Kegged Champagne/Prosecco style wine?

[CJR]

Hey everybody,

I'm looking to do a fairly cheap champagne and I was considering getting a 30 bottle white wine kit (one of the decent ones), kegging it and letting it condition for a few months under CO2 before putting it through a tap. Is this a good idea and does anybody have any recommendations for a kit to use?

I'm a bit new to wine making. I've done a few DJs but never actually tasted the product (2 bottles left of Beaverdale Merlot, all others snaffled by family without me!). I'm just looking for feedback on my kegged champers idea.

Cheers,

CJR

[MarkA]

It might be worth checking out THIS thread.

.....all others snaffled by family without me.....

Now, that is just not right!

[CJR]

It might be worth checking out THIS thread.

.....all others snaffled by family without me.....

Now, that is just not right!

Ah, I should clarify: I'd be using stainless corny kegs with a set CO2 pressure.

And I know, not right at all. It was my first wine too.

[Stapsin]

I've literally just started doing this exact thing. I got a 6 bottle californian white kit on the cheap and have brewed it with some sparkling wine yeast. I'm then gonna stick it in a corny and probably carbonate it as if its a wheat beer. Should be an interesting experiment anyway!

[asd]

Hey everybody,

I'm looking to do a fairly cheap champagne and I was considering getting a 30 bottle white wine kit (one of the decent ones), kegging it and letting it condition for a few months under CO2 before putting it through a tap. Is this a good idea and does anybody have any recommendations for a kit to use?

I'm a bit new to wine making. I've done a few DJs but never actually tasted the product (2 bottles left of Beaverdale Merlot, all others snaffled by family without me!). I'm just looking for feedback on my kegged champers idea.

Cheers,

CJR

This should work quite well. One thing to bear in mind - high CO2 pressures inhibit yeast, so don't pressure it up whilst it's conditioning/maturing. I'd probably mature it for a few weeks, rack off the fined, cleared wine into a corny at this point, and then chill it right down, then pressure it up and shake it vigorously to get the gas into solution quickly. More CO2 will dissolve if the wine is nice and cold. You need plenty of fizz in this style of drink

[dean_wales]

I have carbonated wine using sankey kegs. It works very well indeed and is actually a good way to make a mediocre wine taste or appear better!

My tips are:

- Make a nice golden white wine which is absolutely dry as a bone if you are trying to emulate champagne! A general sparkling wine could be a little sweeter.
- Age the wine in the usual way for a long time to ensure it is absolutely stable and gin clear. Fine if needed.
- You only need to pressurise and carbonate the wine quite late in the process. If the wine is mature you can literally chill, pressurise, shake-shake-shake and serve if you had to!
- Remember that champagne is the most highly carbonated of drinks (at approximately 5vol of CO2). So ensure all your gear is up to the job.
- I bottled mine with a counter pressure bottle filler which was messy and wasteful but just about possible. Serving it draught would be so much better!
- If it will be 'one for the ladies' making a rose is a good idea as the pink colour hides a multitude of sins.
- Remember to chill and serve the wine in chilled glass champagne flutes!

Good luck and let us know how it turns out! A photo is always welcome.

Dean.