Rutgers University | New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station | Pesticide User Responsibility

November 15, 2021

Notes from the Cabernet Franc Wine Tasting Workshop

A Cabernet Franc Wine Tasting Workshop was held on Nov 25th, 2019 at the Unionville Winery located at Ringoes in Northern New Jersey. The purpose of the meeting was to taste and evaluate Cabernet Franc wines released from NJ. A survey was sent out to the industry to report clones, harvest, and fermentation parameters. The survey respondents also formed the basis for the discussion at the workshop.

In New Jersey, Cabernet Franc is one of the most preferred varieties and has been consistently growing in acreage. Cabernet Franc, one of the very high-quality red wines in this region is also one parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is relatively cold hardy than Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In a survey of cold-injury in NJ vineyards Cabernet Franc was one of the least cold damaged vinifera varieties, following the harsh winters of 2013-14 and 2014-15. Many earlier plantings of Cabernet Franc used 3309 rootstock, but the newer plantings are mostly on MG 100-14. The variety bud breaks and blooms as early as Chardonnay but gets harvested 2-3 weeks after Chardonnay.

Fortunately, most of the growers planted French clones 214, 326, 327, and 332, which are more suited to the eastern cool climate. Few growers did not know the clones when they ordered their vines. There is a notable difference amongst these clones and a selection of clones can make a huge difference in the viticulture aspects and quality of the wine. For example, Clone 214, 326, 327 are low vigor, low yielding but produce fruits of superior sugar content and superior quality. Clone 312 is highly productive and may require fruit thinning to control the quality of the wine. This clone tends to over crop which is also reflected in fruit color. There are several more French clones available, but the current selection of clones appears to be higher quality.

Harvest parameters: Most vineyards restricted the yield to 2.5 tons per acre with the Total Soluble Solids ranging 22.5-23.2 Brix, Titratable Acidity ranging 6.1-6.7 g/L, and pH in the range of 3.44-4.05. Most wineries destemmed and crushed berries while some used whole berries for the fermentation.

There are many popular choices of fermentation yeast. Most winemakers like to use CSM, which is known to bring out intense aromatic profile into wine. Beneduce Winery used the combination of yeasts Q5 and L226. While Q5 brings our varietal red wines, expression of premium aromas of red fruits, and extended barrel aging, the L226 is used for high brix fruits and can also be used for a stuck fermentation. Unionville winery used a combination of CSM with native yeast and D 254, which develops ripe fruit, jam, and cedar aromas together with mild spiciness into wine. White Horse winery used FX10, for its ability to preserve varietal specificity and strong release of simple tannins. Autumn Lake used CVRP which is one of the highest polysaccharides producing yeast and is also known for good compatibility with MLF bacteria while enhancing mouthfeel. Fermentation temperature was in the range of 50-85 ̊F and most reported a peak at 78 ̊F.

Almost half of the respondents performed cold-soaking for three to five days. Cold soak is done before fermentation to extract more color and flavor from the must which continues even during fermentation.  A few wineries used yeast during cold-soak.

Few wineries used an open tank fermentation with repeated punch downs. The open tank is generally used in red wine fermentation as it uses entire grape, including skins and parts of berry. It offers an advantage specifically during the early stage of growth. The yeast upon alcoholic fermentation releases CO2 gas which acts as a blanket over the top layer of wine. Using open tank requires some level of experience; to be able to judge when the CO2 assimilation is diminishing and when to cover the top before it gets susceptible to microbial spoilage if it begins to pick up too much oxygen; also grape skins in the top layer referred as ‘cap’ tend to dry out due to buildup of CO2 gas, which must be disrupted by punch downs.

All the respondents used Malolactic Fermentation (MLF), mostly suing the bacterial strain VP41. In cool climate wine grapes, MLF provides a natural way of deacidification. During the MLF stronger acids (malic acid) are converted into a weaker acid, and can reduce the acidity by 1-3 g/L. MLF also helps reduce green, vegetative flavors in the wine and also alters mouthfeel by making it more viscous. Unionville performed MLF using native yeast. Some performed MLF in the stainless steel and others used all barrels for MLF.

A very few used fining agents such as Egg White at 300 ppm. Egg white is specifically used if the wine must has excessive tannins. Albumin in the egg white adsorbs harsh and bitter tannins leaving the softer tannins. Also egg white is gentler compared to other fining agents which can also reduce color and other desired characters. Five egg whites are usually sufficient for a barrel of young red wine. Most used sterile filters that reduced the chances of infection during and after the fermentation, and helps one sleep better at night!

Most used French oak and neutral oak, up to 18-20 months in 100 % neutral oak. Some used new oak for 18 months. Few responding wineries used a combination of neutral and new barrels.

One winery produced wine from their first crop of 2-year-old vines which yielded 1.4 tons of fruit per acre. They used Color Pro Enzyme at crush; added toasted French oak chips at 2 lbs./ton in a fermenter and added fermentation tannin (FT rough) at 20g/hL; used Chaptalization by adding sugar and raised the brix by 1.5 Brix. They also used egg white as a fining agent.

Literature Cited

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