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Riesling (Calif to German)- Question

Hi .. new to this group, I've a question if I may ..

For a number of years I've used concentrates to make a German Riesling or German Riesling type white wine. I like the taste.

Now I use grape juice, both for red and white wine. Problem is, I cant buy grape juice from German Riesling grapes, I can get and do use California Riesling grape juice for my Riesling but as you know it does not have that German type taste.

So .. the question is .. can I add Elderberry flowers or something similar to get a flavor similar to that of the german Rieslings?

If so .. how much do I use?

I got this idea from the recipes I used when making wine from concentrates and they included a bag of the elderberry flowers.

Am I away off base here ..or will this idea work?

The above e-mail address is full of spam so I use snipped-for-privacy@cyberus.ca. I would prefer a reply on here for everyone's benefit .... Best regards and cheers

Reply to
Charlie Wendell
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Charlie - You sure can add some Elder flowers. They do add some aromatic, floral flavors, which seem to work well with this style of white wine. They won't turn your California Riesling into a German Riesling, but they should bring it a bit closer. The WinExpert Piesporter kits include packets of Elder flowers - I'd say something like a couple of tablespoons for a 6-gallon batch. That ought to be enough to make a noticeable difference in the flavor, and not enough to cause a problem. If you decide you really like the effect, you can increase the proportions in future batches.

Personally, I'm not normally a big fan of sweet German whites, but everybody that's tried the Piesporter kits has loved them. Even the

4-week (Vintner's Reserve) kits get rave reviews. I've read that this kit is one of WinExpert's most popular kits; based on the number I've done (and how few bottles I have left to show for them), I can well believe it.

Doug

Reply to
Doug

Joe, Doug, Thanks for the reply I'll givver a go ..

Reply to
Charlie Wendell

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