Advice on Riesling Style

[Art Schubert]

I have a batch of juice at 21 brix, pH 3.05 and TA 7.9 g/L. I'm
guessing that these numbers are in (mostly) good ranges but am too
inexperienced to have much feel for it.

Can anyone offer advice on how to get the best style of Riesling from
this juice? We enjoy Rieslings finished with as much flavor and floral
content as possible; sometimes dry, sometimes off-dry or semi-dry. I
would like it to come out balanced in any case.

I am thinking that the most available (in small quantities) yeast
recommended for Riesling is Cote des Blancs. I am a little unclear on
whether it will generally stop before it reaches the PA of ~11.6% (if
I have that calculated correctly). Or will it carry on until dryness
as long as it doesn't hit 12-13%?

Is this juice slightly more acidic than it should be so that it could
use a dash of sweetness? But if TA is dropped slighlty in cold
stabilization will it balance out anyway?

TIA,

art

[J Dixon]

Art,
I would not make any adjustments to your must as the numbers are quite
good in my opinion.
I like to ferment Riesling as cooler temperatures to help retain the
fruitiness. Also, after fermentation is complete be sure to sulphite to
discourage Malolactic Fermentation, and of course spoilage. You may consider
using a different yeast to accent the style of Riesling that you prefer. I
favor Lavlin's D-47, but the yeast you have chosen should be fine so long as
you keep it in the proper temperature range it needs. I dont think you will
have any problem achieving dryness with Cotes De Blancs at the brix you are
at. I am not sure of what the preferred temp range is, so do a bit of
research and make sure if you decide to ferment at lower temps. References
to check would be the yeast manufacturer's website, and others such as Jack
Keller's Home Winemaking site. There are many different ways to make an
excellent Riesling, and I would think that if you follow good winemaking
practices, then the rest is mostly stylistic. HTH
John Dixon
"Art Schubert" <na> wrote in message
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[Glen Duff]

Art,

Riesling and Gewurztraminer are among my favourites and I've been making
them for years.

I fully agree with John Dixon's comments, get it ferementing and once
it's going vigorously, usually within a few days, ferment at a cool
temperature. My basement in late fall, early winter is usually
somewhere around 15 ot 16 C (60 F) and I have never had a problem with a
stuck ferment at those temperatures. A little yeast nutrient probably
wouldn't hurt. As John suggests, you could consider D-47 or an equally
good yeast for riesling in my view is 71B-1122 since both tend to
preserve the fruity character of aromatic styled wines.

I would also add that you should consider fermenting to total dryness SG
somewhere around .993 and make sure you have adequate sulfite in the 40
to 50 ppm range prior to bottling. I always keep a sugar syrup in the
fridge and you can drink it dry or add sugar to taste.

Good luck,

Glen Duff

[Art Schubert]

The ferment is off and running, now cooled to about 62 F. Smells nice
too.

Many thanks for your comments,

Art