Honig Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest Recipe
Recipe information
Make Honig Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest in just 24h . Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
Must (Fermentable Base)
Sulfur and Stabilization
Back-sweetening & Finishing (optional)
Packaging
Must (Fermentable Base)
1. Sanitize and prepare must
Measure the freshly pressed late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc juice (10 L) into a sanitized primary fermenter. Test °Brix (sugar), pH, and titratable acidity. Aim for a starting sugar level consistent with a late-harvest dessert wine (often 20–28 °Brix depending on desired final ABV and residual sugar). If total acidity is low, add up to 1/2 tsp acid blend and retest. Add pectic enzyme (1 tsp) to help break down pectin and clarify; stir gently to incorporate.
2. Sanitize must with Campden
Add 50 mg potassium metabisulfite per liter-equivalent dose (for 10 L this equals ~500 mg total; listed single-dose 50 mg here is a per-liter guideline—adjust to 5 ppm free SO2 target) to the must to kill wild yeast and bacteria. Stir gently, cover, and let sit 12–24 hours to allow SO2 to dissipate to a safe level for inoculation (or until free SO2 is at recommended level for inoculation).
3. Rehydrate and pitch yeast
After the 12–24 hour SO2 rest, rehydrate 5 g of chosen wine yeast per manufacturer's instructions (typically in 25–50 ml sterile water at 35–40°C with rehydration nutrient). Add yeast nutrient (5 g) to the must. Pitch the rehydrated yeast into the must and stir gently to homogenize. Maintain fermentation temperature between 12–18°C to preserve Sauvignon Blanc aromatic qualities and avoid excessive loss of volatile aromatics.
4. Primary fermentation
Allow primary fermentation to proceed in the fermenter. Monitor specific gravity (or °Brix) daily. Because this is late-harvest must, fermentation may be slow as sugar levels are high; maintain temperature and nutrient additions as needed (follow nutrient package schedule). Fermentation may finish with a relatively high residual sugar depending on yeast alcohol tolerance. If you want a sweet finish, stop fermentation before all sugar is consumed (see Stabilization below).
Sulfur and Stabilization
5. Racking and monitoring
When primary fermentation slows (specific gravity is stable for 2–3 days), rack the wine off the gross lees into a sanitized carboy. Take a SO2 reading, free and total, and adjust with potassium metabisulfite as necessary to protect the wine from oxidation and microbial spoilage. Typical target free SO2 for high-acid whites is 20–30 ppm depending on pH—adjust per pH test results. Allow wine to settle and clarify for 1–4 weeks, racking as required to leave sediment behind.
6. Stopping fermentation (if desired for sweetness)
To retain residual sugar, cold-settle and then stabilize the wine after racking: cool the wine to near 0–4°C for several days to arrest fermentation activity, then add potassium sorbate (1 g for 10 L) along with a Campden dose (calculated to reach recommended free SO2). Potassium sorbate prevents yeast reactivation and allows safe back-sweetening. Alternatively, sterile filtration to 0.45–0.2 μm can arrest fermentation without sorbate, but proper equipment is needed.
Back-sweetening & Finishing (optional)
7. Clarify and fining
If the wine is still hazy, perform fining with bentonite (or a kieselsol/lecithin kit) following product directions: typically rehydrate bentonite and add to the wine, allow 1–2 weeks to settle, then rack off lees. Taste to judge clarity and flavor. Use cold stabilization if tartrate crystals are a concern: chill to near 0–2°C for 1–2 weeks and remove precipitated crystals by racking or filtration.
8. Back-sweeten and balance
If a sweeter late-harvest style is desired, stabilize as above (sorbate + sorbic acid or sterile filtration). Prepare back-sweetening syrup by gently warming the reserved late-harvest juice or grape concentrate (200 ml) to dissolve and chill. Add small increments to the stabilized wine, mixing and tasting between additions until desired sweetness is achieved. Recheck free SO2 and add Campden as needed to reach the proper protective level.
9. Final polishing
Optionally pass the wine through a sterile filter to polish clarity and microbiological stability. Ensure all equipment and filters are sanitized. Take final gravity, acidity, and SO2 readings and record them for aging reference.
Packaging
10. Prepare for bottling
Sanitize bottles, corks/screwcaps, bottling siphon, and tubing. Allow wine to rest in carboy for at least 2–4 weeks after final adjustments so any additions (sweeteners, sulfites) integrate and settle.
11. Bottle
Rack the wine gently into bottles using a bottling siphon, leaving 1–2 cm headspace. Cork or cap the bottles. Label and date them (include residual sugar and sulfite additions for future reference).
12. Age and serve
Allow bottles to age for 1–6 months to let flavors integrate; late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc often benefits from short bottle aging to develop aromatics and balance. Serve chilled (6–10°C).
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