# Glycerin for back sweetening



## Russ Stewart (Jan 3, 2010)

Has anyone out there used glycerin for back sweetening their wine before bottling? I have 10 gal of reisling wine that I have ageing right now and I racked it yesterday. It seems to be just a little light in body and I have heard that you can use glycerin to sweeten it before bottling instead of a simple sugar syrup - this will improve the body and mouth feel to the wine. Has anyone tried this or know more about it? Thanks alot for any replies and good luck with all of your wine making endeavors.
Russ


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## Tom (Jan 3, 2010)

Glycerine will add "body" and a little sweetening (not much compared to simple syrup). If you want to sweeten your wine then use simple syrup.. much cheaper. Then add glycerine to where you want the "body" to be.


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## Wade E (Jan 3, 2010)

Agree with Toms post! It will thinken the mix a little.


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## cpfan (Jan 3, 2010)

I haven't used glycerine, but I seem to recall reading that too much will impart a 'tinny' taste. Sorry no convenient reference for that comment.

Steve


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## brewr2 (Oct 17, 2021)

I had about 15 gallons of nebbiollo that wouldn't mello out, even after 3 years in sealed carboys at a constant 60 degrees. I finally experimented with a glycerin addition and found that about 1 ounce per gallon changed the wine by slightly sweetening it and mostly eliminated the harshness that was annoying me the most. I'm not crazy about the finished product, but several people I've given bottles to like it. I'm planning to use it again in the future as I believe it adds body, reduces harshness, and adds a little sweetness without diminishing the flavor profile. As always, start small, add later if needed.


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## sour_grapes (Oct 17, 2021)

brewr2 said:


> I had about 15 gallons of nebbiollo that wouldn't mello out, even after 3 years in sealed carboys at a constant 60 degrees. I finally experimented with a glycerin addition and found that about 1 ounce per gallon changed the wine by slightly sweetening it and mostly eliminated the harshness that was annoying me the most. I'm not crazy about the finished product, but several people I've given bottles to like it. I'm planning to use it again in the future as I believe it adds body, reduces harshness, and adds a little sweetness without diminishing the flavor profile. As always, start small, add later if needed.



Welcome to WMT!


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## Rice_Guy (Oct 17, 2021)

I have put glycerine in several problem wines for the purpose of modifying taste. It is not a good way to sweeten a wine but is interesting to smooth harsh flavors. It has not been able to doctor enough to change problems into blue ribbon wines though.


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## winemaker81 (Oct 18, 2021)

I add 1/2 to 1 oz glycerin per gallon to most wines. I don't find that it adds much sweetness, but it smooths rough edges.


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## Juniper Hill (Oct 18, 2021)

I added some glycerine to a light-bodied cabernet a few years back. It did improve the weight of the wine. My wife didn't love the finished product-said she could taste the glycerine.


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## reeflections (Oct 18, 2021)

What kind of glycerine should be used for wine? Is there a difference between LD Carlson and regular vegetable glycerine like what one could find on Amazon?


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## Juniper Hill (Oct 18, 2021)

I've only used the LD Carlson product.


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## winemaker81 (Oct 18, 2021)

reeflections said:


> What kind of glycerine should be used for wine? Is there a difference between LD Carlson and regular vegetable glycerine like what one could find on Amazon?


I buy food grade glycerin, at a MUCH lower price than the tiny bottles available from LHBS.


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## reeflections (Oct 18, 2021)

winemaker81 said:


> I buy food grade glycerin, at a MUCH lower price than the tiny bottles available from LHBS.


Thanks. That's what I thought but wanted to be sure.


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## winemaker81 (Oct 18, 2021)

reeflections said:


> Thanks. That's what I thought but wanted to be sure.


I purchased a gallon of glycerin for $25 USD. Buying by the 4 oz bottle would have cost $125.

I make liqueurs such as limoncello, which uses 1 oz per quart/liter, so I go through it faster than others might.


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## Juniper Hill (Oct 18, 2021)

winemaker81 said:


> I purchased a gallon of glycerin for $25 USD. Buying by the 4 oz bottle would have cost $125.
> 
> I make liqueurs such as limoncello, which uses 1 oz per quart/liter, so I go through it faster than others might.


That is some serious glycerin. You clearly don't mess around winemaker81!


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## winemaker81 (Oct 18, 2021)

Juniper Hill said:


> That is some serious glycerin. You clearly don't mess around winemaker81!


LOL! I 'spose it _might_ appear that way!

Before I bought the gallon, I figured out how much I'd probably use. The last few years I've produced 75-80 gallons of wine/year and several gallons of liqueurs. If I used only half the jug, it's still a savings of over 50%. [but the jug is NOT going to waste!]

It's worth using: My 2019 second run blend spent 10 months in barrel with 6 oz French medium toast cubes. At bottling time I saved one bottle untreated, and added 1 oz glycerin / gallon to the remainder. A couple of months ago I found the odd bottle and opened it (22 months old).

It was almost undrinkable, as the oak was VERY sharp. Tasted along side the glycerin wine, you'd not believe it was the same wine.


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## Maheesh (Oct 18, 2021)

How many gallons was that in?


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## reeflections (Oct 18, 2021)

winemaker81 said:


> If I used only half the jug, it's still a savings of over 50%. [but the jug is NOT going to waste!]



That was my thought too. I just ordered a gallon since I have 60 gallons (that's almost half of the gallon) I want to treat now and more to come soon.

I have always wanted to make limoncello too. Might play with this winter. Can you point me to a good recipe?


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## winemaker81 (Oct 18, 2021)

reeflections said:


> Can you point me to a good recipe?


Look at my blogs regarding liqueurs. So far I've made limoncello with 80 proof vodka, the zest of 5 to 10 lbs of lemons to 3.5 liters vodka. The limecello I made with 150 proof Everclear was amazingly bright. I'll use Everclear in the future.






Liqueurs – Bryan's Wine & Beer Making Site







wine.bkfazekas.com


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## Mario Dinis (Oct 19, 2021)

winemaker81 said:


> Look at my blogs regarding liqueurs. So far I've made limoncello with 80 proof vodka, the zest of 5 to 10 lbs of lemons to 3.5 liters vodka. The limecello I made with 150 proof Everclear was amazingly bright. I'll use Everclear in the future.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I also use Everclear in my limoncello. powerful stuff.


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## winemaker81 (Oct 19, 2021)

Mario Dinis said:


> I also use Everclear in my limoncello. powerful stuff.


EverClear does a MUCH better job of extraction. However, sweetening is much simpler with 80 proof vodka. I make a 1:1 sugar syrup, and use 1 cup syrup with 3 cups limoncello base, to produce a 60 proof result.

Using 150 proof EverClear, I had to use Pearson's Square to figure it out. Once the spirit : water ratio is figured out, then I have to determine how much sugar to add to the water, as the ratio is less than 1:1.

I recorded how I figured things out. Now I just need to find where I put my notes ......


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## Mario Dinis (Oct 19, 2021)

winemaker81 said:


> EverClear does a MUCH better job of extraction. However, sweetening is much simpler with 80 proof vodka. I make a 1:1 sugar syrup, and use 1 cup syrup with 3 cups limoncello base, to produce a 60 proof result.
> 
> Using 150 proof EverClear, I had to use Pearson's Square to figure it out. Once the spirit : water ratio is figured out, then I have to determine how much sugar to add to the water, as the ratio is less than 1:1.
> 
> I recorded how I figured things out. Now I just need to find where I put my notes ......


My syrup ratio is 4:4. My neighbors love it, LOL


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