Calculated Sugar Additions for Strawberry wine

[winemakingrookie]

Hello All,

I plan to make my first batch of wine (strawberry wine) next weekend, and am seeking a bit of advise. I have found the following recipe online that I plan to double:

7lbs of strawberries
2 gallons of water
5lbs of sugar
+ typical additives (wine yeast, lemon juice, etc.)

I did some calculations and I think the amount of sugar seems a bit high in this recipe. I believe in order to get a 14-18% ABV medium-sweet to sweet wine without having to back sweeten, I should be adding around 4.25-6 lbs of sugar for a 4 gallon batch, so 40-60% less than what the recipe calls for. If you want the calculations I can post them, they are just lengthy, so I left them out of here.

What are everyone's thoughts on this? Does 10lbs or 4.25 - 6lbs of sugar sound more accurate?

 

[cmason1957]

My thoughts are:

1) your recipe can't tell you how much sugar to add. Your strawberries are not going to provide the same level of sweetness that someone elses strawberries do. You need to measure with your hydrometer to get to the desired ABV.

2) Yeast don't care that you want a 14-18% ABV Medium-sweet to sweet wine, if you add enough sugar to get to 18% ABV and end up with a given sweetness, you may not be able to get the yeast to do anything, if the sugar amount is to high, the yeast may not start fermenting at all. Alternatively, they may surprise you and that yeast that is rated at 14% ABV, may be highly motivated and give you 20% ABV, might die out a bit sooner, who knows.

3) The final sweetness level that provides a blanced wine might be semi-dry, might be very sweet, it all depends.

So my suggestion is decide about how much ABV you want and from my experience for strawberry wine and most fruit wines 10-14% ABV is the sweet spot to have a nicely balanced wine in the end. Add sugar to get to that level. Let it ferment dry and backsweeten. I know that isn't what most older recipes have you do, but it seems to work best for home winemakers, since there isn't a reliable way, other than overwhelming the yeast with alcohol or heat pasteurizing to really kill the yeast off.

 

[BigDaveK]

First batch of wine? Do you have a hydrometer? If not, get one! Inexpensive and possibly the most useful tool for wine making.

An approximate rule of thumb is that 1 lb of sugar will raise the SG of 1 gallon by .040 - which you measure with your hydrometer. In your recipe 5 lbs of sugar in a 2 gallon batch is not unreasonable. Also, a couple lbs more of strawberries wouldn't hurt but I always add more fruit.

In fact, buy 2 hydrometers. You will break one eventually. (I broke 2 so far, one from carelessness and one from stupidity.)

And welcome to WMT! A lot of great people willing to help.

BTW, did I mention getting a hydrometer?

 

[winemakingrookie]

My thoughts are:

1) your recipe can't tell you how much sugar to add. Your strawberries are not going to provide the same level of sweetness that someone elses strawberries do. You need to measure with your hydrometer to get to the desired ABV.

2) Yeast don't care that you want a 14-18% ABV Medium-sweet to sweet wine, if you add enough sugar to get to 18% ABV and end up with a given sweetness, you may not be able to get the yeast to do anything, if the sugar amount is to high, the yeast may not start fermenting at all. Alternatively, they may surprise you and that yeast that is rated at 14% ABV, may be highly motivated and give you 20% ABV, might die out a bit sooner, who knows.

3) The final sweetness level that provides a blanced wine might be semi-dry, might be very sweet, it all depends.

So my suggestion is decide about how much ABV you want and from my experience for strawberry wine and most fruit wines 10-14% ABV is the sweet spot to have a nicely balanced wine in the end. Add sugar to get to that level. Let it ferment dry and backsweeten. I know that isn't what most older recipes have you do, but it seems to work best for home winemakers, since there isn't a reliable way, other than overwhelming the yeast with alcohol or heat pasteurizing to really kill the yeast off.

First of all, Thank you for the response!

To your first point: for my calculations I have used the USDA provided sugar content of 4.89grams sugar/100grams strawberries as an average. I totally get that this won't be perfect, but I figured it would give me a pretty fair starting point.

