Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Distinct aroma of citrus and spices compliment with high acidity and crispness. Dry, light.

Harvest approximately 18 kg of ripe Çal Karası grapes early in the morning when temperatures are cool to preserve acidity. Sort immediately — remove any underripe, overripe, diseased or rotten berries and stems. Work quickly to avoid oxidation.

Harvest and Sorting

Destem and crush the grapes gently to break skins but minimize skin contact time. For a white/rosé ‘blanc de noirs’ style, transfer crushed grapes to a press and press immediately (light press) to separate clear juice from skins. Aim for a free-run + light press juice yield appropriate to your press (typically 70–80% juice). Collect juice in a sanitized fermentation vessel.

Crush and Press (Blanc de Noirs style)

Add 25 ml potassium metabisulfite solution to the freshly pressed juice to achieve about 30–50 ppm free SO2 (adjust based on initial juice pH). Add 5 g pectic enzyme to aid clarification and 5 g yeast nutrient. Mix gently and allow the juice to cold-settle/sink solids for 12–24 hours at 5–10°C until relatively clear.

SO2 Addition and Settling

After settling, measure Brix (sugar) and titratable acidity/pH. If acidity is low and you desire the described high-acidity profile, add small increments of tartaric acid (approximately 2 g per liter max) to reach target TA (~6–7 g/L tartaric) — add gradually and stir. The recipe lists 2 g as a typical adjustment for this batch; adjust as required by measurements. If sugar is low and you need higher alcohol, add sugar to target ~11–12% ABV (this recipe assumes no chaptalization).

Measure and Adjust

Bring juice temperature to 15–18°C. Rehydrate and pitch one pack of neutral, high-acid tolerant wine yeast (e.g., EC-1118) following manufacturer instructions. Ensure gentle mixing so yeast is evenly distributed. Maintain fermentation temperature 14–18°C for a clean, crisp profile.

Inoculation

Allow fermentation to proceed for 7–14 days until specific gravity indicates dryness (around 0.990–0.994 depending on yeast). Monitor temperature, keep cool to preserve delicate citrus and spice aromatics. Rack (siphon) off gross lees into a clean vessel once fermentation is ~50% complete or at the end of primary to reduce reductive off-flavors.

Primary Fermentation

After fermentation completes, allow wine to remain on light lees for 2–4 weeks for mouthfeel development while protecting from oxidation with minimal headspace and low SO2 additions as needed. Stir lees gently once or twice if desired for texture (optional).

Maturation and Lees Management

Rack wine off lees into a clean carboy. If haze remains, treat with bentonite (approximately 2 g for this batch scaled per liter) following product directions to clarify. Cool the wine to near-freezing (0–4°C) for 7–14 days for cold stabilization to precipitate tartrates. After cold stabilization, rack again to remove precipitate.

Fining and Cold Stabilization

Measure free and total SO2; adjust free SO2 to appropriate winery target (commonly 25–35 ppm for a dry white/rosé) depending on pH to protect wine from oxidation and microbial spoilage. Make small additions of potassium metabisulfite solution to reach target level.

SO2 Management

If bottling as a still dry wine, filter as needed through a suitable filter to remove particulates, then fill sanitized bottles, leaving 2–3 cm headspace. Cork or cap and label. Age bottles for at least 2–4 weeks before release to allow bottle harmonization. Serve chilled (8–10°C) to showcase citrus, spice and high acidity.

Still Bottling (if desired)

To produce a light blanc de noirs sparkling wine, blend base wine to desired composition and stabilize as above, but do not add sorbate. Bottle in sparkling bottles with approximately 6 g priming sugar per bottle (or calculated dosage for desired pressure) and 1–2 g fresh tirage yeast per 750 ml bottle. Crown-cap and store bottles horizontally at 12–16°C for secondary fermentation. Age on lees 9–12 months for complexity. Riddle, disgorge, dose (minimal dosage to keep dry), and crown/cork with cages. Chill and serve at 6–8°C.

Sparkling (Méthode Traditionnelle) - Optional

Çal Karası grapes (red table/rosé style for blanc de noirs)

Potassium metabisulfite (SO2) solution

Pectic enzyme

Yeast nutrient

Wine yeast (neutral, high-acid tolerant, e.g., EC-1118)

Tartaric acid (if needed to adjust acidity)

Sugar (sucrose) for target alcohol ~11–12% (optional)

Cold stabilization space (not an ingredient but required)

Bentonite (fining, if needed)

Potassium sorbate (if sweetening)

Priming sugar for bottle fermentation (if making sparkling by méthode traditionnelle)

Degassing equipment (not an ingredient)

Bottles and crown caps or corks and cages

Çal Karasi Blanc de Noirs, Kuzubağ

Make Çal Karasi Blanc De Noirs, Kuzubağ Recipe in just 33h 36m. Distinct aroma of citrus and spices compliment with high acidity and crispness. Dry, light.

Çal Karasi Blanc de Noirs, Kuzubağ

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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