First attempt at making real sparkling wine need some new kit recommendations for next batch?

[Berry454]

I started with a Range MYO white wine kit. Added some extra sugar and swapped the yeast for EC-1118. Decided not to add the oak chips as I wanted to make a sparkling wine similar to Prosecco so light in colour.

I fermented this kit from 1.103 to 0.998 and added stabiliser and finning A and B after degassing. Left for a week until clear.

Added to a keg and despite most people telling me it wouldn’t work to counter pressure bottle fill at such a high psi, I carbonated the keg to 65psi.

I then used a Keg King Ultra counter pressure bottle filler to fill directly from the keg into champagne bottles.

This part of the process actually worked really well. You have a window of about 3 seconds between removing the counter pressure bottle filler and the entire champagne bottle emptying its contents all over your ceiling. I only lost 2 bottles out of a 23 litre batch so I considered this a success!

Popped one of the bottles and it’s sparkling wine for sure. That actually tastes amazing! Though my issues start here. It’s more like champagne rather than Prosecco. MUCH darker In colour than Prosecco and again more like champagne.

I like it the way it is though my girl prefers the more lighter colour and texture of Prosecco overall. So I’m going to have another try at the process using a different kit! The MYO white wine really have a lot more body and colour than I originally realised.

Can anyone recommend me a different white wine kit which is VERY light in colour. I mean a light straw, almost completely transparent wine.

Can anyone comment on how light In colour the following kits are.

Solomon Grundy Pinot Grigio
Solomon Grundy Chardonnay
Cantina 5 day Italian white
On the house Pinot Grigio

Any other tips or advice on how I can better improve this process would also be most helpful.

 

[MashBag]

The colour is oxidisation. Use pot met to control this. Is it a straw colour?

Nice time add a little glycerine not ever more than 1tsp/gallon. This will improve (soften) the mouthfeel and add a slight unfermentable sweetness. Tada prosecco.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I made sparkling elderflower, used pressure fermenter to 4 vols had to get it cold to do this.

I use the williams warn counter pressure bottle filler for champagne bottles, make sure the " wine " is cold, ideally chill the bottles and I use crown caps on the champagne bottles ( larger cap and larger bell on the capper). Worked really well, no oxidation as closed throughout ie no transfer to keg to carbonate. A closed transfer might also help and the Potassium Metabisulphite in the keg.
Re the girlfriend liking the paler colour, buy some tinted champagne glasses!

 

[MashBag]

Never quite gripped vols. Did it at college and was mildly confused.

 

[Berry454]

The colour is oxidisation. Use pot met to control this. Is it a straw colour?

Nice time add a little glycerine not ever more than 1tsp/gallon. This will improve (soften) the mouthfeel and add a slight unfermentable sweetness. Tada prosecco.

Is it actually oxidisation or is it just the wine kit though? Because I compared the sparkling wine that I made from the MYO white wine kit and compared it to a still MYO white kit that I bottled last year. They were practically the same colour.

It’s by no means a super dark yellow or anything. It’s just way too dark of a straw colour to look like normal Prosecco.

When I removed the oak chips from the kit I assumed this would significantly lighten the colour of the wine kit. Though it appears to still look the same.

So do you think it could just be the wine kit? If so do you know of any other kits which are lighter in colour? Though on my next batch I will of course be much more cautious against oxidisation as I realise this could be a factor.

I will DEFINITELY try the glycerine next time. Done this in the past with red kits but never considered to do it with a white!

 

[Berry454]

I made sparkling elderflower, used pressure fermenter to 4 vols had to get it cold to do this.

I use the williams warn counter pressure bottle filler for champagne bottles, make sure the " wine " is cold, ideally chill the bottles and I use crown caps on the champagne bottles ( larger cap and larger bell on the capper). Worked really well, no oxidation as closed throughout ie no transfer to keg to carbonate. A closed transfer might also help and the Potassium Metabisulphite in the keg.
Re the girlfriend liking the paler colour, buy some tinted champagne glasses!

Just had a look at that Williams warn counter pressure bottle filler and it looks a great piece of kit for £160! I wonder what pressures this can withstand though?

I did add the blend of pot met and sir are at the end of fermentation.

Bet it was way easier to use the crown caps rather than the champagne corks. Even the plastic ones are a job to get in!

Noticed that you only carbonated to 4 vols which is approx 25 psi. Did you find this enough for creating a proper sparkling wine?

Just as a carbonated to around 8.2 vols, 65 psi and I found this was about acceptable. It still could have done with a little more but it was acceptable to compare to something that comes out of a champagne or Prosecco bottle from the supermarket. The 8.2 vols was absolutely at the limit for what my counter pressure bottle filler could handle though.

 

[MashBag]

There probably some oxidisation in the kit processing before you certainly. Change you kit by all means. But darker colours in whites are vineyard handling/processing I issues.

Pot met immed after fermentation and for transfer. I use 8g/50l for red. Wine is more.
Pm me your email and I can send you a pot met tech sheet with dosages.

 

[MashBag]

Bet it was way easier to use the crown caps rather than the champagne corks. Even the plastic ones are a job to get in!

They are brilliant

 

[MashBag]

I have done 80psi in a corny. Cold as possible. Half full & lay it down to increase the surface area (adsorption)

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@Berry454
I've used the WW at more than 25psi the beer was warmer. The trouble is the greater difference between bottle pressure and atmospheric will increase chance of " fizz out " starting before capping.
Capping is very easy.
I'd be tempted to contact winexpert and other kit makers re colour of their wines.
The WW is a joy to use, just so little mess with it and low stress.
Worked great when I've made some Belgian beers, I spunded to 2.5 vols then pressure transfer into champagne bottles with sugar added so they then second fermented to 4.5 vols.
They are so fizzy.
Bought another WW second hand the other day for my Brett beers bargain at 50 dollars ( about 25 pounds).

 

[Rakey]

I use On the house Pinot Grigio, swap the yeast for a champagne yeast and I just serve it from a corny keg rather than bottling it. Still has more taste and flavour than a Prosecco though but thats a good thing in our house as my wife prefers Cava and champagne over prosecco

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I use On the house Pinot Grigio,

Have you compared it to winexpert pinot grigio? As wine non sparkling. I'm just about to bottle some of the on the house so haven't been able to compare yet. Cheers.

 

[Rakey]

Have you compared it to winexpert pinot grigio? As wine non sparkling. I'm just about to bottle some of the on the house so haven't been able to compare yet. Cheers.

Yes, I started out doing the Winexpert kit, found you don't need to spend lots on a kit for sparkling wine and that the cheaper ones are sometimes better.

Currently got the SG wines pinot fermenting away to test this theory a bit further.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Kit-brewer]

Best sparkling wine I made was a Gooseberry wine.