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Harvesting - The first step in making white wine is to have the grapes
perfectly ripe. They need to be picked, not only at the proper ripeness, but
also at the right time of day (late afternoon to early evening) to ensure
the acids and sugars are all at the right balance for the wine. The grapes
are picked carefully to prevent bruising and damage.
When to harvest when making white wine depends on the grape variety, the
amount of sugar in the grapes, and the style of wine you are trying to make.
Germanic styles of white wine are fermented to a lower alcohol content of
between 10 and 11% and generally have a sweetness from the residual sugar
remaining after fermentation to balance the acids of the grapes. When making
Germanic styles you will only need grapes at a sugar content of 18-20 Brix.
Alsatian style whites require more sugar. This style tends to be drier and
obtains a higher alcohol content of around 12%. For this style you will have
to let the grapes hang until they have reached around 24 Brix in sugar. This
higher alcohol will balance the acids found in white grapes.
If your goal is a full bodied white (like a good Chardonnay), then you're
talking 12.5- 13.5% alcohol and you're going to want you're grapes to be
harvested a bit above 24 Brix. Cool fermentation will help you achieve your
goal of a full-bodied wine with a fruity taste.
Crushing and De-stemming - The grapes are put into a machine, called a
crusher/destemmer, which gently squeezes the juice out. For a white wine,
all skins and stems are removed at this point. They would add a tannic
flavor to the wine, and a color as well - neither are normally desired in a
white wine.
But, you can do this manually. If nothing else, you can go the old fashioned
way. Grapes can be stomped. Then the stems removed. Or vice versa, remove
the stems and then stomp the grapes. I've pressed grape clusters through a
perfoilated plate to remove the berries and crush them. You have to be
ingenious.
Pressing - White wine is fermented off the skins. This means that you have
to press them prior to fermentation. Scoop the crushed grapes, (must), into
the press. You may want to collect the free-run juice as it will be a higher
quality. The remaining skins and juice can be pressed. This juice can be
collected and added to the free-run or fermented separately.
Primary Fermentation - You can pour the grape juice into a carboy to
ferment. I like a food grade, large-opening, plasic vat. At any rate...
These will be your primary fermenters. If you're using a carboy, be sure to
leave some headspace to allow for bubbles of carbon dioxide to collect.
Otherwise the carboy will "boil over", creating one big mess.
The juice is tested and adjusted for sugar and acidity before fermenting.
The sugar is tested with a hygrometer and the acid with an acid testing kit.
Both can be found at a home wine making shop or online store.
A yeast, specific for white wine, is added and fermentation will begin
within the day. Temperature is very important during this stage - it affects
flavour and color. White wines like cooler fermentation temperatures than do
red wines. I like to keep them around 68F, or room temperature. Making white
wines with cool fermentation temperatures will assure you a crisp, fruity
taste to your wine.
Secondary Fermentation and Racking - With fermentation becoming complete,
rack (siphon) the wine into carboys and seal off the outside air with
fermentation locks. These will keep your wine from spoiling. During this
time, you can put the wine through cold stabilization. This process requires
the wine dropping to almost freezing, to precipitate out the tartaric
crystals that can form. The crystals are quite harmless, and this process
can affect wine flavor, but it is done so you cut the acidity and make the
wine that much more clear before bottling.
The wine will be racked to gain more clarity at least twice before bottling.
You may also want to add a fining agent, like sparkalloid, filter, or both
at the end of the last racking to give the wine the clearest look to your
wine before putting it in the bottle.
Aging - White wine is normally aged for less time than a red wine is. It
might age for up to a year to give it the correct amount of flavor, or it
could be bottled immediately. I don't usually bottle the wine before it has
been racked and aged at least six months after fermentation. This time
allows for the maximum flavor and the clearest wine.
Drinking - White wines can be drunk in a couple of months to a couple of
years after bottling. It's up to you. You be the judge ... You've been
making white wine at your home. Your friends and family will envy you. You
have your own estate bottled wine .....
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