Sg

[kenk175]

I am a little confused about specific gravity. Does the SG determine if your wine is dry or sweet. Can I stop fermentation at a certain SG reading and then continue racking until the wine is clear. I want some of my wines to be semi-dry to sweet and some just sweet. Need Help

 

[jpsmithny]

The general consensus is ferment the wine to dry and then backsweeten to whatever you desire.

Stopping a fermentation is very difficult to do.

Anything you try to to stop it would affect the taste.

Please see the following link to an excellent discussion regarding SG and the use of the hydrometer.


http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/hydrom.asp

 

[olusteebus]

I think it is best to ferment dry as the more fermentation, the better the wine. After degassing, clearing, add potassium sorbate to stop fermentation. Backsweeten to the level you want.

An sg of less than 1.000 is dry, 1.01 is semisweet and up further is sweet.

 

[jamesngalveston]

you can use a yeast that ferments out, early...meaning that you still have sugar left, but the yeast is dead and non functional.
that is the best way.
example....yeast strain is good for abv of 13 percent...
start out your wine at 1.110....the yeast will die out a little below 1.000
leaving you with a semi sweet wine, and sugar residue.
you will have to add sorbate, if it is not at 12 percent.
if you search yeast strain charts you can find the perfect yeast that will allow you to ferment the yeast, and still have sugar....

 

[jamesngalveston]

leaving a sweet taste to a wine, using yeast strains is an art.
fermenting to dry and then adding sugar is a science.
I for one never use sorbate...but my wines are way above the 12 percent mark.

 

[kenk175]

Thanks very much that helps a lot. I think I will stick to science now and learn the art later.