In response to item 2: I am using Red Star Premier Blanc Yeast, which from what I have read, will readily tolerate 13-15% environments, and if highly motivated can make it to 18%. I used a final ABV range of 14-18% because I've heard that a minimum ABV of 14% is required for a shelf stable wine, and that 18% is about as high an ABV my chosen yeast can handle. You did point out my biggest concern here, in that I am afraid sugar concentration might be too high for the yeast to get started if I use the upper end of my calculated range, and especially so if I use 10lbs of sugar lol.

Point 3: I understand wine is an artform, and developing the ability to judge a balanced wine is something I can only develop over time. I am in a technical field by trade, and applying what I know from work is the best way I know to get started, even if it may not be the best method. Once I have made a few good batches (and several more bad batches I'm sure), I hope to develop the artistic intuition that is so critical to the process.

 

[winemakingrookie]

First batch of wine? Do you have a hydrometer? If not, get one! Inexpensive and possibly the most useful tool for wine making.

An approximate rule of thumb is that 1 lb of sugar will raise the SG of 1 gallon by .040 - which you measure with your hydrometer. In your recipe 5 lbs of sugar in a 2 gallon batch is not unreasonable. Also, a couple lbs more of strawberries wouldn't hurt but I always add more fruit.

In fact, buy 2 hydrometers. You will break one eventually. (I broke 2 so far, one from carelessness and one from stupidity.)

And welcome to WMT! A lot of great people willing to help.

BTW, did I mention getting a hydrometer?

Thanks for the reply!

I do have a hydrometer already. Funny story, I bought one, and had it in my truck when I went to pick up a friend of mine, I forgot it was on my truck seat and he sat directly on the case smashing it to bits, so I am already on hydrometer #2 lol.

My original concern about a hydrometer is that it measures total dissolved solids, so I was concerned about the error that this may introduce. However, as I continued to read it seemed that this is the tool of the trade, so my original concerns may have been misguided.

 

[winemaker81]

Craig and Dave are spot on.

Regarding fruit quantity, a lot of old recipes (as well as modern ones) are deficient in fruit. For most fruit, I'd not use less than 5 lbs per gallon, and with light fruit such as strawberries, I'd use more.

What is your secondary storage? 1 US gallon or 4 liter jugs? You will lose volume to sediment, so you need to start with at least 2-1/2 gallons of liquid. When bulk aging, you want the containers to be within 1" to 2" of the stopper to avoid oxidation. You'll probably need some smaller bottles for any excess.

I am using Red Star Premier Blanc Yeast, which from what I have read, will readily tolerate 13-15% environments, and if highly motivated can make it to 18%.

Never count on the published ABV tolerance -- that's a laboratory measured average. Some yeast are quitters and some are over achievers. In past times it was common to overwhelm the wine with sugar as the yeast wasn't as good and there were not good ways to stabilize the wine. Today's winemaking materials are very good.

I suggest targeting 12-13% ABV, which will be diluted a bit when you backsweeten.

I used a final ABV range of 14-18% because I've heard that a minimum ABV of 14% is required for a shelf stable wine, and that 18% is about as high an ABV my chosen yeast can handle.

That is incorrect -- the commonly accepted value for preservation of wine on this forum is 10%. This doesn't mean wine less than 10% immediately goes bad. ABV is a factor in wine longevity, and wines below 10% have a shorter shelf life, the lower the value, generally speaking the shorter the lifespan.

The highest published ABV tolerance for a wine yeast I know of is 18%, although we've had a few folks report step feeding up to 20%.

It appears you've been reading about yeast -- excellent idea. We have numerous threads that discuss strains.

 

[Ericphotoart]

Another way to get slightly higher ABV but starting with low sugar is step feeding, however, since it is your first wine I wouldn’t go that way.

 

[winemakingrookie]

Craig and Dave are spot on.

Regarding fruit quantity, a lot of old recipes (as well as modern ones) are deficient in fruit. For most fruit, I'd not use less than 5 lbs per gallon, and with light fruit such as strawberries, I'd use more.

What is your secondary storage? 1 US gallon or 4 liter jugs? You will lose volume to sediment, so you need to start with at least 2-1/2 gallons of liquid. When bulk aging, you want the containers to be within 1" to 2" of the stopper to avoid oxidation. You'll probably need some smaller bottles for any excess.


