miker wrote:
> Hate to bump up my own post, but was really hoping to get some thoughts
> on this. Picking up grapes from a commercial winemaker today so I'll
> get his opinion but since everyone here ferments at some chosen temp,
> surely there must be a reason for that selection.

Like many topics in winemaking, you'll get different answers from
different people. The higher temperature is used to get good colour and
tannin extraction and if you've added ML culture during the primary,
the MLF can sometimes finish in this stage. On the lower temp end,
you'll get more subtle aromas and flavours but some wines can end up
tasting too "green". One approach that seems to give good and reliable
results is to start the ferment at the lower end and then at 7-8 B
raise the temperature to the higher end and let it finish.

Or you can split the batch and experiment with different temperature
treatments and see what you like best - that's more work but that way
you have first-hand data.

Pp