# Using Brown Sugar?



## sudanesewine

Hi,
I'm a new in this fun hobby... I have a question: I want to have my wine content/ingredients 100% organic. Is using brown sugar OK? I'm a fraid it would change the color of the wine I'm making right now... Any help?

Thanks


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## Luc

Not only will it alter the color it will also
impart some flavors.

I have used brown sugar only in my pumpkin wine.

There are some molasses in the sugar and you would
not want that in a white, blush or weak red.

Luc


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## Sacalait

Brown sugar also works well for a strawberry wine.


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## Noontime

I agree that it depends on the wine. The molasses imparts a distinctive flavor (depending of course on how much you add) which I personally enjoy, but in my opinion is only appropriate in wines that would benefit from an earthy, malty-ness. It's certainly worth experimenting to find out if/what you like.


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## Noontime

I also feel complelled to respectively disagree with Luc. He is by far a more experience winemaker than me, but I'm assuming he's saying brown sugar should not be used in lighter colored wines due to the affect it would have on it's color.

For wines that I'm going to enjoy mainly for myself, I personally don't care what it looks like, if it has sediment, etc; I care only about flavor, mouthfeel, aroma, etc. So I would not have a problem experimenting with any kind of grape or wine to see if I like it.


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## Luc

Noontime said:


> I also feel complelled to respectively disagree with Luc.



And you are most welcome to do so.
I even urge you to do so. By disagreeing on topics the most interesting wines can be discovered.

I just read Sacalait's comment and don't you all think that I am not going to try this in the future: strawberries (one of my favorits !!!) and brown sugar.



Noontime said:


> I care only about flavor, mouthfeel, aroma, etc. So I would not have a problem experimenting with any kind of grape or wine to see if I like it.



Right on the nose !! 
We are making wines because we want our wines to be the best
around.

But I go back to the original question and the question was if brown sugar would impart a color change. And yes it would. 

I am still not convinced however that I would want the molasses taste in my wines. I used it in my last years pumpkin wine and was not totally convinced that the brown sugar was a welcome addition.

Luc


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## Conquistadude

Luc said:


> And you are most welcome to do so.
> I even urge you to do so. By disagreeing on topics the most interesting wines can be discovered.



What a guy. not only is he very helpful, but humble as well. 

its good to see any forum with a member such as you. I am a gamer, and if someone did that on one of the many video game forum, words would fly.

I think a white wine with a hint of brown to the color would kind look Elegant in its own way. And I imagine the texture and taste would be an experience in and of itself.


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## Manimal

*Organic white sugar???*

Is it not possible to get organic white sugar? White sugar and brown sugar come from the same source only white sugar is refined further to eliminate the molasses content... I'm sure there must be organic white sugar available somewhere.


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## sudanesewine

Thanks to all of you for this great advice, which unfortunately I could not use in the time of making my new fruit wine (I lost my password and username for more than 10 months!)

I made the wine and used the organic brown sugar...I belive Luc was right... so far the color is not the one I like...I will let you know when I taste the first patch this Xmass...


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## Wade E

Glad you found your way back here. you could have returned under another name and I would have fund your old info by using your old email addr:


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## kiljoy

Manimal said:


> Is it not possible to get organic white sugar? White sugar and brown sugar come from the same source only white sugar is refined further to eliminate the molasses content... I'm sure there must be organic white sugar available somewhere.



You can absolutely find organic sugar in the stores. It’s all my wife’s aunt uses. Try Whole foods or Trader Joe’s. However, it’s less refined and much grainier. You would definitely have to make a simple sugar out of it.


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## St Allie

Have a good look on the shelves at the supermarket .. there are a lot of interesting dark sugars on the market.

I favour dark muscovado for berry ports.

Allie


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## MarkGarso

Would using brown sugar give the wine a "carmalized" taste?
Mark Garso


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## Jarocal

I use sometimes use brown sugar in my apple wines/ hard ciders. It does alter the color slightly and I feel the brown sugar does impart flavors that compliment the apple really well. I haven't done any whites but have done reds where I use a syrup made from a blend of white.and brown sugar( 4 lbs shy of raising the sg to where I wanted it and too lazy to go to the store for more white sugar). That red turned out well and I have since started a another batch intentionally using the same ratio. That one should be ready for bottling around new years and I'll see if I have been able to reproduce the results from the first one.


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## Morgan

I used an organic brown sugar from Trader Joes with my very first wine, an apple wine from unpasteurized unfiltered cider. I made it into a simple syrup so it would dissolve faster. It tastes good and came out like a white wine, all the color dropped out during fermentation.


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## dubsession

MarkGarso said:


> Would using brown sugar give the wine a "carmalized" taste?
> Mark Garso



Mark,

I can relate to your concern with using brown sugar as it may give a caramelized flavor to your wine, however it depends (from what I noticed when making my pumpkin wine) on how you prepare it. When boiling my water and adding sugar to dissolve and clarify before pouring it on my mash, my first attempt at adding brown sugar was when heat was still applied to the water I was adding my sugar to. This gave my first 2 gallons of sugar water a very strong caramel odor, so-to-speak. I did not think this would have fared too well, so I dumped it down the drain. When working with brown sugar, I've found that bringing your water to its boiling point and then removing it from the heat source before adding your sugar prevents the caramel aroma or flavor from occurring.


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