Skin Contact for White Wines

The article, The Skinny on Skin Contact for Whites, written by Tim Patterson in the October 2013 issue of Wines & Vines caught my attention. We have planted only white varieties in our north field that include Auxerrois, Chenin blanc and Chardonnay. From my U.C. Davis course, I was under the impression that skin contact is a no-no for white varieties, so I was very interested in what Tim Patterson had to say. When skin contact works, the resultant wine can have intensified aromatics, fuller body and possibly more aging potential. So far so good. I read on. Patterson says that the current "best practice" in white wine making include:

• No skin contact
• Commercial yeast inoculation
• Cool fermentation temperatures
• Reductive strategies
• Squeaky clean sanitation
• Heat and cold stabilization
• Sterile filtration

But, some skin contact is inevitable, even under the most gentle conditions of harvesting and whole cluster pressing. Skin contact or maceration is practiced for certain aromatic varieties like Muscat, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Sauvignon blanc. Patterson reports that some winemakers blend a portion of white wine that has seen skin contact with a portion of wine that has not seen skin contact to make their wine. Overall, I thought it was an interesting article, but I'll need to locate more information on this practice.