back sweetening

[tnterryt]

is there a general rule of thumb as to how many lbs of sugar to back sweeten to curtain specific gravity in this case being 1.010 @ 5 gallons?
im sure its posted here some where I just cant lay my hands on it.


thanks

 

[Thig]

Not sure what you're asking, if you know the current SG and what SG you want to get to you can approximate it.

 

[Julie]

1 cup of sugar will raise sg .018 per gallon

 

[tnterryt]

I am not good with words but Julie answered my question . lets say I have a wine that is at.990 and I want it back sweetened to 1.010 how much sugar do I need ? aint good at math either sorry

 

[Thig]

Ok so you're wanting to raise the SG by 20 points, based on Julie's answer 5 cups would get your 5 gallons at 990 up to 1.008. It would take you 5.55 cups to get to 1.010. Calculated by 20/18 times 5.

 

[salcoco]

how do you know that the sg should be 1.010 for a good tasting wine. I ould recommend bench trials with a fixed amount of wine for example 100ml. add sugar syrup 1/4 tsp=1.125ml increasing the quantity per sample then taste. calculate addition based on the one you like.

 

[Thig]

I agree, I wasn't suggesting he go to 1.010, just telling him how to get there.

 

[tnterryt]

That is how I come up with the 1.010 I took some and just started adding sugar little at a time in a quart jar till my wife and I liked it at 1.010. thanks to you folks I now know the formula to figure it by so hopefully no more guessing

 

[Julie]

That is how I come up with the 1.010 I took some and just started adding sugar little at a time in a quart jar till my wife and I liked it at 1.010. thanks to you folks I now know the formula to figure it by so hopefully no more guessing

that is exactly how you should do it, take it slow when adding the sugar, I would go with a cup less, take a reading, taste and just add little at a time from there until you hit the level that you two like.

 

[garymc]

When I'm adding the syrup, I like to add most of what I've decided is needed and taste. Just in case there was an error in the trial or something. Also, as the wine ages, it will seem to be sweeter. That's because some of the harshness you're covering up sith sweetness will recede with time.

oops, I see Julie beat me to the punch!

 

[Julie]

And for the record, I take out some wine, add sugar to that, warm it up and then add back the sweeten wine.

 

[willie]

That is how I come up with the 1.010 I took some and just started adding sugar little at a time in a quart jar till my wife and I liked it at 1.010. thanks to you folks I now know the formula to figure it by so hopefully no more guessing

I use this gauge when back sweetening. We usually like our DB in the 1.010-1.015 range. Around 4-5 cups per 6 Gal. I believe.
Dry <1.000
Med. Dry 1.000 -1.010
Med Sweet 1.010 - 1.020
Sweet 1.020 - 1.030
Dessert 1.030 - 1.040

Will

 

[tnterryt]

And for the record, I take out some wine, add sugar to that, warm it up and then add back the sweeten wine.

yes ma'am that's what I did took a half gallon out and put it in a pan with the sugar heated just enough for it to melt put it back in the carboy . of course I sanitized everything from the pot to the wooden spoon I stirred it with

 

[homesteader26]

This is all great info here - this also helps me to guess less!

 

[applelover12]

Cloudy wine

And for the record, I take out some wine, add sugar to that, warm it up and then add back the sweeten wine.

Does it cloudy The wine when you back sweeten with sugar ?

 

[Julie]

Does it cloudy The wine when you back sweeten with sugar ?

No, never had that problem

 

[pete1325]

Interesting reading......I 've never consider back sweetening any of my wines, until now. My daughter, who recently turned 21, has acquired a taste for white wines on the sweeter side. This season she asked me to make her a (sweet) white wine.......how could I refuse. I have three gallons of Mascato made from grapes that were pressed back in late September. I've let it go dry, and plan to back sweeten. When ready I'll add sorbate to avoid any fermentation when I add the sweetener. My question is; can I back sweeten with a flavored syrup? If so what flavor would go with a Muscato? Thanks.

 

[salcoco]

a flavored syrup might make the wine cloudy. I would certainly try a bench trial sample for a few weeks to make sure it stayed clear.
Moscato had a very distinct taste , I think leaving it natural might be best.