# ABV % on Labels



## MN-winer (Jul 20, 2010)

I'm curious as to what others do as far as posting the estimated ABV on their lablels. I've done this in the past. I do find it difficult to feel like the % are very accurate. I am doing a CC kit with skins and my initial reading was 1.083, but I really did not stir in the skins, which I'm told will have lots of sugar. It fermented dry to .990, but that would put the % at 12.5 or so which seems low for a CC kit with skins. Its the 5 week kit so maybe that is normal.

Is it OK to not post the ABV on the label?


----------



## BobF (Jul 20, 2010)

Non-commercial? Put anything you want on the labels. It it were me, I'd put:

"Somewhere between 12 & 14% ABV"

Seriously


----------



## ffemt128 (Jul 20, 2010)

Some of my labels have it posted, some don't. I have a general idea what is in all of them in my head in the event anyone would ask. My issue is the many formulas out there for calculating it. Which is the most acceptable formula?


----------



## winemaker_3352 (Jul 20, 2010)

BobF said:


> Non-commercial? Put anything you want on the labels. It it were me, I'd put:
> 
> "Somewhere between 12 & 14% ABV"
> 
> Seriously



I agree - if it is not commercial - don't put anything on it if you don't know.

Based on gravity readings i can assume what my ABV is - as long as i am with 1% - i am fine with that.


----------



## Runningwolf (Jul 20, 2010)

I only include bottling date. Some include final sg to determine sweetness.


----------



## Wade E (Jul 20, 2010)

I put the abv and using the hydro gets you very close. If you take the sg the next day with the grape skin kits youll get a pretty accurate reading then.


----------



## djrockinsteve (Jul 20, 2010)

I add the % plus the gravity reading as I have various gravity's for my wines. Usually a dry and a semi dry or semi sweet and a sweet etc. Some prefer sweet while others prefer dry. This way I can tell what's in each bottle.

Last night I counted 24 different types of wine that I have excluding what's bulk aging.


----------



## Runningwolf (Jul 20, 2010)

djrockinsteve said:


> I add the % plus the gravity reading as I have various gravity's for my wines. Usually a dry and a semi dry or semi sweet and a sweet etc. Some prefer sweet while others prefer dry. This way I can tell what's in each bottle.
> 
> Last night I counted 24 different types of wine that I have excluding what's bulk aging.



 YEA! you're catching up. I hope you have a large wine room and lots of racks!


----------



## djrockinsteve (Jul 20, 2010)

Runningwolf said:


> YEA! you're catching up. I hope you have a large wine room and lots of racks!



I spent the last few days ripping up padding and carpet from my wine cellar/former bedroom. We got some water after the last heavy rainstorm. I rearranged everything and I'm trying to decide if another full rack will be enough, and still have a 4' by 6' work table.

No wines were injured in the move.


----------



## Tom (Jul 21, 2010)

I don't bother adding it. Rather, the month/year bottled.


----------



## Green Mountains (Jul 21, 2010)

ffemt128 said:


> Some of my labels have it posted, some don't. I have a general idea what is in all of them in my head in the event anyone would ask. My issue is the many formulas out there for calculating it. Which is the most acceptable formula?




FFemt, a lot of us use the Starting Gravity minus Ending Gravity divided by .735 


(1.80 - .990)= . 09 / .735 equals 12.2%.

there are other formulas and other versions of this one, but they all come to within a small fraction which is good enough for me.


----------



## ashappar (Jul 21, 2010)

I put the year/month I started it since my wines sometimes sit in a carboy for a long time. no abv or other notes besides the name. I never put labels on kit wines, only an identifiable shrink cap and I keep them together on a rack. but I just do cheap kits of mist type stuff and it goes quick.

by the way, the thermocapper or whatever its called : great investment. seems unnecessary until you get one and I'm so glad I have that and the italian floor corker when its time to bottle.


----------



## ffemt128 (Jul 21, 2010)

Green Mountains said:


> FFemt, a lot of us use the Starting Gravity minus Ending Gravity divided by .735
> 
> 
> (1.80 - .990)= . 09 / .735 equals 12.2%.
> ...



That's the formula I've been going by, I've seen others and they generally come close within +/- 1%


----------



## winemaker_3352 (Jul 21, 2010)

ffemt128 said:


> That's the formula I've been going by, I've seen others and they generally come close within +/- 1%



Yeah - i have seen this before:

Example: (1.085 - .996) = . 089 * 131.8 equals 11.7%.

So i use both and split the difference


----------



## Noontime (Jul 21, 2010)

Even commercial wines are allowed a certain margin for error. It's completely up to you what you want to put on there...if anything at all. I only label the bottles others will see, so I will put an alc% only because people expect to see it on a wine label. if it weren't for that I would just put it on ones that are out of the ordinary, like 10% or 14%+, etc.

I use OG-FG*133= alc%


----------

