How can I add a citrus taste to Sauvignon Blanc?

[joewino]

I am making a Sauvignon Blanc for my sister and would like to add some citrus notes to the flavor.

Anyone know how to do this?

Thanks,
Joe

 

[rawlus]

my LHBS sells dried orange peels, presumably to use for something. i've never used those sorts of additions tho.

 

[St Allie]

I've been making lemon and grapefruit wine in the 12 per cent abv range.. the flavour holds through the process howeverIi still backsweeten with this recipe, so I make a syrup and keep it bottled in my preserves cupbd for later use..

6 lemons ( zest and juice) these are big homegrown lemons.
6 cups sugar and 6 cups water
1 tablespoon citric acid

place peel sugar and water in pan bring to boil, stir occasionally. add citric acid and allow to cool, when cool add juice of lemons, freeze leftovers.. or if you want to bottle it.. add lemon juice to hot syrup and seal in warmed jars. ( treat as bottling jams).

As a sauv blanc is a drier white, you can halve the sugar in this syrup for more citrus and less sweetness.. but I'd freeze the leftovers rather than bottle.

another option is to add the syrup to the fermentation.. if doing that though I'd choose a grapefruit syrup, because the flavour seems to hold better through the fermentation process unchanged.



Allie

 

[Manimal]

Sauvignon Blanc usually has a considerable citrus character inherent in the varietal character. If you're using good quality fruit/juice it should result in a wine with some lemon/lime/grapefruit aromatics. You can also choose a yeast strain that is known for ester production. All the big yeast producers have strains tailored for aromatic wines. If you use one of these strains, ferment cool and are really careful about oxygen uptake, you'll be able to retain more of these delicate aromatics.

 

[smurfe]

Sauvignon Blanc usually has a considerable citrus character inherent in the varietal character. If you're using good quality fruit/juice it should result in a wine with some lemon/lime/grapefruit aromatics. You can also choose a yeast strain that is known for ester production. All the big yeast producers have strains tailored for aromatic wines. If you use one of these strains, ferment cool and are really careful about oxygen uptake, you'll be able to retain more of these delicate aromatics.

Bingo! And one excellent post reply. It's in the grape. A good quality grape will have it there for you. The above mentioned post about the Orange Peel, that is normally used for beer brewing as a flavor additive.

 

[joewino]

Thank you for the quick replies.

Do you think Lalvin D-47 would be a good choice for the yeast?

I do have a spot that would offer a cooler fermentation ...somwhere around 60 to 62 DegF

 

[St Allie]

OH,

I thought you meant you had made the wine and it didn't have enough citrus taste in it for you..

never mind...



Allie

 

[cpfan]

I am making a Sauvignon Blanc for my sister Joe

Kit? If so, tell us which one.

Juice? Source?

Steve

 

[joewino]

Not a kit ...fresh grape juice from L'uva Bella brand.

I carry this brand of juice with my business.

This is my first try at a Sauvignon Blanc. I am a dry red person at heart.