First post and first batch

[Greywolf7]

Just bottled my 1st batch of muscadine wine. Everything has gone well up until bottling time.
The color was a nice red through the last racking. My wife wanted it sweeter so I added wine conditioner, sweetened it to taste. Left in carboy with airlock a few days and upon bottling the wine is lighter in color than it has been the entire process. It still tastes fine, but my red is now more of a rose. I didn't do anything other than add 4oz of wine conditioner.
Has anyone had an issue like this? Maybe I did something wrong, no idea. Could the color come back some with aging?
Thanks for the help in advance!

 

[user 36973]

The wine conditioner may contain sulfites, as well as sorbate and sugar. Or you added sulfites when adding the conditioner. Regardless, the sulfites can bleach the color of rose wines. I've had this happen with catawba.

You may want to add your sugar and sorbate separately to have more control fine-tuning your wine, rather than using a conditioner. You just need a scale to make the measurements.

It's all good as long as your wife likes it, but I doubt the color will come back.

 

[BernardSmith]

Wine conditioner would seem to contain stabilizing chemicals that could affect the color of your wine perhaps by changing the acidity of the wine.

 

[Greywolf7]

The conditioner does contain invert sugar and potassium sorbate. I also added a campden tablet before bottling. Was surprised at the color change, didnt expect that nor have I seen much mention of this happening in the bit of searching ive done.
I have another batch in secondary fermentation. I may try something other than the conditioner next time.

 

[The green Dragon]

The wine conditioner may contain sulfites, as well as sorbate and sugar. Or you added sulfites when adding the conditioner. Regardless, the sulfites can bleach the color of rose wines. I've had this happen with catawba.

You may want to add your sugar and sorbate separately to have more control fine-tuning your wine, rather than using a conditioner. You just need a scale to make the measurements.

It's all good as long as your wife likes it, but I doubt the color will come back.

I think you are right he mentions that he added a campden tablet I think thats a sulphite right?

 

[The green Dragon]

The conditioner does contain invert sugar and potassium sorbate. I also added a campden tablet before bottling. Was surprised at the color change, didnt expect that nor have I seen much mention of this happening in the bit of searching ive done.
I have another batch in secondary fermentation. I may try something other than the conditioner next time.

Hi grey wolf its the green dragon here, just on your thread learning what I can I’M new as well
I can tell you though you are in the right place
Lots of knowledgable wine makers on this forum. Welcome

 

[Rice_Guy]

The conditioner does contain invert sugar and potassium sorbate. I also added a campden tablet before bottling. Was surprised at the color change, didnt expect that nor have I seen much mention of this happening in the bit of searching ive done.
I have another batch in secondary fermentation. I may try something other than the conditioner next time.

I have used wine conditioner and never had a color loss issue. It seems to be an expensive way to add sugar and an unknown amount of K sorbate. On the positive sorbate in cherry has made a precipitate, wine conditioner didn’t do this.

and welcome to WineMakingTalk

 

[Kraffty]

Just a thought I don't see mentioned yet. Are comparing the color of the wine in the carboy versus the color of the wine in the bottle? If so it probably hasn't really changed, you're just looking at a different volumes.

 

[robert81650]

Kraffty is probably right. It is much darker in carboy then in bottle. But don't use wine conditioner to sweeten. Use sugar syrup.

 

[sour_grapes]

Just a thought I don't see mentioned yet. Are comparing the color of the wine in the carboy versus the color of the wine in the bottle? If so it probably hasn't really changed, you're just looking at a different volumes.

Kraffty is probably right. It is much darker in carboy then in bottle. But don't use wine conditioner to sweeten. Use sugar syrup.

Yes: Beer–Lambert law - Wikipedia

 

[Greywolf7]

Just a thought I don't see mentioned yet. Are comparing the color of the wine in the carboy versus the color of the wine in the bottle? If so it probably hasn't really changed, you're just looking at a different volumes.

You may be right, it is possible.

 

[Greywolf7]

Kraffty is probably right. It is much darker in carboy then in bottle. But don't use wine conditioner to sweeten. Use sugar syrup.

I will try this with next batch. Thanks!