Chardonnay is the most versatile white wine grape, producing wines ranging from crisp and mineral to rich and buttery. Making it at home allows you to control every aspect of the winemaking process.
Choosing Your Grapes
For authentic Chardonnay, use Chardonnay grapes. If unavailable, you can use Golden Delicious apples blended with other white grapes, but the character will differ. Aim for grapes with good acidity and nice golden coloring.
Ingredients
- 25 lbs Chardonnay grapes
- 1 packet Champagne yeast
- 5 tsp yeast nutrient
- 1 tsp tannin powder
- Campden tablets for sanitizing
Process
Step 1: Preparation
Sanitize all equipment. Crush grapes gently and press immediately - unlike red wine, white wine is pressed before fermentation to avoid extracting harsh tannins from the skins.
Step 2: Fermentation
Add yeast to the juice at 65-70°F. Ferment for 2-3 weeks. For that classic buttery flavor, you can do partial malolactic fermentation by keeping some wine in contact with dead yeast cells (sur lie).
Step 3: Aging
Age for 6-12 months. Chardonnay benefits from oak aging - use oak chips or age in oak barrels for added complexity.
Pro Tips
- Keep fermentation cool for more fruit-forward wines
- Stir the lees weekly for added richness
- Balance acidity with malolactic fermentation