Never count on the published ABV tolerance -- that's a laboratory measured average. Some yeast are quitters and some are over achievers. In past times it was common to overwhelm the wine with sugar as the yeast wasn't as good and there were not good ways to stabilize the wine. Today's winemaking materials are very good.

I suggest targeting 12-13% ABV, which will be diluted a bit when you backsweeten.


That is incorrect -- the commonly accepted value for preservation of wine on this forum is 10%. This doesn't mean wine less than 10% immediately goes bad. ABV is a factor in wine longevity, and wines below 10% have a shorter shelf life, the lower the value, generally speaking the shorter the lifespan.

The highest published ABV tolerance for a wine yeast I know of is 18%, although we've had a few folks report step feeding up to 20%.

It appears you've been reading about yeast -- excellent idea. We have numerous threads that discuss strains.

I appreciate the tip from you and @BigDaveK about many recipes being light on fruit, I'll keep this in mind moving forward.

1.) Primary fermenter is a 6.5 gallon food grade bucket, for Secondary I have purchased 5, 1 gallon carboys for exactly the reason you pointed out, so I wouldn't have to dilute my batch to fill a 5 gallon carboy to avoid oxidation.

2.) Are there any regulations on the accuracy of published ABV tolerances always? Are they accurate for a lab grade setting, and the home setting just doesn't produce an optimal environment so the yeast cannot achieve its published results?

3.) Not challenging your suggestion at all, just want to understand why you are suggesting this. Why target 12-13%? Also, I've read in a couple places that backsweetening can have an unnatural taste, maybe this is incorrect?

4.) Great information, I read the 14% in a recipe I found, and thought it seemed high, thanks for clarifying. Out of curiosity, how long of a shelf life would a 10% wine have?

5.) I have been reading about yeast among many other things, so many things in fact that I'm sure I've forgotten some of the things I've read, so forgive me if I've asked any really basic questions.

Thanks!

 

[winemakingrookie]

Another way to get slightly higher ABV but starting with low sugar is step feeding, however, since it is your first wine I wouldn’t go that way.

I'll take your word not to try it on my first batch, but will definitely be looking into this. Thanks for the response!

 

[winemaker81]

2.) Are there any regulations on the accuracy of published ABV tolerances always? Are they accurate for a lab grade setting, and the home setting just doesn't produce an optimal environment so the yeast cannot achieve its published results?

Yeast is a living creature (actually a lot of 'em) and as such, they differ. A given strain has an ABV tolerance within a given range, but it's far from exact. The labs are as exact as is feasible. Ferment dry then backwweeten is recommended because it works, especially for small quantities.

3.) Not challenging your suggestion at all, just want to understand why you are suggesting this. Why target 12-13%? Also, I've read in a couple places that backsweetening can have an unnatural taste, maybe this is incorrect?

Good wine is about balance. I make some heavy reds with ABV in the 14% to 15% range -- these wines can handle that without being out of balance, e.g., the alcohol taste overshadowing the wine. A lighter wine, such as strawberry, doesn't have the oomph to handle as much alcohol, so it's easy to end up with something tasting a lot like jet fuel.

Note that some folks DO make high octane strawberry, but they're using a lot more fruit, increase the acid, and backsweeten more.

Given that you're a beginner, my advice is to go with a more basic recipe at first. You can branch out later once you've got a few batches under your belt.

4.) Great information, I read the 14% in a recipe I found, and thought it seemed high, thanks for clarifying. Out of curiosity, how long of a shelf life would a 10% wine have?

Winemaking is an art, not a science. A lot of us apply as much science as we can, but in the final analysis, there are too many uncontrollable variables to allow for exact answers. Wine longevity is one of those things -- it doesn't always turn out as we expect.

For a wine less than 10% ABV, I'd expect no more than a year. This doesn't mean the wine won't last longer, just that I've been making wine long enough that my expectations are lower. I'd much rather use it earlier than later, so I don't end up pouring it down the drain.

In 2020 I made a Sauvignon Blanc from juice and a Chardonnay kit -- both were in decline at 1-1/2 years. In 2013 I made a Apple-Riesling "fun wine" kit, intended to be 7% ABV but I chaptalized (added fermentation sugar) to bump it to 11%. That last bottles were good at 7 years. Yeah, go figure ...

