WineXpert What’s your favorite Chardonnay?

[Cove Cottage]

We're hooked!! Just racked our Zinfandel to the carboy and we are already wondering what to make next. You guys didn't tell me this was addictive.

We both like big, buttery chards ... any suggestions?

 

[Hippie]

For a commercial wine or a kit?


I like Kendall-Jackson's special reserve.


For kits, I like the Winexpert Selection International Chilean, Australian, or French Chardonnay.Edited by: Hippie

 

[Cove Cottage]

Hippie,


Thanks for the reply. I'm torn between the Australian and the French. We'll decide this week and start on our next batch.

 

[callmet]

I realize that this post was originally posted last July, but I am currently looking for the same type of chardonnay (big & buttery). I was curious which you selected.


Trish

 

[Cove Cottage]

Trish,


We selectedthe Australian Chardonnay Winexpert Selection International and it is great!

! The instructions said to wait 4-6 months to drink,which would be April, butwe're already drinking it.Check out the link below .... we used this technique. It was fun and turned out a very good wine. Good Luck. Margaret


http://www.finevinewines.com/Buttery-Chardonnay.htm

 

[txclifton]

Cove,



I wonder how that process would work for a red? Anyone have an idea? It sounds interesting.



thanks

 

[Joseph1]

Doug,


The following is acomment from Tim Vandergrift regarding sur lie aging and batonnage:


"Normal table reds don't get aged sur lie because the amino acids with their 'bready' character make the wine kind of stinky in combination with the phenols found in reds."

 

[txclifton]

Joseph,



Thanks for the reply. Where are you getting this
data? What am I missing? This is great info.





Cheers,

 

[Joseph1]

Doug,


Earlier this month I began to assemble a file of informationon sur lie aging for my own attempt at doing it. I had recalled reading the article on George's site but couldn't locate it. Many thanks to Cove Cottage for finding it for me.

 

[quntumleap]

I read this site and had a question before I try this technique.




http://www.finevinewines.com/Buttery-Chardonnay.htm
At the last step you are supposed to rack the wine
and continue on with the instructions. At that point do you go back and
do the stabilization and fining or do you eliminate that step
completely.



Thanks

John

 

[Angell Wine]

<LI>After ten days, ignore the instructions about fining and stabilizing. Instead, add one-quarter teaspoon of metabisulphite powder to the wine, and gently stir it up with a sanitized spoon. </LI>


When this step is done, the K-meta kills what yeast thats still alive, Therefore Stabilizing. Stir up the yeast and sediment for a month then add the rest of the packages that came with the kit. Hope this helps.

 

[smurfe]

This sounds very interesting to me as well. I did have to chuckle though reading the article in regards to ignoring the instructions when he is an avid preacher of following those instructions!

I might just have to give this a try as well. I wonder if it works with other "Whites" or just the Chard.? I seen the post that advised not to try with Reds. Any one tried it with other whites?


Smurfe

 

[quntumleap]

Thanks for the clarification and the reasons behind it.



I am definitely going to try one.



John

 

[Funky Fish]

<LI>After ten days, ignore the instructions about fining and stabilizing. Instead, add one-quarter teaspoon of metabisulphite powder to the wine, and gently stir it up with a sanitized spoon.


When this step is done, the K-meta kills what yeast thats still alive, Therefore Stabilizing. Stir up the yeast and sediment for a month then add the rest of the packages that came with the kit. Hope this helps.

Be careful, becausethe k-meta will not kill the yeast - especially if WE uses a champagne yeast like EC-1118. What the k-meta will do is protect the wine from oxidation over the next month when you take the airlock off and give the wine a stir. Your wine will be "stabilized" after you are done with the battonage, rack it, and go back to the directions (to fining and stabilizing).</LI>

 

[quntumleap]

I recently read in Winemakers Magazine that if you add sorbate after
malolactic fermentation you will get an unpleasant geranium odor. So if
you don't use sorbate to stablize how do you kill the yeast? Wouldn't
the yeast die off after awhile from lack of a food source (sugar)?



I am a newbie to all this and just want to know what's best to do.



John

 

[Joseph1]

While the one-quarter teaspoon of metabisulfite added after 10 days will not kill the yeast, I believe it is sufficient to kill the bacteria that would cause a malolactic fermentation. If you attempt to extend the processfor morethan the monthindicated, you will need to monitor your free SO2 levels.

 

[Funky Fish]

I recently read in Winemakers Magazine that if you add sorbate after malolactic fermentation you will get an unpleasant geranium odor. So if you don't use sorbate to stablize how do you kill the yeast? Wouldn't the yeast die off after awhile from lack of a food source (sugar)?

I am a newbie to all this and just want to know what's best to do.

John

John,


When you add sorbate to a wine, you want to make sure your free sulfite levels are sufficient to kill off the bacteria that causes MLF, as Joseph suggested.


Aging chardonney on the lees is not the same as allowing it to undergo MLF. Also, this is being done with a kit wine. Kit wines from WE and RJS are not meant to undergo MLF. Tim Vandergrift has stated on another board that allowing a WE kit to undergo MLF will only lead to tears.


Eventually, the yeast in your wine will die off. I'm not sure how long this takes, though.