Final SG for Red Zinfandel?

[lovethepirk]

I got 5.5 gallons of Red Zin going and would like to know what you all do to nail down when to yank the plug on the fermentation process.

Without asking I would just test periodically and once it hits my target toss in the sorbate.

What is a good Final SG for my Zin?

Started SG was at 1.088

Ending at .995 would be 12.6%
Ending at .992 would be 13.0%

Would it be bad to end at 1.000 on a red wine?

Thanks...

 

[Tom]

Yes it could be dangerous @ 1.000. (sparkling
wine) It is very hard to stop fermentating. And you cant stop it on demand. Thats why we all let the wines go dry .990.
Shoot for .990 for your Zin.

 

[smurfe]

Red Zin is a dry wine anyway. Let it go till done.

 

[mmadmikes1]

099 is where my last Red Zin ended. Its only 6 months old and isnt half bad, cant wait till its 3

 

[Wade E]

This is not a way to stop a wine from fermenting as has been said before. Doing so can cause off flavors in your wine from stressing a yeast in process and most likely wot work anyway. there are really only 4 ways of stopping a fermentation in progress. ! of them is a very bad way and is basically what you are thinking of but sorbate will not stop a fermentation, sulfites will but only if very concentrated to the extent where you would taste it forever in your wine. Sorbate only stops a wine from Refermenting. The second way is to get the equipment to sterile filter your wine which can get pretty expensive with both the equipment and very fine micron filters. The third way is to almost freeze your wine for about 3 weeks and then immediately rack off all sediment and sulfite and sorbate as the yeast will be stunned from the cold and even this way is iffy and can start back up. the fourth way is to raise your abv by forifying it with a higher alv like vodka or everclear or moonshine or brandy. The best way to en up with a sweeter wine is to ferment to dry and sweeten back afterwards. Another way to have a sweeter wine is too start with a higher starting sg and use a yeast that will be overpowered by your starting sg but this way can fail also as yeast has a tendency to either stop to early leaving you with a wine sweeter then you wanted or by going way past what is listed as a abv tolerance and end up with a very high abv wine with very little residual sugar and you will have to sweeten back anyway.

 

[Nubz]

The best way to end up with a sweeter wine is to ferment to dry and sweeten back afterwards.

like Wade said this is the best way in my opinion also

as much as i dont like very dry wine this is what i shoot for

the first time i made wine i added extra sugar to make it stop sooner and it was gross
had sugar floating in it and just was like drinking apple juice with a couple tablespoons of sugar in each glass YUCK

tried the freezing thing once with some extra i had from when i racked to secondary and it just didnt taste as good as my apple wine that i did the correct way that isnt even finished yet and i tasted the other day when i racked it
when its finished ill top it off with some juice to sweeten it back up a little

 

[lovethepirk]

Nubz,

I like your idea of adding juice.

What are the best things to add to grape wine, in my case Red Zin?
---grape juice, some type of sugar?

Exactly when should I add it so it does not get the yeast feeding again?

Thanks

 

[Tom]

If you want it sweeter add some simple syrup to your taste.
Add it AFTER you added K-META & Sorbate..