Aging Question; Riesling

[pete1325]

Hi all.......I normally don't make whites and had a quick question; how long do you folks (bulk) age them? I started a bucket of Riesling back in October, racked it once after primary and it's been sitting in a carboy ever since. Thanks

 

[FTC Wines]

We don't do a lot of whites either. But did a Reisling kit, keptt it in the carboy for a year, pretty good, even better after 6 months in the bottle. Started another Reisling 4 months ago because we liked it so much. Roy

 

[salcoco]

assuming the wine is clear, add kmeta and bottle. should be drinkable in about three months or.later.

 

[pete1325]

Crystal clear......what if I wanted to back sweeten? Any recommendation?

 

[Arne]

Do a bench test on it. To a small amount add a little sugar, stir it in and taste. Continue adding til you get the taste you want. Use your hydrometer to see where it is at. Now make sure the batch is stabilized and you can bring it up to the specific gravity you found you liked. Might stop just a bit before you get it up there as the wines seem to grow a bit sweeter with age. Arne.

 

[NorCal]

I get white grapes in Aug/Sept and I’m bottling in Feb, drinking a few months later.

 

[balatonwine]

Hi all.......I normally don't make whites and had a quick question; how long do you folks (bulk) age them?

I mostly grow and make whites. For me, bulk aging depends on the varietal. Pinot gris can be bottled late winter/early spring if it has fallen clear and is degassed. A Riesling I would bulk age longer, so the wine can "find itself".

 

[wxtrendsguy]

So from someone who makes about 1000 gal a year of whites here are some steps we take. We ferment to a SG of <=0.995, wait 7 days and then add 50 ppm SO2 and then wait another 7 days and then rack. The wine then sits in tank for about 6 months and is chilled to near freezing for several weeks outside and tested for cold stability. We then do a test to check for heat stability and do any bentonite additions to assure stability. Then we rack. Sugar additions if needed then a run through a plate filter followed by a final SO2 addition. The wine is then pumped though a 1 micron cartridge filter and then a 0.45 micron absolute membrane filter and then into the bottling line. Finished bottles are then bottle aged and you will note a remarkable improvement after about 12 months of bottle aging. Riesling benefits from a nice rest in bottle before opening and consuming.