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Help with Chardonnay...

Hi,

I was hoping someone could shed some light on some conflicting information I have been receiving from two of my local Wine Making retailers.

The background... in August of last year I made a Chradonnay from juice. We stored it in containers (food grade plastic) with next to no air space over the winter, to allow it to age. We have tried the wine and it has a particularly strong aroma and taste. It is dosen't neccessarily smell or taste but just surprisingly strong in both regards.

The retailer who helped me make the wine said that it is normal, and needs more aging. He said storing it in the large containers over the winter has probably slowed the aging process. An other retailer in the are is telling me that it is probably bad wine, and that I should make another batch.

Normally I wouldn't worry about this, but since I've never been a big fan of Chardonnay and this is for my upcoming wedding I'd liek to make sure it's ok...

Is it likely that the wine's aging was slowed by the way it was stored?

Thanks in advance for your time...

Reply to
Andrew
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Hard to say, but long term storage of a white in plastic seems a bit iffy unless the container is thick. Most plastic is permeable to air. I really don't know, I don't use plastic for storage, only fermenting. Some do, maybe someone with experience using it will have better advice.

Is the wine light in color of is it closer to a deep yellow? Dark color is usually a sign of oxidization, that would be a problem

Joe.

Reply to
Joe Sallustio

Has anyone with a decent palate and experience actually _tasted_ your wine? That's what you need. It's impossible to tell whether the wine is any good from a mere description of how it was made and stored. Sorry.

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

I am not sure I agree with either one. First, bulk storage does not slow down aging wine and white Chardonnay is not normally aged for a long time. I am not a fan of aging in plastic. If it is not rated for storing an acidic alcohol something may leach out of the plastic. Water bottle plastic may or may not be safe as it is not normally rated for long term storage of acidic alcoholic liquids. Also, over time, air may pass through some plastic. It will not hurt water but it is not good for bulk aging wine.

Then again, I do not quickly judge a wine and decide to throw it out. It may well be that it will take a bit longer. Has it completely cleared? I mean crystal clear? Is there any browning to the color?

When is your wedding. How much time to you have left? That may help with our advise.

Ray

Reply to
Ray Calvert

Another quesrion for you, Andrew - you say it has a strong smell and taste, but don't say what those smells and tastes are. Is it just a potent Chardonnay, or is there some other strong odor/flavor that you don't recognize as Chardonnay mixed in? That will also help in determining what the proper course of action is.

I only use food-grade plastic to ferment in, then transfer to glass for aging, out of fear of oxidizing the wine. I can report good results with long term (6 months) storage using a particular plastic carboy

*specifically designed and advertised* for wine storage (report: Yum!!), but I did that out of necessity, as moving a glass carboy 700 miles in the back of an RV just seemed a recipe for accidental disaster. I won't replace my glass, but it's nice to know the "last resort" worked so well.

Rob

Reply to
Rob

Andrew - What yeast did you use? What was the starting specific gravity? What temperature did you ferment at? Was the new wine stored on lees or did you rack away from lees before the winter storate period? Did you fine the wine with bentonite or PVPP? Does it smell and taste like sherry?

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas USA

Reply to
William Frazier

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