# Brix vs. SG



## Calamity Cellars (May 21, 2014)

Want to air a small issue for me. In every commercial winery and vineyard that I have ever dealt with I have never heard any one of them relay sugar content using specific gravity. They all use brix. I am trying to figure out why the home wine making world likes sg better. I completely understand that the two are interchangeable and both are included on most hydrometers so it isn't a big deal at all but I actually grab a hydrometer so that I can convert sg to brix whenever I read a post on wine making forums. Any comments on why the two worlds speak different languages?


----------



## Deezil (May 21, 2014)

I would imagine it would have a lot to do with how people get started making wine.

If they start with wine kits that speak in Specific Gravity, so to then, most-likely, will the winemaker..

If they grow up at-the-knee of a family member who speaks in Brix, or find themselves working in the field, then I imagine they would end up speaking in Brix.

Reality is, with forums like this, a lot of people are 'small-time', and get started with kits.. They do it more because they enjoy a decent drink once in a while, than they do it for the 'tradition' or 'lifestyle' that can come with this whole downward spiral of an obsession...

There's probably also something to be said about an subconscious judgement that Specific Gravity may be more accurate, simply because it has a decimal place and more digits... Couple that along with a majority of folks starting with kits, and they find their 'comfort zone' in the Specific Gravity readings as opposed to Brix


----------



## ibglowin (May 21, 2014)

My guess would be most people on this forum start out with kits of some nature. The instructions supplied with all kits always quote SG and never Brix so it becomes the universal grape juice currency for the vast majority. It wasn't until I started making wine from fresh grapes that I found out it is often easier to use Brix and a Refractometer to get a more accurate reading from a fresh crushed grape must.


----------



## GreginND (May 22, 2014)

Possibly because SG is a density measurement with a hydrometer and most grapes in the vineyard are monitored by refractive index using a refractometer which is measuring brix (percent sugar).


----------



## mmadmikes1 (May 22, 2014)

exactly Greg, I carry a refactor into the field. Totally impractical to use a hydrometer.


----------



## Calamity Cellars (May 22, 2014)

I am definitely not talking about vineyard field testing. I am speaking in regards to sugar level testing pre and during fermentation in the winery.


----------



## GreginND (May 22, 2014)

I did a little searching. Brix is the same as percent sugar which is standard in the juice industry (wine, fruit, honey, etc). A percent is easier to understand than SG. It was measured by density (Balling) since at least the 1800s and the density was converted to brix. So I would guess that it is just that tradition. 


Sent from my iPad using Wine Making


----------



## Runningwolf (May 22, 2014)

I agree with the posters above. All the concentrate kits buy buy always measure sg. I think brix is much easier to use and understand. Hardly a week goes by when a poster incorrectly reads sg. That would not happen with brix. I use four brix hydrometers; -5-+5, 0-8, 8-16 and 15-24. I also have one that reads up to about 50 brix for when I'm making late harvest and ice wine. I find it interesting when a start up winery is buying bulk juice or wine from me and they want to know what the sg is because they do not understand brix.

Calamity I have a question for you. How do you measure sugar in wine that has been back sweetened. Do you feel the Brix hydrometer is close enough? I occasionally use the Clinitest but I find it hard sometimes matching up colors. I am confident in achieving the right rs I am looking for when adding sugar, but sometimes I like to take a bottle off the self and check it.


----------



## Calamity Cellars (May 22, 2014)

I have never measured the sugar in a back sweetened wine. In the couple of wines that I did add sugar I made a 50% w/v simple syrup then used Pearson's Square to calculate the addition. At that point I trusted the math on what the final sugar % was so I saw no need for a measurement.

Btw....when making the 50% simple syrup it not 500 grams added to 1 liter but instead add 500 grams to as little water as possible to dissolve and then continue to add water until you reach a final volume of 1 Liter. 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## Calamity Cellars (May 22, 2014)

I retract the statement above. I did measure the rs in our Syrah Port and for that I sent it to a professional lab. (It was not back sweetened, I stopped fermentation with distilled grape spirits.)


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## Runningwolf (May 22, 2014)

When back sweetening commercially I add the sugar directly in the wine in a mixing tank and circulate until dissolved without any issues. I use the following formula; gallons x (brix x .1) = pounds of sugar. So if I have 450 gallons I want to sweeten to 3½% rs it would be 450 x .35 =157.5 pounds of sugar assuming the wine was dry when adding.


----------



## Calamity Cellars (May 22, 2014)

The first time I sweetened with juice I reserved and froze prior to fermentation. It was great wine but I ended up with unused juice which translates into lost $"s. I considered your method but didn't like the idea of stirring exposed wine so I went with the 50% w/v simple syrup. I am since over the fear of o2 exposure using your method but, to be perfectly candid, I kinda like the "free" wine I get with the simple syrup add. 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## Calamity Cellars (May 22, 2014)

All that being said, we have gotten off topic. 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## JohnT (May 23, 2014)

Having never really made kit wine, and all my wine is made from fresh grapes, I have never gotten into the habit of using S.G. (as per some kit instructions). I always use Brix. 

The simple reason here is that (in my mind) brix is more meaningful than SG. For example 10% sugar remaining (brix) just makes more sense to me then 1.04 (sg). I know that to those that are comfortable with SG, this is not a problem, but I just never got into using SG.


----------

