Low Starting Gravity for Wine Kit

[Dom Lausic]

Hello Everyone,

Starting a new Amarone wine kit today from Argentia Ridge (Costco Canada). Kit comes with 2 bags of juice for 23L. Does not require any water additions.

Used left over skins pack from my CC OVZ, and poured the juice packs into the bucket.

My SG is 1.074 which I feel is rather low?? This is prior to adding dried grape currants. Instructions say i should be between 1.080 - 1.095. I thought maybe the skin pack may have diluted the juice concentrate to lower the SG.

So question is, would everyone recommend bumping up the SG?? Was thinking of getting it to at least 1.090???

Let me know your thoughts, thx!! (if this is redundant, my apologies.... couldn't find a great answer in previous threads....)

 

[cmason1957]

I haven't ever done this particular Amarone, but I prefer my Amarone to be a bit higher even than 1.090, like at 1.100 or 1.110. I doubt that adding a used grape skin pak. Generally they have given up everything they have to give after the kit they come with. I might consider adding some tannin and maybe some raisins for that typical taste profile of Amarone. Not sure dried currants are something I would add, but it is your wine.

 

[Dom Lausic]

So I'm currently around 18 Brix (~10%ABV). If I wanted to increase to at least 21 Brix (~12%ABV) I would need about 1.15 KG of table sugar?? Sound about right???

 

[cmason1957]

So I'm currently around 18 Brix (~10%ABV). If I wanted to increase to at least 21 Brix (~12%ABV) I would need about 1.15 KG of table sugar?? Sound about right???

I used fermcalc and it suggested only about 1 kg of sugar for 6 gallons. You can search the web for Fermcalc and double check that.

 

[Dom Lausic]

Ok great! I'd like a slightly higher ABV, but worried that adding too much sugar may affect other factors such as acidity??

 

[Rice_Guy]

Ok great! I'd like a slightly higher ABV, but worried that adding too much sugar may affect other factors such as acidity??

Sugar will not make a measurable change in acid.
Roughly 100 times more nonionized molecules exist than H+ T- , , there is a lot of buffering capacity.