Other Sugar Content of Kit Sweetener

[Resonant11]

Hello all! I'm new to home winemaking and I was given a Master Vintner Tropical Bliss Blackberry Pinot Noir kit. I took hydrometer and refractometer readings throughout the process, but when I attempted to find the Brix of the sweetener when I was bottling, I wasn't able to get a reading. I'm assuming it was off the chart of my refractometer. I'd like to try to calculate the residual sugar, but I don't know how much sugar was in the "fruit essence" sweetener. In hindsight, I'm guessing that a final specific gravity measurement after back sweetening would have worked, but I did not think to take that measurement.

Does anyone have an estimate for what the sugar content might have been? It was 1 liter of sweetener. I reached out to the retailer (Northern Brewer), but their initial response doesn't give me confidence that they know.

Thanks!

 

[crushday]

Good morning and welcome to WMT. Your kit likely has a RS (residual sugar) of 2 BRIX - this is going to read 1.008 (approximately) on a gravity scale. Here’s three options to find out now: 1) send a sample to a lab (expensive and logistically difficult), 2) open a bottle and take a gravity or BRIX reading using a hydrometer (some hydrometers have both BRIX and gravity), 3) use your refractometer next time you open a bottle to measure BRIX.

Personally, I would tend toward option 2. Then you’ll know.

 

[sour_grapes]

Note that if you try to use @crushday 's option #3, you will have to do some corrections. The presence of alcohol skews the reading a lot.

Do we know what sweetener they use in the "Fruit Essence"? Is it possible that it is not sugar, but some artificial sweetener?

 

[Resonant11]

Good morning and welcome to WMT. Your kit likely has a RS (residual sugar) of 2 BRIX - this is going to read 1.008 (approximately) on a gravity scale. Here’s three options to find out now: 1) send a sample to a lab (expensive and logistically difficult), 2) open a bottle and take a gravity or BRIX reading using a hydrometer (some hydrometers have both BRIX and gravity), 3) use your refractometer next time you open a bottle to measure BRIX.

Personally, I would tend toward option 2. Then you’ll know.

I'll definitely plan on taking measurements when I open the first bottle. I'm just trying to track it for my own education, so it's definitely not worth sending to a lab. haha. Next time I'll be sure to take the readings after I add the sweetener. I think I was just excited to get it in the bottles!

@sour_grapes I've been assuming it was sugar based on taste and texture (it was a bit grainy in the bag), but I can't be completely sure. Do you know if sugar or artificial sweetener is more common in these types of kits?

 

[winemaker81]

Do you know if sugar or artificial sweetener is more common in these types of kits?

Because artificial sweeteners produce odd flavors, I'd expect sugar.

I recommend using the hydrometer. Refractometers are great for the vineyard and when first receiving grapes/juice, but as Paul noted, the increasing amount of alcohol skews the results -- a conversion factor must be applied. IMO, the hydrometer is best, as it measures SG and you get a result that requires no adjustment.

This threads talks about using a hydrometer:

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/how-to-read-hydrometer.10346/

 

[Bill Pet]

I recently made a Wine Lovers Southern peach kit. I've made a large number of dry wine kits over the years and this was my first sweet wine. I blindly followed direction for adding the included sweetener and just added both bottles without thinking. Big mistake. The wine is way, way too sweet and the peach flavor is overwhelming. Lesson learned: add sweetener a little at a time and taste as I go along. Also, from previous lesson learned, SG is not a good measure of perceived sweetness. Tastebuds are more accurate.

 

[winemaker81]

The wine is way, way too sweet and the peach flavor is overwhelming.

When serving, try blending it with a white wine and some sparkling water.

You're spot on regarding sweetening -- the hydrometer's not all that useful.