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jsbeckton

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I have make about 4-5 eclipse series big red kits with skins so have become pretty familiar with those instructions. Recently I got the eclipse series Chardonnay kit and noticed what seems to be a difference. In step three for stabilizing and clearing the Chardonnay kit wants me to stir the sediment into suspension before adding the chitosan. They even say that if you do not do this you wine may be permanently cloudy.

If I recall correctly the red kits all had me rack off the secondary sediment before adding the chitosan. Anyone else notice this difference or did I misread the step for the big reds?
 
You read it right. The Chardonnay and reds have different directions. The Chardonnay doesn't have enough solids in the wine to bind with the clearing agent to attract everything needed to clear it, so it needs the sediment to help it clear. Not intuitive but it's the way it works. The reds have plenty of other solids in it to help it clear without using the sediment.
 
Chardonnay even gets some of its "buttery" flavor from stirred yeast. Its called batonage.
 
Chardonnay even gets some of its "buttery" flavor from stirred yeast. Its called batonage.

bat..on..age: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5wsQcUTueU[/ame]

So I'm thinking about getting a Vidai barrel by the end of the year. Do I need to get chain for the occasionally stirring?
 
I always rack and then do the clearing and my eclipse whites are always crystal clear

cheers
 
The instructions on the WE Cab Sauv. that I'm doing right now lists to stir sediment back into suspension and not to rack... so some of their red kits also have it listed to stir and not rack... maybe a difference between the Eclipe and Vintners Reserve.
 
The instructions on the WE Cab Sauv. that I'm doing right now lists to stir sediment back into suspension and not to rack... so some of their red kits also have it listed to stir and not rack... maybe a difference between the Eclipe and Vintners Reserve.

I think it's primarily a difference between kits with a skin pack and those without.
 

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