6-Gallon Chardonnay Kit
Chardonnay kits take to oak handling well — most premium kits include oak chips for a buttery, vanilla-tinged style closer to Napa than Chablis. Skip the oak for a leaner version. Cold-stabilization (parking the carboy in a fridge or unheated garage for two weeks) helps prevent tartrate crystals in the bottle.
ABV12-13%
Ferment21d
Age60d
Total81d
Ingredients
| 1 kit (16L) | Chardonnay juice concentrate kit |
| 6 L | Water (top up) |
| 5 g | Wine yeast (kit yeast or QA23) |
| 1 packet | Oak chips (if making oaked style) |
| 0.6 g | Potassium metabisulfite |
| 1 g | Potassium sorbate |
Equipment
- 6-gallon primary
- Glass carboy
- Airlock
- Hydrometer
Steps
- Day 0
Mix must
Pour kit into primary, top with water, pitch yeast.
- Day 0-7
Primary
Ferment at 65-70°F for 5-7 days.
- Day 7
Rack to carboy
Siphon to glass carboy; add oak chips for oaked style.
- Day 7-21
Secondary
Ferment to dryness (~0.992-0.996).
- Day 21
Stabilize + clear
K-meta + sorbate; add clearing agents from kit; cold-stabilize 1-2 weeks.
- Day 21-51
Bulk age
Bulk age 30 days.
- Day 60
Bottle
Bottle. Chardonnay kits improve modestly; drink within 18 months.