# Advice on Back Sweetening



## blackfin1 (Dec 21, 2011)

I have been sampling different wines and I recently tasted a Muscato and Niagra Grape wines. I noticed that they are sweet/ off dry. I plan to purchase a bucket of Muscato and Niagra grape juice to make into wine. What I am confused about is: The grapes used are sweet with fruity flavors, but if I ferment at an SG of 1.090 etc. The wine should end up dry and not sweet at all. Is this correct? 

Do the commercial companies back sweeten to make the muscato and Niagra Grape wines sweet?

This is where I am confused. I want to make sweet wines and cant seem to get the whole idea about back sweetening or something that should be done during fermentation?

Thanks,
Sal.


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## Julie (Dec 21, 2011)

Hi Sal,

I think you are getting it. Yes, when you ferment, leave it ferment to dry and then add sulphite and sorbate, this is stabilizing your wine, and then add sugar to backsweeten your wine. Some use a simple syrup but I feel that dilutes your wine, so I usually take some of the wine, warm it up and add sugar to that, stir until disolved and then add back to your wine. Taste it to see if it is sweet enough for you, if it is, take a hydrometer reading so the next time you make this you will know where your sweet level is at.

There are calculators on here to help figure out how much sugar to add. I usually go my the general rule that 1 cup of sugar will increase sg .018. So if I have a wine that is at .992 and I add one cup of sugar per gallon my sg would be 1.010.

Does this help?


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## blackfin1 (Dec 21, 2011)

Thanks Julie, that is a big help.

Sal


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## Tom (Dec 21, 2011)

Reisling, Muscato and Niagra Grape wines are sweet. You would be surprised how sweet the "dry" wine is. Taste before doing anything. I have not backsweetened these yet


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## FTC Wines (Dec 21, 2011)

Back sweetening is all about ONE'S taste. I like my Apple @ 1.008, but many female friends like it better when I sweeten it to 1.020. So now I sweeten to taste & record the SG for next years wine, & that gives me a good starting point! I do this for all different wines I make. Roy


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## djrockinsteve (Dec 21, 2011)

If you do as Julie said about inverting sugar in wine, do about 2 cups of wine in a pan and add maybe 4-6 ounces of sugar. Fill your test beaker up with mostly dry wine with hydrometer in it. Then add a little sweetened wine. Get a gravity reading. 

Now sample a little. Too dry add more sweetened wine. Sample again. 

Once you find what you like calculate how much sugar you need and invert it in wine. Blend and let it rest a week or more. Then bottle. 

FYI. 4 ounces by weight of sugar will raise gravity of 1 gallon of wine .010

Only quark is if it's below .990 then you will need more to get it up to/above .990

Check out our tutorial section on home page.


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## chevs15 (Dec 21, 2011)

So I'm learning here.... Am I right that the higher the SG the sweeter the wine? The lower the SG the dryer the wine?


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## djrockinsteve (Dec 21, 2011)

Your specific gravity can tell you a lot.

Where you start and where it ends will help you determine the ABV (Alcohol By Volume)
When you back sweeten you can use it to find a point where you like your wines sweetness and then replicate that given the same acidity.
It can help you determine your musts fermentation and if it is stuck.
It can also indicate a refermentation.

Starting out your juice contains sugar. The yeast will consume the sugar until they die or all the sugar is gone leaving your wine DRY.

By back sweetening you are adding sugar which will enhance the taste on your tongue.

Most reds are between .990 and 1.000 Many of my reds I sweeten to .995-.998 but it depends upon the grape and the acidity.

My whites I sweeten more to say .998-1.005

Fruits are in that same range as well usually but often I will make 2 different sweetness levels. A Dry and A Semi Dry

Skeeter Pees are usually 1.010

If a wine is ever too dry add a pinch of sugar, stir and taste it. You will taste a big difference.


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## cpfan (Dec 21, 2011)

chevs15 said:


> So I'm learning here.... Am I right that the higher the SG the sweeter the wine? The lower the SG the dryer the wine?


True, if you're talking about finished sg. If you're talking starting sg, then higher sg usually relates to higher alcohol content.

Steve


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## Eyeguy (Dec 21, 2011)

*Back sweetening "clouded"*

I have recently bottled 2 gallons of Reisling/Gewurztraminer blend wine dry. I saved 3 gallons to back-sweeten slightly next week. I took one additional gallon last week and heated 2 cups of it and dissolved about 1/3-1/2 cup of organic 100% apple juice concentrate and added the Pot. Sorbate. When I mixed this back into the wine jug (the solution was room temp) the once sparkling clear wine clouded/hazed significantly. I let it sit now for 1 week under airlock and it has not fermented but is still just as cloudy. Do I need to add enzyme as I would to a fruit wine if I just sweeten with apple concentrate? Could I just filter this clear (I know that may not be a great idea since it is so cloudy). This can't be that pectin haze can it?


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