Mosti Mondiale Renaissance Aussie Chard SG?

[Boatboy24]

I just mixed this up and plan to rack into my new Vadai in a few hours. I mixed to 6 gallons and was surprised to get an SG of 1.102 - much higher than I expected. Can anyone share their starting SG with this kit? Thanks!

Jim

 

[tonyt]

The 23ltr. Meglioli that I just finished, SG started at 1.096. I did barrel ferment too but did not rack to barrel till it was active, about 12 hours.

 

[Boatboy24]

Thanks Tony. 1.102 just seems way too high (I expected 1.090 to 1.095, but no mention of a target SG in the instructions). I checked again this morning, and it's a 1.100. I'm starting this in a juice bucket, which isn't marked. So there's a chance I didn't measure out the right quantity of water. It was just starting to get going this morning, so I'm waiting to move to the barrel until tonight. I'll top with water when I move to secondary if needed.

 

[tonyt]

My first thought was that you were a bit short on water. Dont forget to leave a little head room in the barrel for foaming.

 

[Boatboy24]

My first thought was that you were a bit short on water. Dont forget to leave a little head room in the barrel for foaming.

I plan to ferment about 1/2 gallon in a gallon jug, with the rest in the barrel. Thanks!

 

[Rocky]

Hey Guys, this barrel fermenting is something new to me. What are the advantages/benefits of doing so? Seems like it could get really messy with overflow from fermentation activity and would have to be watched on a very regular basis.

 

[ibglowin]

Good way to break in a new barrel, Will give your chardonnay a great flavor and some increased mouthfeel from fermenting on the oak. You have to add a little less water and then add it back when you transfer to glass or make to proper volume and then ferment the half gallon or so that won't fit in a small container and combine down the road.

 

[tonyt]

Rocky, fermenting in the barrel gave the Chard a smoother mouthfeel but maintained the crispness. It also conditioned the barrel so that I could leave the first red kit in the barrel longer than usual. After the Chard next in the barrel was a MM Ren Nero D'Avola for a month, then a WE Brunello for almost three months, now everything else will get a three month rotation. So it adds mouthfeel to the Chard and conditions the barrel. Win win. Too bad you can only do it once per barrel?
Edit: surprisingly the barrel fermentation added little to no oak to the Chardonnay.

 

[ibglowin]

Who made that rule! As long as you keep adding a white wine you can ferment as many as you like. Once you add a red, your done unless you want a Rose'

Too bad you can only do it once per barrel?

 

[tonyt]

Who made that rule! As long as you keep adding a white wine you can ferment as many as you like. Once you add a red, your done unless you want a Rose'

Good point. At about two weeks per ferment that would be a couple dozen white wines per year. That's a lot of white wine when I only drink reds. It was real fun to do and I love telling folks that you can only do it once per barrel, makes it "more special" that way.

 

[robie]

That Aussie chardonnay is really not from Australia at all. There will be a sticker on the kit box that says something like: "grape source: USA".

That's really OK, because the resulting wine will be "Australian style", which is a little heavier, darker and higher ABV, which you have noticed with the high SG.

The must starts out dark but the resulting wine is a gorgeous golden color. The flavor is a little richer and not as fruity as you might find in a liter style Chard.

I think this represents what Chardonnay wine can be like if the grapes come from a warmer climate.

You might leave out the bentonite if you barrel ferment. It creates a mess in the barrel.

I always break in my Vadai barrels by fermenting a white. Wish I had held back one of those barrels and reserved it permanently just for whites.

 

[Rocky]

Thank all you Guys for the information. I like to try new ways of doing things and I want to try this. I do have some questions, if you would be so kind:

1. I note that everyone is talking about a white wine. Does this also work for reds?
2. I had the same thought as Robie on the Bentonite. I think the kits that are referenced have that "good" bentonite that dissolves in water. There is also the kind that turns back into mud and I would be reluctant to put that in my barrels.
3. When we made wine at home many years ago, we would ferment in an open barrel for about 10-14 days and then move to a closed barrel with the bung hole open. It was important to keep the level of the wine up to the diameter of the bung hole during this period. The wine would continue to ferment in that barrel for about 5 weeks. This seems to be similar to what you are doing, but it was probably down to about SG 1.020 or so when we moved it from the "working barrel" to the closed barrel. We, of course, did not have an hydrometer at the time. I just cannot imagine the amount of airspace one would need for the initial phase of fermentation.

I look forward to trying this. Thanks.

 

[robie]

Yes, it works with a red, also. Since most wine makers make more reds than whites, a new barrel is an opportunity to sneak in that one white before the barrel is permanently turned over to reds.

The fermentation imparts some special characteristics to the barrel. Don't have any of the specific details handy, though.

Even though the barrel is new, it doesn't impart a lot of oak during fermentation. One most likely will need to add some oaking after the wine is in the carboy.

 

[Boatboy24]

Thanks for the info, Robie. That's good stuff. I was a little concerned about the color, actually. But you've eased those fears. It's sort of an olive/brown/golden color now.

One question I haven't asked about this process is the time in "primary". My plan was to rack around 1.020-1.010. Should I wait longer?

 

[robie]

Thanks for the info, Robie. That's good stuff. I was a little concerned about the color, actually. But you've eased those fears. It's sort of an olive/brown/golden color now.

One question I haven't asked about this process is the time in "primary". My plan was to rack around 1.020-1.010. Should I wait longer?

Yep, the must color is sort of deceiving. It looks like the juice is oxidized, but that's just its color.

I don't remember if that kit comes with a yeast nutrient packet or not. If it does, I always add it while the wine is still in the bucket so I don't get a wine volcano in the carboy. That gives it a little time to settle before it is racked to the carboy.

Yes, you can rack at 1.020 to 1.010, no problem.

Edit - Wait, you are talking about fermenting the white in your barrel. It has been a while since I did that wine in a barrel, but I believe I took a chance and added the nutrient while the wine was in the carboy. I didn't want the nutrient in my barrel. Also, I used D47 yeast.