So last night i started a Grand Cru International malbec/shiraz with grapepack. The reading was like 1.06 sg and the brix was around ten. So i wrote in down and went and set on the couch. i started thinking about it and that was like should be alchohol of like 7 percent. So I did some studying on chaptalizing. So i opened it up and poured about 2 cups of sugar in there. This morning I took another reading and the brix level was now at 20 seems to be more like it. Did I just screw up?
Very low initial SG Reading Grand Cru International
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Take the date code and call RJS 1-800 number on the instructions. Explain what your SG readings are and as long as you did not add too much water you will be sent a new kit by RJS. These kits should be around 1.090 to 1.100 when mixed particularly the Malbec Syrah. I have done lots of these since they were put on shelves 2 years ago and always 1.090 or a little higher. As far as your own kit I would keep it working and find out what it turns out like. Good Luck.
Well, you started off giving Sg, then you moved to brix. The web converter says 20 brix is about 1.083 SG.
It is not reasonable that the SG would start out that low on such a kit and it is also not reasonable to believe that only 2 cups of sugar in what I believe is a 6 gallon kit, would make any significant difference in the SG. Two cups would have made only a small change in the SG.
Could it be that you just didn't stir the kit up well before you took the initial reading? Even though you pour them together, they will easily stratify immediately because of temperature differences and because of heavy sugar in the must and none in the water.
You should give the mixture a really good stir; stir hard enough to stir in a lot of oxygen, so fermentation will start off well. Then take your SG reading.
It is not reasonable that the SG would start out that low on such a kit and it is also not reasonable to believe that only 2 cups of sugar in what I believe is a 6 gallon kit, would make any significant difference in the SG. Two cups would have made only a small change in the SG.
Could it be that you just didn't stir the kit up well before you took the initial reading? Even though you pour them together, they will easily stratify immediately because of temperature differences and because of heavy sugar in the must and none in the water.
You should give the mixture a really good stir; stir hard enough to stir in a lot of oxygen, so fermentation will start off well. Then take your SG reading.
No this is the third kit that I have done. All others started off at 1.08 or 1.09 after initial Sg. I did stir it well just as I have on the others. I have not done a grand cru kit so I was wondering if this was really low. I guess I am more concerned about the sugar I added since I used only the supplied amount of yeast.
TonyP
Senior Member
You raise several points and, as stated above, contacting RJS is a good idea. The SG reading could mean many things, including insufficient stirring, a broken hydrometer and the hydrometer is stuck to the side. Also, I doubt if 2 cups of sugar would have that impact. (Anyone else, please comment on this.)
Beyond that, my experience is to add sugar during the process rather than the beginning. I believe you can harm fermentation by overloading sugar.
Beyond that, my experience is to add sugar during the process rather than the beginning. I believe you can harm fermentation by overloading sugar.
The extra sugar will not affect anything but the resulting ABV. That little amount of sugar might make a slightly measurable amount of difference in the SG but it won't hurt your final wine. There are calculators available that can tell you with some accuracy, but guessing, I doubt it will make more than a 0.2% difference in ABV.
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For summer parties and for friends, I make several Orchard Breezin kits each year. Their SG starts out about where you say yours started. I add 4 or 5 pounds of sugar to get the ABV up to a normal wine's range. Again, 2 cups is not very significant.
Good luck with your kit.
Good luck with your kit.
Well that makes me feel better. I had read some stuff about overloading with sugar before fermentation begins and was worried I might have done just that. I don't want to end up with a wine that is 6-9%. That is weak. I would be better off going to the store and coming back with some Boones Farm or whatever that cheap nasty stuff is. I would like it to be between 13 to 15%. My favorite wines like Evodia are in the 15% range. Thanks
I hear you about that. That's why I bump up the ABV on my summer wine kits (Orchard Breezin').
There are calculators out there on the web that can really pinpoint how much sugar to add to a specific volume and starting SG to get exactly what ABV you want. I probably should use the calculator, but I don't.
Hey, welcome to the forum!
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