of it skunking my finished wine. I haven't used Bentonite in the past but thought that it might help with a cloudy white (Chenin Blanc). My question is whether to expect that smell from Bentonite. If so if I ever use any Bentonite smell or not, will it get into the finished wine????????

I am letting the wine settle out over time. So far it is clearing up steadily and I expect it to be fine in a few months. I will post a photo on Friday of the two carboys.

 

bill,

i see that you are a beekeeper. i kept bees when i was a kid. i even belonged to the nj beekeepers association. how long have you kept bees?

 

Meeting

Might not be a bad thing if we could pick a direction and time frame for a new jersey get together, thoughts?

 

I started in the 1980's for a few years stopped in the 1990's and started again after I retired from working for $$$ in 2010. Now I work all the time and don't get paid. Too many honey do's and work around here.