To back sweeten apple wine?

[Jal5]

Do you backsweeten or not? I have 3 gallons aged and am not sure. Thanks.

 

[franc1969]

I did pretty sweet for a less-than-fermentation-intended apple. It really needed the apple concentrate to be drinkable, and a little oak extract. The cider fruit made a decent taste on it's own, but I did backsweeten to off-dry to please someone else.

 

[Rice_Guy]

a generic answer is it depends on the TA, the more acid in the system the more sweetness it will take to balance the finished beverage. A bench trial is the way to get an optimum level since there is scatter in what is the personal preference of the winemaker. Now to complicate the “rule” if you use tannic apple or tannic crab apple in the mix it probably will take a bit more sugar for a balance.
The style I make is high solids/ high flavor (high TA) so I usually back sweeten with frozen apple concentrate.

Do you backsweeten or not? I have 3 gallons aged and am not sure. Thanks.

View attachment 72211
By the numbers your kit had a TA of 0.76%, pH of 3.10, gravity of 0.998, ,,, pH seems low for a red grape which makes me ask what your water's pH is. You are in the range where a California Merlot (on the blue line) and a Merlot packed in Oregon were but you don't have long tannic notes.
QUOTE]

 

[Scooter68]

Unless you are planning on entering your wine in a contest, or making it for a group of fussy drinkers, I'd make it as you like it. My first apple wine was in Germany and it was just ever so slightly sweet. Never have matched that to this day bit I do remember it.
Please yourself first. and/or your SO.

 

[Jal5]

I like the idea of using frozen apple concentrate which will bring the apple fruit flavor more forward.

 

[Jal5]

Does adding frozen concentrate turn the wine cloudy? It’s crystal clear right now

 

[winemaker81]

IME, fruit wines need backsweetening to bring out the fruit flavors. It doesn't have to be much -- my version of sweet is a LOT less than other folks.

Last time I made apple wine (2013) I backsweetened with apple juice. The final SG was 0.990 and I backsweetened to 0.994 ... while bone dry, the bit of juice I added dramatically changed the character of the wine.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I have not had an issue with cloud. Processed juice concentrate has been cleaned to get it through the vacuum evaporator.

Does adding frozen concentrate turn the wine cloudy? It’s crystal clear right now

 

[WinoDave]

I like my apple wines back sweetened to around 1.020 which is sweet but not over sweet. I think I use 2 cans of orchards frozen apple concentrate and 3 cups of sugar dissolved in 1 cup of water.

 

[Jal5]

Thx to all who replied

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Have you considered using honey vs sugar? Adds an interesting dimension to the taste. I sometimes use honey for my yeast starter as well in my regular grape wine (as I will this year).

 

[hounddawg]

Have you considered using honey vs sugar? Adds an interesting dimension to the taste. I sometimes use honey for my yeast starter as well in my regular grape wine (as I will this year).

have ever aged with honey vs sugar,
but the flavor for me changes so the honey flavor is dominant , just me but since have i put honey in wine and let age, 3 to 4 years for me,
now i have made mead, and just didn't care for mead at all,,,but i like aging,, so i aged a few cases of a melomel mead, at least that's the best i can spell it,, lol,, I let it age, at 3 year it had softened but still no go, waited till 5 years , blew my feeble mind, cause at 5 years, it was good, i rarely get super stingy. but this is only 1 each year, and just for me, guess this winter after all my wines are in bottle, i'm going for a big must of the one i like,
wild flower, 1 oz Stella hop and 3 pound wild black berry per 6 gallon
Dawg

 

[winemaker81]

now i have made mead, and just didn't care for mead at all

I'm not fond of straight mead, either. I knew a few folks in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) who were accorded master mead makers, and I didn't care for anything they made. The mead was well made, but I found it on the boring side -- it just didn't capture my taste buds. OTOH, I like metheglin (mead with spices).

And yeah, when mead ages, it can wow.

Last year my son made a blackberry melomel, and he's very unhappy with it -- not a lot of flavor. For that reason he won't drink much of it, so we'll see what it's like in 4 or 5 years ...

 

[Dennis Griffith]

I'm not much into mead either, but the wife and son like it. We'll (son) be making a bunch this year as the orchard has a bumper crop of apples. Need to start tasing them and sampling with the brix meter soon. Son will be doing the mead, I've got wine and beer to make. I'll be eating and drying pears as well. Maybe next year we'll make something with the pears..

 

[hounddawg]

I'm not fond of straight mead, either. I knew a few folks in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) who were accorded master mead makers, and I didn't care for anything they made. The mead was well made, but I found it on the boring side -- it just didn't capture my taste buds. OTOH, I like metheglin (mead with spices).

And yeah, when mead ages, it can wow.

Last year my son made a blackberry melomel, and he's very unhappy with it -- not a lot of flavor. For that reason he won't drink much of it, so we'll see what it's like in 4 or 5 years ...

yep, mine was wildflower honey, stella hops are floriel as is that honey, the blackberries, seemed like a fair chance, and yes boring as all get out, but at 5 years it steps right up, i was positive, it would never be any good, but thank goodness i aint that brite,
Dawg

 

[Jal5]

Pear wine is good, one of my favorite fruit wines so far. I plan to make another 5 or 6 gallons later this year. My apple wine turned out pretty good with added sugar water to back sweeten and a little acid for a crisper taste. This was made from 3 gallons of fresh apple juice bought at a farmer's market last summer. Got 15 bottles out of a 3 gallon batch. Plus half bottle for dinner tonight!

 

[hounddawg]

Pear wine is good, one of my favorite fruit wines so far. I plan to make another 5 or 6 gallons later this year. My apple wine turned out pretty good with added sugar water to back sweeten and a little acid for a crisper taste. This was made from 3 gallons of fresh apple juice bought at a farmer's market last summer. Got 15 bottles out of a 3 gallon batch. Plus half bottle for dinner tonight!

howdy, i feel the same way, i don't use simple syrup to backsweeten, i use dry sugar, i stir with a carboy stirrer and drill, and like you,, pear is good, on my pear i'm pondering wheither to leave slighlt hot, i think affter another year or so it should smooth out, i going from here on outuse't to do all my country wines, from scratch, but due to health, i'm going to 100% single fruit concentrates, just food for thought check out www.colomafrozen.com
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

with concentrates i use less water so you get a much stronger fruit flavor, best of luch,
Dawg