Pinot Nior and Riesling

[OldCanalBrewing]

Ok, my partners and I changed our minds and just ordered the Chilean Pinot Nior and Riesling buckets.

Questions:

Raisins? Use them in each or not. I am familiar with them adding body and not really affecting flavor.

Oak? Not in Riesling, but how about the Pinot? Maybe one gallon worth to experiment.

Back-sweeten? I will on the Riesling, but how about the Pinot?

I know a lot of this is based on personal preference, but I don't want to waste time and money and effort on something that wont really turn out well based on all of your experiences.

Finally yeast. Cot De Blanc, Cuvee, EC1118?

Thanks all.

 

[Deezil]

I'm only gonna address the Riesling, as i have no Pinot Noir experience at all..

I would go with golden raisins, if anything, so you dont affect the appearance of the finished wine - but this would depend on how the juice tasted & might not be needed if its high quality.

My gut says to go with Cote de Blanc yeast..

1118 is too burly for a wine like this in my opinion - unless its late harvest / ice wine.. I feel it would blow too many aromatics off during fermentation, just due to the nature & vigor of the yeast strain.

Cote de Blanc is used in fruit wines to help retain and bring out those fruity flavors and aromas - Rieslings are similar with their stone-fruit flavor profile

 

[Flem]

I would oak the Pinot Noir but would never backsweeten it. IMO

 

[robie]

I have a problem with raisins. Seems I can usually taste the raisin flavor, if they are added to a wine. Maybe the golden raisins would work better, though, but I don't know.

The Pinot can be a little thinner than other reds and no one will even notice.

I love a good Riesling. Maybe instead of raisins, use gum arabic or glycerin for increasing the body. But if you have used raisins before and like the results, go for it. Try organic raisins if you can, else be sure to rinse the raisins really well to get off all the sulfites; some people chop them up first.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

 

[OldCanalBrewing]

Gum arabic and glycerin? Have not done that before. Skeptical on that fact that, knowing me, i'd screw it up somehow.

 

[Turock]

On the Pinot Noir---do you like it as a fruit wine? That is one wine that I don't care for unless it's been MLF'd. It's kind of harsh tasting without the MLF. Look at the cultures that are best for this grape. If you've never done an MLF on a wine, it takes some study before you do it because it's critical to follow directions so you don't have a failure.

 

[OldCanalBrewing]

Mlf

Turock, can you forward some info on how to "easily" do an MLF for the Pinot please. I see a lot of threads here, but most just state what it is. Thanks.

 

[Turock]

Google malo-lactic fermentation and you'll find instructions on how to do it. It's too many pages to explain here. You'll want to read up on it before you get your juice so that you have a good idea on how to approach it before your juice arrives.

 

[Julie]

Gum arabic and glycerin? Have not done that before. Skeptical on that fact that, knowing me, i'd screw it up somehow.

if you are going to backsweeten, replace some of the sugar that you would use to backsweeten with corn syrup. It imparts no off flavors and gives your wine a nice mouth feel.

 

[Hokapsig]

Julie, do you have a rule of thumb for how much a bottle of Karo syrup will equal how much sugar?

 

[Julie]

Julie, do you have a rule of thumb for how much a bottle of Karo syrup will equal how much sugar?

sorry, no I don't, I add it and then take a reading and then figure out how muc sugar to add to bring my wine to whatever sg I am aiming for.

 

[robie]

Gum arabic and glycerin? Have not done that before. Skeptical on that fact that, knowing me, i'd screw it up somehow.

There are lots of articles out on the web about using these. Too much glycerin and the wine will taste sweet. If you have any doubts, don't use either.

 

[George_A]

"I have a problem with raisins. Seems I can usually taste the raisin flavor, if they are added to a wine. "

Not all raisins are are created equal. Wine raisins ( with seeds and stems) from wine red grapes do not add the raisin flavor unlike Sun-Maid (which is made from white table grapes) . Moreover, seedless raisins (Sun-Maid) lack the tannins, especially procyanidins because these grape goodies are contained in the seeds, and extracted during the long fermentation ( when alcohol concentration reaches about 6 per cent). You can read more about it here http://www.lifestylewines.co.nz/Research++Health/Levels+of+Procyanidins.html

 

[buzi]

Turlock, I agree with the Pinot going through MLF. I like it smooth. I unfortunately added the bacteria to a kit wine. Any suggestions? The wine has good flavor but it is rough and thought it would help. At this point I'm wishing I didn't add the MLF after reading other posts...

 

[Turock]

buzi----I've never made a kit wine so I know nothing about putting one thru an MLF. In what way is it rough? Maybe you should post this problem under "kit wines" and see if some of those people can help you.

 

[robie]

Turlock, I agree with the Pinot going through MLF. I like it smooth. I unfortunately added the bacteria to a kit wine. Any suggestions? The wine has good flavor but it is rough and thought it would help. At this point I'm wishing I didn't add the MLF after reading other posts...

Just make sure you do not add sorbate to this wine. Sorbate and MLF do not mix well; the wine would end up ruined.