When to fortify wine

[winemaker81]

valid questions although the answer is very simple. I know measuring wine that contains alcohol already with refractometer would not be accurate. I have 4 hydrometers ( they break easily) all glass and never had any problem with accuracy. 0.001, 0.002 would be normal but nothing larger. Ph is measured with calibrated ph meter. I don’t believe in strips.

I can recall a few times in recent years where we got deep into analysis of a problem before discovering a refractometer was used.

As I said above, if the SG is 1.030, then most of it is sugar. Adding more is not going to solve the problem. If the pH is +/- 0.4 your reported value of 3.4, you're still fine for fermentation purposes.

Yeast can be finicky -- stir it, airlock it, and ignore it for 1 to 3 months.

 

[Raptor99]

How long has it been fermenting? As @winemaker81 said, airlock it and ignore it for 1 to 3 months.

 

[cmason1957]

valid questions although the answer is very simple. I know measuring wine that contains alcohol already with refractometer would not be accurate. I have 4 hydrometers ( they break easily) all glass and never had any problem with accuracy. 0.001, 0.002 would be normal but nothing larger. Ph is measured with calibrated ph meter. I don’t believe in strips.

Drat. I hope I didn't insult by the questions. Most of us can't count the number of times the answer to those couple of questions hasn't been what your answers were.

It remains a mystery as to what is going on.

 

[Ericphotoart]

No. Of course not. It just reminded me of this famous dripping faucet scene from “My cousin Vinny” movie.

BTW I made 21 wines in 2022. ALL OF THEM fermented from the start till dry (0.988-0.996 if I remember) without problems except those with concentrates. Tart cherry is in a carboy, airlocked and I will keep it that way till summer

 

[winemaker81]

BTW I made 21 wines in 2022. ALL OF THEM fermented from the start till dry (0.988-0.996 if I remember) without problems except those with concentrates. Tart cherry is in a carboy, airlocked and I will keep it that way till summer

You'll learn more from one problem batch than 100 problem-free batches. Of course, that's true of everything in life!

 

[BigDaveK]

@Ericphotoart I don't think you did anything wrong. I found your experience interesting so I went to your original post and you mentioned a starting SG of 1.100. Personally I think that's the issue and I'll tell you why...
I find what the sugar content of my ingredients are and then I compare with my SG prior to adding sugar. I had 3 this year that had a large discrepancy. So I ignored the SG, calculated the sugar to add, and then measured SG. Those 3 wines started between 1.140-1.145. Going into bulk they were all at .990. That means, going by change of SG, I have 3 wines about 19%....using 71B!! Unlikely! And the alcohol isn't noticeable at all.
Bottom line, I don't think your 1.100 SG accurately reflected the amount of sugar in the must. You said it tasted dry and I believe you.

Also, you mentioned the pH went from 3.4 to 3.7 which I find curious. I know tartrate falling out and MLF can reduce acid but my wines usually stay about the same or increase in acidity a little. (I'm still learning so I don't know what else can cause such a change.)

 

[winemaker81]

Those 3 wines started between 1.400-1.450

This has got to be a typo, as the estimated ABV of those figures is beyond any calculator I have. Do you mean 1.140-1.145? By my calculator, those are above 20% ABV.

Overall, I agree. The winemaker can make no mistakes and still get a wonky result. All we can do is react to the problems and hope for the best. Winemaking, regardless of how much science we apply, is an art.

 

[BigDaveK]

This has got to be a typo, as the estimated ABV of those figures is beyond any calculator I have. Do you mean 1.140-1.145? By my calculator, those are above 20% ABV.

Overall, I agree. The winemaker can make no mistakes and still get a wonky result. All we can do is react to the problems and hope for the best. Winemaking, regardless of how much science we apply, is an art.

HAHAHAHAHAHA, OMG!
DOH!
Yes, 1.140-1.145

10 points to Bryan for reading AND thinking!

Fixed. Thanks!

 

[Ericphotoart]

So I think it's time for another wine based on Colomafrozen concentrate and test another approach. I just freed one of the carboys and looking at an empty carboy makes me sick.

 

[BigDaveK]

So I think it's time for another wine based on Colomafrozen concentrate and test another approach. I just freed one of the carboys and looking at an empty carboy makes me sick.

FWIW, I recently did a cranberry using both frozen berries and organic unsweetened juice. The SG of the juice was 1.030 but the sugar on the label suggested 1.010. I went a little higher with my sugar addition and just transferred to secondary a little under 1.020, still active. The lesson to me was try to be thorough and don't take everything at face value.

 

[Raptor99]

@BigDaveK What you need is a gas chromatography mass spectrometer: Analysis of the Sugar Content in Food Products by Using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry and Enzymatic Methods - PubMed The cheaper models are only around $100K

 

[BigDaveK]

@BigDaveK What you need is a gas chromatography mass spectrometer: Analysis of the Sugar Content in Food Products by Using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry and Enzymatic Methods - PubMed The cheaper models are only around $100K

I started a New Equipment Jar today. $3.25 so far - won't be long now!! Can't wait!

 

[BigDaveK]

@Ericphotoart I have another example for you - I started an experimental wine today, tomato based. The SG of the tomato is 1.030 but the Brix is 2.5 (which converts to an SG of 1.010). I'll ignore both and just calculate sugar.

Now I'm wondering if last years tomato wine is 12% or less than 10%?!