5.) I have been reading about yeast among many other things, so many things in fact that I'm sure I've forgotten some of the things I've read, so forgive me if I've asked any really basic questions.

You're a beginner. You're SUPPOSED to ask questions.

One reason I pointed out the MoreWine! manuals and my whitepapers is that these will give you a background, so that you ask better, more pointed questions.

I suggest you browse the Beginner, General, and Country Wine forums -- look at threads in the first couple of pages and read through any that sound interesting. You'll pick up a lot of knowledge along the way.

 

[winemakingrookie]

Yeast is a living creature (actually a lot of 'em) and as such, they differ. A given strain has an ABV tolerance within a given range, but it's far from exact. The labs are as exact as is feasible. Ferment dry then backwweeten is recommended because it works, especially for small quantities.


Good wine is about balance. I make some heavy reads with ABV in the 14% to 15% range -- these wines can handle that without being out of balance, e.g., the alcohol taste overshadowing the wine. A lighter wine, such as strawberry, doesn't have the oomph to handle as much alcohol, so it's easy to end up with something tasting a lot like jet fuel.

Note that some folks DO make high octane strawberry, but they're using a lot more fruit, increase the acid, and backsweeten more.

Given that you're a beginner, my advice is to go with a more basic recipe at first. You can branch out later once you've got a few batches under your belt.


Winemaking is an art, not a science. A lot of us apply as much science as we can, but in the final analysis, there are too many uncontrollable variables to allow for exact answers. Wine longevity is one of those things -- it doesn't always turn out as we expect.

For a wine less than 10% ABV, I'd expect no more than a year. This doesn't mean the wine won't last longer, just that I've been making wine long enough that my expectations are lower. I'd much rather use it earlier than later, so I don't end up pouring it down the drain.

In 2020 I made a Sauvignon Blanc from juice and a Chardonnay kit -- both were in decline at 1-1/2 years. In 2013 I made a Apple-Riesling "fun wine" kit, intended to be 7% ABV but I chaptalized (added fermentation sugar) to bump it to 11%. That last bottles were good at 7 years. Yeah, go figure ...


You're a beginner. You're SUPPOSED to ask questions.

One reason I pointed out the MoreWine! manuals and my whitepapers is that these will give you a background, so that you ask better, more pointed questions.

I suggest you browse the Beginner, General, and Country Wine forums -- look at threads in the first couple of pages and read through any that sound interesting. You'll pick up a lot of knowledge along the way

You have been incredibly helpful, thank you for your detailed responses, and the links to your documentation. I'll be giving these a read over the next week and applying them to my first batch. I will return with updates, and most likely many more questions than answers lol

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

First batch of wine? Do you have a hydrometer? If not, get one! Inexpensive and possibly the most useful tool for wine making.

In fact, buy 2 hydrometers. You will break one eventually. (I broke 2 so far, one from carelessness and one from stupidity.)

BTW, did I mention getting a hydrometer?

Yup. Get two. If you don’t have two you will surely break the one you have.

 

[BigDaveK]

My original concern about a hydrometer is that it measures total dissolved solids, so I was concerned about the error that this may introduce. However, as I continued to read it seemed that this is the tool of the trade, so my original concerns may have been misguided.

Oh My God this is a huge bugaboo for me!! Yes, the hydrometer measures the density of a liquid. Usually it's close to approximate sugar...BUT! I make country wines and sometimes the hydrometer can be very misleading. I always research the approximate sugar content of my ingredients, get an SG reading pre-sugar, and compare. I also get a brix measurement. (I like data.) If there's considerable difference (and sometimes there is!) I'll guesstimate the amount of sugar to add.

This is a fun hobby and I wish you luck. BTW, patience - especially for a new wine maker - can be torture. It was for me!

 

[Jovimaple]

Welcome to WMT!

My first batch was a 1 gallon raspberry. It was very blah. I didn't make enough to top off so I googled it and used water, which definitely contributed to the flabbiness of the wine.

