Name: Hestias Sauvignon Blanc Recipe
Cook time: 48 h
Total time: 48 h
Yield: 50 servings
Ingredients: 40 kg ripe Sauvignon Blanc grapes (de-stemmed and crushed); 4 g potassium metabisulfite (for must sulfiting, 50% solution); 0 L cold water (for adjusting Brix if necessary); 10 g diammonium phosphate (DAP) nutrient; 5 g Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast (Sauvignon Blanc or neutral white strain, e.g., EC-1118 or QA23); 2 g yeast rehydration nutrient (if required); 2 g pectic enzyme; 0 g acid blend (if must TA needs adjustment); 1 unit cold stabilization tank or fermenter; 5 g bentonite (fining, optional); 2 g potassium sorbate (optional, for stabilizing before bottling); 6 g potassium metabisulfite (for bottling sulfite addition); 50 unit bottles (750 ml); 50 unit capsules/corks; 200 g neutral oak chips or staves (light, optional); 0.5 kg cold-soaked grape skins (reserved from initial press, optional)

2023 Mosse | Loire

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

Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine that’s bright, herbal, and light-bodied, with flavors of honeydew, grapefruit, and peach. It pairs well with chicken, tofu, fish, or veggies.

Sort incoming Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Remove any rotten or underripe fruit, leaves, stems, and debris. Keep grapes cool (10–15°C) to retain aromatics.

Receive and inspect grapes

Destem and lightly crush the grapes into a sanitized fermenter or press. For a bright, herbal style, minimize skin contact time — proceed to press promptly (within 2–6 hours). If you want slightly more varietal aromas, cold soak skins for up to 6 hours before pressing.

Destem and crush

Dissolve the listed potassium metabisulfite in a small amount of water and add to the must to give ~30–50 ppm free SO2. Stir gently and allow to sit 12–24 hours to inhibit wild yeast and bacteria while preserving aromatics.

Sulfite addition to must

Press the must gently to separate juice from solids using a pneumatic or basket press. Aim for a free-run + light press fraction; avoid excessive phenolic extraction. Collect the juice in a sanitized tank.

Pressing

Measure Brix (sugar), pH, and titratable acidity (TA). If Brix is higher than target (e.g., >22°Bx), consider blending or chilling to adjust. If TA is low for Sauvignon Blanc (target TA ~6–7 g/L as tartaric, pH 3.1–3.4), add acid blend incrementally to reach desired acidity. If sugar is too high and you wish to keep alcohol moderate, you may add cold water sparingly; record adjustments.

Must adjustments and testing

Add pectic enzyme per label to clarify and release varietal aroma compounds. Add DAP and any other yeast nutrient at the start of fermentation according to label rates to support a healthy ferment.

Enzyme and nutrient additions

Rehydrate the wine yeast according to the manufacturer's instructions (usually in 10x weight of sterile water at ~35–40°C). If using rehydration nutrient, add it at this stage. Allow yeast to rest for 15–20 minutes before pitching.

Prepare yeast

When must temperature is between 12–18°C (aim for cool fermentation to preserve fresh, herbal aromatics), pitch the rehydrated yeast evenly into the juice. Good pitching rate for 40 kg grapes (approx. 30–35 L of juice) is the listed yeast quantity; if starting Brix is high, consider a larger starter or yeast nutrient regime.

Pitch yeast

Maintain fermentation temperature at 12–16°C for a cool, clean aromatic profile. Monitor Brix/SG daily. Stir gently once per day for the first 48 hours to keep yeast in suspension, then allow fermentation to proceed without oxygen exposure. Add DAP split into two additions (half at inoculation, half at mid-ferment) to prevent stuck ferments and support aroma production.

Fermentation management

Fermentation should take ~10–18 days at cool temps. When residual sugar is <2–3 g/L (or specific gravity ~0.995–0.998 depending on calibration), rack off gross lees to a clean vessel to limit reductive aromas. Take measurements for alcohol, pH, and TA. If you want slight residual sweetness, stop fermentation earlier by chilling and sulfiting; otherwise allow to dry.

Monitor and finish fermentation

After fermentation completes and wine has been racked off gross lees, chill the wine to near 0–2°C for 1–2 weeks to promote tartrate crystal formation (cold stabilization). During this time, the wine will clarify. Rack off cold lees and filter if desired for clarity.

Cold settling and clarification

If the wine needs additional clarity or protein stability, prepare and add bentonite or other fining agents per manufacturer instructions. Allow time (several days to a week) for lees to settle, then rack to a clean vessel.

Fining (optional)

If you plan to prevent refermentation in bottle, add potassium sorbate (per label) when the wine has been sulfited. Add the bottling dose of potassium metabisulfite to achieve a free SO2 appropriate for the wine's pH (commonly target 30–40 ppm free SO2 for whites at pH ~3.2–3.4). Measure free SO2 to confirm levels.

Stabilization and sulfite for bottling

Sanitize bottles and closures. Rack the wine to a bottling vessel, avoiding sediment. Fill bottles, leaving 1–2 cm headspace, and cork or cap. Store bottles upright for 24 hours to allow the cork to seat, then store horizontally in a cool, dark place. Allow at least 2–4 weeks bottle age for integration; Sauvignon Blanc is often enjoyed young (within 1–2 years) to emphasize bright, herbal fruit.

Bottling

For enhanced varietal top notes (grapefruit, herbaceous thiols), consider a short cold soak (2–6 hours) with skins before pressing. Use the reserved skins lightly; avoid extended maceration which can extract phenolics and mute brightness.

Skin contact or cold soak

If a subtle peach or texture from oak is desired, age the finished wine on light, neutral oak chips or staves for 2–6 weeks, tasting frequently. Remove oak material when the desired level is reached. Avoid heavy oak which will overpower the bright, herbal character.

Oak influence (optional)

Throughout, minimize oxygen exposure by using inert gas (nitrogen or argon) when racking and topping tanks. Keep fermentation and storage temperatures cool to preserve grapefruit, honeydew, and green/herbal aromatics typical of Sauvignon Blanc.

Aroma preservation

ripe Sauvignon Blanc grapes (de-stemmed and crushed)

potassium metabisulfite (for must sulfiting, 50% solution)

cold water (for adjusting Brix if necessary)

diammonium phosphate (DAP) nutrient

Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast (Sauvignon Blanc or neutral white strain, e.g., EC-1118 or QA23)

yeast rehydration nutrient (if required)

pectic enzyme

acid blend (if must TA needs adjustment)

cold stabilization tank or fermenter

bentonite (fining, optional)

potassium sorbate (optional, for stabilizing before bottling)

potassium metabisulfite (for bottling sulfite addition)

bottles (750 ml)

capsules/corks

neutral oak chips or staves (light, optional)

cold-soaked grape skins (reserved from initial press, optional)

Sauvignon Blanc

Domaine Chevillon

Sylvain Pataille, Marsannay

Jolie Laide, Gamay / Cabernet Franc Blend, El Dorado, Ca

Berthaut – Gerbet, Fixin

Bruno Clair

Les Charmois ler Cru, Saint – Aubin 2022

Paul Pillot

Make Sauvignon Blanc Recipe in just 48h . Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine that’s bright, herbal, and light-bodied, with flavors of honeydew, grapefruit, and peach. It pairs well with chicken, tofu, fish, or veggies.

Sauvignon Blanc Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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