Sauvignon Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads

• 60-75 lbs Sauvignon Blanc grapes
• 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1/4 tsp potassium metabisulfite
• 3-31/2 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 pkt Red Star Côtes des Blancs wine yeast

Pick grapes when fully ripe, discarding any unripe or spoiled grapes from clusters. Crush and destem the grapes. Add pectic enzyme to the crush and stir with wooden paddle. Cover and set aside 2 hours. Press grapes and transfer juice to primary fermentation vessel, stirring in Ľ tsp potassium metabisulfite and covering primary. Let sit 8 hours. Adjust acidity and sugar as required (starting specific gravity should not exceed 1.090 unless naturally) and stir in yeast nutrient. Add activated yeast starter gently so starter remains at or near surface (stir shallowly). Recover primary and after 12 hours stir deeply and recover again. Ferment in primary until specific gravity drops to 1.000. Stabilize, rack to secondary, attach airlock, and set in a cool place. Rack after 30-45 days, fine with Bentonite and allow additional month to clear. Rack again, adding Ľ tsp. potassium metabisulfite. Cold stabilize the wine for 30 days and rack again. Allow to age 60 days in cool place, stabilize if wine will be sweetened (if to be a dry wine, add another Ľ tsp. potassium metabisulfite), sweeten to taste, and bottle. Allow 3 months before tasting. [Author’s own recipe]