As Bryan mentioned, having lots of smaller containers is a huge help in making sure you have enough wine to keep your aging vessels topped up. I have used mason jars with plastic lids with airlocks (the lids were advertised for kimchi or sauerkraut making), but then I found out that a universal bung turned upside down will fit a wine bottle, so I generally will use 1.5 liter, 750 ml, and 375 ml bottles for the overflow, with an upside down universal bung and an airlock. Caution: always sample before you use the overflow to top off your main batch because the smaller amounts can sometimes go bad quicker than larger amounts. If in doubt, use a similar commercial wine to top off your wine.

Good luck and have fun. You may want to browse the Skeeter Pee and Dragonblood forums for wines that don't need to age much before they are drinkable, while you wait for your strawberry to age. And be aware that carboys breed like rabbits.

 

[winemaker81]

1.) Primary fermenter is a 6.5 gallon food grade bucket, for Secondary I have purchased 5, 1 gallon carboys for exactly the reason you pointed out, so I wouldn't have to dilute my batch to fill a 5 gallon carboy to avoid oxidation.

Assuming you find this an enjoyable endeavor, you're going to want to migrate to larger containers. If you're making 5 gallons of wine, it's a lot easier to manage 1 carboy than 5 one gallon jugs, and you lose less wine during racking. Speaking of which, among my whitepapers is description of how I minimize loss during racking -- I strongly urge you to read it.

Something else to consider is your output. 5 US gallons / 23 liters seems like a lot of wine, right? However, if you drink 1 bottle per week, that carboy is gone in less than 6 months. As Joni stated, carboys can breed like rabbits!

Start collecting bottles NOW. Have friends save bottles for you. Local restaurants may let you take the empties. I get a bunch of bottles from a local meadery, discards from their tasting room.

Plan for storage NOW. I have 30+ cases of bottled wine plus 60+ gallons in production (will bottle between July and November). Ya gotta have storage for the empties, plus storage for the full ones.

 

[winemakingrookie]

Assuming you find this an enjoyable endeavor, you're going to want to migrate to larger containers. If you're making 5 gallons of wine, it's a lot easier to manage 1 carboy than 5 one gallon jugs, and you lose less wine during racking. Speaking of which, among my whitepapers is description of how I minimize loss during racking -- I strongly urge you to read it.

Something else to consider is your output. 5 US gallons / 23 liters seems like a lot of wine, right? However, if you drink 1 bottle per week, that carboy is gone in less than 6 months. As Joni stated, carboys can breed like rabbits!

Start collecting bottles NOW. Have friends save bottles for you. Local restaurants may let you take the empties. I get a bunch of bottles from a local meadery, discards from their tasting room.

Plan for storage NOW. I have 30+ cases of bottled wine plus 60+ gallons in production (will bottle between July and November). Ya gotta have storage for the empties, plus storage for the full ones.

I have collected tons of mason jars for canning from local auctions, and from now on will be bidding on bottles and carboys.

 

[winemakingrookie]

Oh My God this is a huge bugaboo for me!! Yes, the hydrometer measures the density of a liquid. Usually it's close to approximate sugar...BUT! I make country wines and sometimes the hydrometer can be very misleading. I always research the approximate sugar content of my ingredients, get an SG reading pre-sugar, and compare. I also get a brix measurement. (I like data.) If there's considerable difference (and sometimes there is!) I'll guesstimate the amount of sugar to add.

This is a fun hobby and I wish you luck. BTW, patience - especially for a new wine maker - can be torture. It was for me!

Maybe my concern was half justifed, I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day lol

And yes. I'm preparing myself for the mental anguish of waiting.

 

[winemaker81]

I have collected tons of mason jars for canning from local auctions, and from now on will be bidding on bottles and carboys.

Mason jars work for short term storage, but present a relatively large head space due to the shape. For long term storage you're much more likely to experience oxidation. Wine bottles are the best choice.

 

[winemakingrookie]

Mason jars work for short term storage, but present a relatively large head space due to the shape. For long term storage you're much more likely to experience oxidation. Wine bottles are the best choice.

Absolutely. I don't plan on using mason jars for storage, just an unnecessary detail I added to my comment. I'll be buying a bunch of bottles at auctions from now on!