"Mark Willstatter" > wrote in message
om...
> Vino > wrote in message
>. ..
> > This came as a surprise to me although it may be well known to others
> > here. A friend who knows someone working at a winery in NZ said that
> > he was told that this winery was fermenting PN in oak barrels. As this
> > was second-hand information, something might have been lost in
> > translation but, as it was described to me, the PN fermentation is
> > started in large tanks but, prior to complete fermentation, the liquid
> > is transferred to oak barrels, leaving behind the skins and seeds, and
> > the fermentation is allowed to run to completion. I didn't think to
> > ask whether the wine is then aged in the same barrels and if the yeast
> > is left with the wine.

I'd like to know that too. I've never made Pinot Noir that way, and doubt
that I would - but it might be right one year. I'm keeping my options open.

I like the idea of racking to barrel a little "dirty". That means including
the light lees - perhaps not what you thought of when I said "dirty". ;^)

> > I have never heard of anything like this being done to make a (truly)
> > red wine, i.e. excluding rosés and things like white zins. Is this
> > something that I have somehow missed or is it indeed an uncommon thing
> > to do?

I'd venture to say that this is fairly _uncommon_ practice with Pinot Noir,
which tends to struggle to achieve significant color - even in good
vintages. The skin contact is sometimes prolonged _past_ dryness prior to
pressing, and often also at the beginning, prior to inoculation (cold
soaking).

> Although barrel fermentation is more often associated with white
> wines, it is not unknown for reds and from what I've read is fairly
> common in Australia - maybe somebody from there can tell us if that's
> true. And secondary (malolactic) fermentation *usually* happens in
> the barrel.

That is common to both red and white wines. Optimum is to get most of that
done before going into barrel (reds). Those of us who barrel ferment whites
have little choice in this matter, except to use lysozyme - a practice I
eschew, but don't condemn.

(I've tasted _great_ non-ML Chardonnay, but I'd be nervous about making one.
It's not worth the headache.)

Tom S