How do you bring out the best in your Sauvignon Blanc? 

Some of the most common commercial fermentationtechniques include stainless steel fermentation, barrelfermentation, and wild fermentation. Sauvignon Blanc isknown for its crisp, refreshing flavors that you know and love but those results can be challenging in small batches. All these processes can require expensive equipment and large scale fermentation but, what if there were hacks for the home winemaker to mimic these techniques at low cost and at a smaller scale?

Stainless steel fermentation is the most common type offermentation used for Sauvignon Blanc. It results in a winethat is clean and crisp with bright acidity and usually occurs in large tanks that cost thousands of dollars. If you are making a kit, you don’t need a 1000 liter tank but, what you can do is swap out your 7.9 gallon plastic fermenter with an 8 gallon stainless steel beer brewing pot. It is a small equivalent to the large stainless steel variable tanks and it will give the same result.

Barrel fermentation adds complexity and depth of flavor tothe wine, and for this, ferment your Sauvignon Blanc with oak chips. The oak enhances your Sauvignon Blanc duringprimary fermentation by adding flavor and complexity to your wine. The oak also helps to round out the acidity and addstructure. You can use either French oak or American oak.

Wild fermentation can add a funky, earthy flavor to the winebut can only use this technique with fresh grapes. If you can get your grapes from a vineyard and transport them yourself in a clean space, go for it! It could give your Sauvignon Blanc very special subtleties and aromas. If you are buying grapes that have been shipped, it might not be advisable to try this technique. Grapes encounter foreign environments along the way. This can contaminate them with foreign yeast strains that could ruin your wine. Some winemakers take the risk and get lucky, others don’t. It’s a roll of the dice but sometimes you win. If you don't want to risk it, a great commercial yeast for Sauvignon Blanc is Lalvin D47.

Each of these fermentation techniques can contribute to thefinal flavor of the wine, and you must carefully choose theright technique in order to get the results you want. Next time you are fermenting some Sauvignon Blanc, you have new things to think about. Good luck! 

View All Blog Posts