Chardonel Wine Recipe
Dave Brown
I hope someone here in this newsgroup could reply to this message. I
have been making wine for a number of years which consists of mostly
fruit. I have a contact at a local vineyard that grows Chardonel and
Chambourcin. They will be giving me approx. 100 lbs. of Chardonel this
year, probably within the next week.
I have not made wine using this type of grape before and was looking
for a few pointers. By the way, I'm located in southeast Missouri.
What would be a good yeast to use with this grape? Someone suggested a
malolatic fermentation (which I've never done before, or even know
what is involved) another said to not worry about that and just get a
good ferment. Should I use pectic enzymes? Anyone have any
guidelines/recipe for me to follow?
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated as I'm becoming a bit concerned
that I might screw up this batch.
Thanks,
Dave
Clyde
> Hello,
>
> I hope someone here in this newsgroup could reply to this message. I
> have been making wine for a number of years which consists of mostly
> fruit. I have a contact at a local vineyard that grows Chardonel and
> Chambourcin. They will be giving me approx. 100 lbs. of Chardonel this
> year, probably within the next week.
>
Hi Dave,
Unlike wines from other fruit, grapes can vary dramatically in their
chemistry, so getting consistent results by following a recipe would be
difficult if not impossible. Even grapes of the same variety can have
significant differences depending on the growing conditions, micro climate,
and the vintage. Making wine from grapes is usually done more from a formula
than a recipe. Since the must can be entirely grape juice, only slight
adjustments are needed (if any at all) to produce a high quality wine.
(Forgive me if I get too elementary here, but I woke up to check a ferment
and am having trouble getting back to sleep! Besides, it helps me to go
over the basics this time of year, and you caught my attention with the SE
MO line. I'm located near Rolla)
There are three major parameters to winemaking that need to be monitored.
In that, you should have a way to measure each of these. They consist of
(in order of importance):
1) pH, measured with a meter, expressed in value of pH. The pH of wine
dictates many factors including longevity and stability.
2) Sugar, measured with a simple hydrometer, often expressed in Brix. I'm
sure you're aware that the starting sugar level dictates the ending alcohol
level.
3) TA, measured through titration, often expressed in grams per liter. This
is a measure of the acidic taste of the wine, which is obviously important,
but can be measured with any decent palate. Note that the acidity of the
juice can be misleading due to the relative high level of sugar.
With all that said, if you have a decent grower (like Joe Galeski) then he
will probably hand you textbook Chardonel and none of the above three
figures will require adjustments... thus the beauty of Chardonel and a good
grower.
If my guess was wrong and you're not getting grapes from Joe, you might want
to keep some tartaric acid and sugar on hand and have a pH meter and
hydrometer handy. That will be all that's required to correct any initial
problems.
What is considered idea will vary greatly between vintners. I prefer
Chardonel like:
Brix 24
pH 3.3
TA 7.0
> I have not made wine using this type of grape before and was looking
> for a few pointers. By the way, I'm located in southeast Missouri.
>
> What would be a good yeast to use with this grape?
That's a pretty open question and will probably solicit a different answer
from each winemaker... anything that does well with Chardonnay should do
fine. I've used EC 1118 and Cote des Blanc, but have recently turned to
Wadenswill 27. There are many to choose from and the only factors that
concern me are temperature peaks and fermentation completeness. Any other
nuances are usually indiscernible by the time the wine gets to the bottle.
> Someone suggested a
> malolatic fermentation (which I've never done before, or even know
> what is involved) another said to not worry about that and just get a
> good ferment.
I'd suggest doing your first batch without. I did a couple vintages with
MLF, but in recent years have learned to prefer non MLF Chardonels. One of
the main benefits of doing an MLF is the stability. If fermentation
completes in the tank, it cannot happen in the bottle. MLF can also help
when the TA is too high and a dry wine is desired.
> Should I use pectic enzymes?
Yes.
Here's the way I'd do it: obtain ~133 lbs. of grapes. The resultant quality
from crushing and pressing can be maximized by separating the juice into two
portions. These are referred to as the "Free Run" and the "Press"
fractions. Free run is the first juice that flows from the press (usually
about 75% of the total), which tends to have better quality, including a
better chemistry, than the press fraction. Two main problems with the press
fraction is the relatively high level of tannins and the higher level of pH.
If that portion of the process can be isolated, these shortcomings can be
addressed aggressively while the free run is made with minimal treatment.
If you process 133 lbs, you should end up with close to 5 gallons of free
run and about 1.3 gallons of press (hopefully someone will check these
figures? i'm use to larger batches). Before crushing add 2.4 grams of
metabisulfite and 0.5 ml of enzyme and if possible, chill the grapes.
Immediately after pressing, fine the free run juice with 4 grams of 100
bloom gelatin. Stir that well for a few minutes then stir in 2 ml's of
silica gel. The press fraction gets hit hard with the same 4 grams of
gelatin and 2 ml's of silica gel. Also add a bit of tartaric to the press
fraction to bring the pH down. If I had to guess without a pH meter, I'd say
about 5 grams for the 1.3 gallons. If you have a meter,about a gram per
liter will lower the pH by 0.1, but that's not set in stone and varies from
must to must. Best to do a trial first. Target is a 3.3 to 3.4 pH. That'll
make it tart for now, but you have to trust me in that it'll come back out
with the ferment and cold stabilization.
Let both settle overnight (if chilled it can sit two nights or so, which
will compact your lees better), rack off the lees, then add yeast (a five
gram pack split proportionately would do just fine). Once the ferment is
rolling add 3 grams of fermaid to the free, and 0.5 grams of fermaid to the
press. Next day add the same amount of fermaid again. Once dry, rack as
you would any wine and use the press fraction to top up the free. Bottle up
the remainder of the press fraction and use for topping material on
subsequent rackings.
clyde
24brix
Isn't 24 Brix a little high for white? I just started growing some
white this year so I am wondering for next year. BTW, new vineyard
going good. Seems that the Chardonnay clone 96 is growing excellent.
Look forward to getting a lot of grapes next year. Pictures on
website.
thanks and hope you have a great vintage this year. Do you know if
Clarke is coming back to SH for another class next year.
Michael
www.amigoni.com
Clyde
> Clyde:
> Isn't 24 Brix a little high for white?
nope.
I think I started with a disclaimer to the order of, "What is considered
ideal will vary greatly between vintners." (only misspelled the first time)
Check any full bodied Chardonnay from Sonoma.
For example:
http://www.chateaustjean.com/wines/young.html
clyde
DARWIN VANDERSTELT
follow this technique! Thank You Clyde! You guys (those of you who are so
advanced) do a fantastic service in writing these long and time consuming
replies to beginner's questions. I really appreciate the help I have
recieved on this newsgroup. You fellows are gentlemen and scholars in the
finest sense of those words.
"Clyde" <peac...@misn.com> wrote in message
news:3d6d...@skycache-news.fidnet.com...
Dave Brown
Thank you for taking the time to write. Your explanation helps a great
deal.
Is making Chardonel basically the same as making Chardonnay? I found
an article in Winemakers Magazine on making Chardonnay that also has
some interesting tips and seems to be along the same line as making
Chardonel.
Thanks,
Dave
Clyde
> Is making Chardonel basically the same as making Chardonnay?
I've never made Chardonnay, but their seems to be quite a bit similar
between the two including genetics.
clyde