I do not trust any yeast to turn off at a particular point. No yeast
company is going to say his yeast will stop at 11% when there is enough
sugar to go to 12%.

Two suggestions:

1) Aim for the alcohol level you want and make it dry. Let it clear, rack
and stabilize with sorbate, and then sweeten to taste. This is the method I
use. You might even consider sweetening with a mild honey rather than
sugar.

2) Ferment it to the sweetness you want and then put it in a fridge or
freezer to stop the fermentation. Keep it cold until it clears, then remove
it, rack and stabilize with sorbate so the fermentation will not restart.

The second method is used by some, I just do not have the cold storage space
to do it.

Ray

"CJ" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> I'm going to make a couple of batches of riesling this fall and I
> wanted to make one of these off-dry. I've made a lot of wine, but
> always fermented to dryness.
>
> I was wondering what is the best way to stop the fermentation once I
> get to the residual sugar level that I want ?
>
> Is it simply a matter of adding enough sulphite to stop it (or sulphite
> and rack at the same time) ?
>
> Will it be stable in this case, or could I end up just stunning the
> yeast only to have it start up again in the bottle ?
>
> What about selecting a yeast that can only survive to 10 or 11 %alc
> (does this type of yeast exist commercially or can they all survive
> upwards of 12%) ?
>
> Do I need to filter it finely enough to remove all yeast (I'd prefer to
> avoid filtering if possible) ?
>
> Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks.
>