WineXpert WE Australian Chardonnay

[JimCook]

The first kit is on! Wine Expert Selection International Australian Chardonnay. Here's the pics...

Bentonite is mixed

Juice and Water to 23L. Specific gravity measured 1.090 at 73 degrees, so right in the middle of the range of 1.080-1.100. We proceed!

Four (count 'em!) packages of Sawdust onto the juice

Finally - the sawdust is mixed in with the juice. Yes it took a while, and yes, the entire time I could hear smurfe saying, "Spoon bad! Mixer good!"

The yeast is sprinkled over the top andit'sready to go.


Maybe I should call my wines 'Spartan Wines,' as it would be aptly named based on my winemaking setup.

- Jim



Edited by: JimCook

 

[DrtDoctor]

Hey looks great!! I just ordered this kit from George. I'm going to try stirring up the lees for a month before stabilizing and clearing. I can't remember the name Tim Vandergrift uses for it but I found a thread about it on this site. Essentially, you add an eighth teaspoon of k-meta and then stir up the lees about twice a week for a month and then go back to the direction and finish the kit. He said it adds body to the Chardonnay. Anyone try this technique with this kit?

DrtDoctor

ps. great pictures, thanks

 

[OilnH2O]

It's called "buttery chardonnay" and I and several others have made it -- it's super!


Check this on the "Resources" page
http://www.finevinewines.com/Buttery-Chardonnay.htm

 

[JimCook]

After 24 hours, the yeast looks like soggy mini white rice instead of the hard mini rice look from yesterday's application. The surface appears to be covered with the sawdust and is now uneven with tiny pockmarks, perhaps from small bubbles coming through as fermentation starts. The temp of the must has been holding at 70 degrees F. It smells yeasty, but is pleasant. I may be smelling some of the wood - but it's hard to tell. My sniffer isn't top notch and it's my first time.

- Jim

 

[Waldo]

Looking good Jim ..Keep them pictures coming too

 

[jobe05]

"the entire time I could hear smurfe saying, "Spoon bad! Mixer good!"














Wow......... A Newbie whos been doing some reading.......... Impressive.


With pictures........ More impressive.


Good Job Jim! Looks really good.

 

[Wade E]

Excellent job with everything! Keep up the good work.

 

[geocorn]

Congrats, Jim on getting it started and for the pictures. As my forum members like to remind me...... "we likepictures!"

 

[JimCook]

Thanks for all the support and this great repository of information where I could see what I was going to be doing before doing it. I'll keep the updates coming in true FVW forum fashion.


And I'll be calling soon to get some more supplies, George.


By the way - for anyone that doesn't happen to have a metal or glass thermometer in their batch of start-up goods, one of the 'stick-on' thermometers simply pressed against (not stuck on, in my case) the fermentation bucket reads very quickly for a jury rigged method.


- Jim

 

[JimCook]

After 48 hours, the yeast has 'settled' into the solution mix and there is no longer a layer of wood and yeast on top. Small carbon dioxide bubbles are fizzing from the liquid like a freshly poured can of Coca-Cola. The fermentation temperature has raised up to 71 degrees while the ambient temperature is slightly cooler in the room. Does not smell as 'yeasty' at this point, but hard to pinpoint the exact aroma.

The next morning at 60 hours, the fermentation temperature is up to 72 degrees with the ambient temp at 66 degrees. The bubbling is continuing at the same pace and the liquid is now more white/cloudier. The wood bits are moving around as the gas production 'stirs' the mixture and there is less toward the surface. The aroma is one of ripe apples with a hint of fruit bread smell, which is fine to me, although my wife isn't necessarily fond of it. At leastfor her sake the whole house doesn'tsmell that way.

- Jim

 

[masta]

Lookin good Jim and don't worry as the wife will learn to really enjoy the smell of fermention when you have 4 or 5 going at once!

 

[grapeman]

All is going well there Jim. Don't worry about the smell, it only lasts a few days. You could take up baking and tell your wife it is that making the smell and she probably would say she loved the smell

 

[JimCook]

She's not really a 'fruit bread' kind of person anyway, so maybe that's it. I think it smells great.

- Jim

 

[JimCook]

After 3.5 days, SG is 1.038 at 69 degrees. The wood has settled quite a bit and I'm assuming it's forming a sedimentary band at the bottom of the bucket. The smell is still of ripe fruit and moist or cooking bread.

After5 days, SG is 1.022 at 68 degrees. Fruit like banana or apple and bread/yeast aromas are still pleasant and pronounced, especially near the fermentation bucket. The wood has almost completely settled out of visible range and we are in the 5-7 day time frame waiting for transfer to the secondary fermentation vessel.

If the specific gravity keeps dropping at this rate, transfer should happen on Sunday. The temperature of the liquid has not been maintaining its own heat as well lately and the release of carbon dioxide 'fizz' has decreased from it's peak around day 2. A Brew Belt has been attached and is ready to help keep the heat in the range if necessary.


- Jim

 

[rgecaprock]

Jim,


Nice pictures you've taken there................Ramona

 

[Wade E]

I would probably turn on the brew belt at this point as towards the end
is where it gets easier to get a stuck ferm. and at that temp you are
are approaching the danger zone in my opinion.

 

[JimCook]

Time to move to the next step - the wine was racked after the specific gravity dropped below 1.010. The Brew Belt has been holding the mixture at a temperature of 75 degrees, so right at the top of the 65-75 degree range.

And here's what's left over in the fermentation bucket...

What did I do with the sediment? I ate it with some fava beans and a nice Chianti, of course.


Final product moving into step 3 of the WineExpert kit instructions are now to wait until the fermentation stops at a specific gravity of 0.996 or lower and is stable for two consecutive days. For now - we wait.

- Jim

 

[JimCook]

Entering the WE step #3 - fining and stabilization, the specific gravity has been stable at 0.996 measured on day 10 and 11 afterracking to the carboy. The alcohol by volume should be 12.5% by these measurements. At this point, the toasty wood aroma is present but not as much of the fruit as the original juice concentrate. While the picture doesn't do it justice, the lees have settled down to the bottom of the carboy and the liquid is somewhat cloudy (CO2 in solution, in part, I'm guessing).

But before we move into the 'real' step 3 (degassing and stabilization), it's time for the battonage method! Battonage begins. Here the lees are all stirred nicely into suspension.

But before the stirring began, it seems a thief struck!

Taste taste!Survey says, "The wine has higher acidity and is a little sharp, but is suprisingly smooth to me at this point. While the oak is on the nose, it's not in the taste, so at this point I'm planning on adding oak beans later on. It will be nice to get a larger amount of the buttery feeling and taste in this wine, as well as waiting for the fruit to pop out with age."


- Jim

 

[Wade E]

Looking GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!

 

[JohnA]

Looks great, Jim. I just recently started World Vineyard Australian Shiraz. Should have taken pictures but the horror stories about contamination worry me. I keep mine covered. The only pleasure I get is listening to the bubbling air lock.


But I'm looking forward to racking day! Camera will be ready!