When to fortify wine

[Ericphotoart]

I've made a Tart Cherry wine which stuck at 1.030 and the current ABV is only 9.1%. It's still not clear but I'm afraid keeping wine at this low ABV may be risky. It's topped off and resting but I was thinking I should fortify it to the final ABV, around 14.5% and then let it sit and clear. BTW its pH is 3.4. What is your opinion?

 

[ratflinger]

Everclear is your friend.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I have Everclear but my question was when.

 

[BigDaveK]

Still a fair amount of sugar. I think I'd go to unstuck protocols
.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I did it already and it didn't help. EC-1118 overnight, extra nutrients, introducing more oxygen. It didn't help. Wine is really tarty. If it was a berry wine for instance at 1.030 you would definitely notice a lot of sugar but not here.

 

[winemaker81]

I see 2 choices -- 1) Put it under airlock and ignore it for 3 months. The ferment may restart, or it may not. You can make a decision on fortifying then.

2) Fortify now and stabilize. You're not bumping the ABV enough to stabilize it with alcohol, so use sorbate + K-meta. If you don't stabilize, the ABV is low enough that EC-1118 may restart, at which time you'll get a port-level strength.

2a) fortify to 18% ABV and call it port. No sorbate required.

If it were me, I'd go with #1, as the wine isn't going to go bad if properly cared for, and it may respark, and in any case, you have time to think things further.

 

[distancerunner]

I see 2 choices -- 1) Put it under airlock and ignore it for 3 months. The ferment may restart, or it may not. You can make a decision on fortifying then.

2) Fortify now and stabilize. You're not bumping the ABV enough to stabilize it with alcohol, so use sorbate + K-meta. If you don't stabilize, the ABV is low enough that EC-1118 may restart, at which time you'll get a port-level strength.

2a) fortify to 18% ABV and call it port. No sorbate required.

If it were me, I'd go with #1, as the wine isn't going to go bad if properly cared for, and it may respark, and in any case, you have time to think things further.

What is the temperature of the fermentation? Cold rooms and cold fermentations often cause sticking.

If it is stuck, option one is a good choice. Probably the best choice.

If a quick solution is what you're looking for option 2a is a good way to go. When the ABV is north of 18%, taste and make a decision about adding sugar. Just remember that if you add sugar you may need to add a wee bit more alcohol to keep the percentage up.

 

[Ericphotoart]

Thanks a lot. I will need to think about those options. I was just afraid that leaving a wine at a low ABV for a few weeks can harm it. The fermentation temperature was constant 71.5 F. I recently racked it and moved to a storage room where temperature is around 60.

 

[winemaker81]

Thanks a lot. I will need to think about those options. I was just afraid that leaving a wine at a low ABV for a few weeks can harm it. The fermentation temperature was constant 71.5 F. I recently racked it and moved to a storage room where temperature is around 60.

With a good fermentation going, I've fermented as low as 58 F. Last fall the temperature in my cellar ranged from 63-67 F.

However, with a stuck fermentation, it makes more sense to move back to the 70+ F area.

An ABV of 9% is not a short term problem. If it was below 8%, it might be, but the wine will be fine for a few months. If you rack again (which may spur things) ensure everything is clean and sanitized, and you should encounter no problems.

 

[rsportsman]

If it doesn't taste sweet, maybe it's not. Check SG or ABV by some other method, maybe?

 

[winemaker81]

If it doesn't taste sweet, maybe it's not. Check SG or ABV by some other method, maybe?

Unless his SG is way off, it's entirely possible the wine is acidic, which will reduce the perceived sugar.

 

[Ericphotoart]

The wine is made using 2 gallons Colomafrozen concentrate. Per my previous posts and answers from several users I concluded that my dilution was not optimal. I didn't add any sugar and didn't follow the dilution rate suggested on their website. It's a different subject. The wine doesn't have any fermentable sugar and I don't believe it will ferment without adding some.

 

[winemaker81]

The wine is made using 2 gallons Colomafrozen concentrate. Per my previous posts and answers from several users I concluded that my dilution was not optimal. I didn't add any sugar and didn't follow the dilution rate suggested on their website. It's a different subject. The wine doesn't have any fermentable sugar and I don't believe it will ferment without adding some.

The wine is stuck at 1.030? That's mostly sugar. There's not enough of anything else in a fruit concentrate to push the SG that high.

As has been noted in other threads, the SG is not all sugar, but it's like 98% or 99% of it.

 

[cmason1957]

Nobody has asked this question, but how are the measuring the SG??

If the answer is with a refractometer, then you need to convert that brix reading, based on the alcohol present in the sample.

If the answer is with a hydrometer, how confident are you that the hydrometer is accurate. (I had a plastic one, purchased to decrease issues with dropping, that I eventually threw away, due to it being off significantly).

Also, how sure are you of that ph, if measured with a paper test strip, it's probably not correct.

 

[winemaker81]

@cmason1957, as much as we do this, it's so easy to forget to ask a critical questions.

Great questions, regardless of the answers.

 

[BigDaveK]

@Ericphotoart I've been wrestling with the SG issue for a while. Everything dissolved in the liquid will affect SG and Brix - carbs, fats, minerals, acids. Citric acid especially will raise both SG and Brix readings.
I found a table listing the SG of sour cherry juice at 1.050-1.080 which seems rather high. There's other things.
Same old sad story, though - without a lab we just do the best we can.

 

[winemaker81]

Same old sad story, though - without a lab we just do the best we can.

I have a different perspective -- some things are possible, others are simply not possible feasible. I do what I can and accept what I can't.

Ya know the old saying, "I have coffee to do the things I can, and wine to accept the things I can't" ?

I'm sure you have coffee in the house, and you make your own wine, so you are set!

 

[Ericphotoart]

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.

 

[Ericphotoart]

Oh. If anyone asks. I do have 4.0 and 8.0 solutions to calibrate the meter and I know how to use them

 

[Ericphotoart]

I forgot to add. The solutions are not expired and purchased from a reputable source