Wine feels like there is no alcohol~?

[foursons]

Hello wine master

I made 23L wine from a kit. (4 week kit)

It comes with a 10L grape concentrate, here is what i did:

I put the grape concentrate into the fermenter and added water and bentonite.

The gravity came out to 1.082
Then added yeast.

Let it sit for 3 weeks
Check the gravity and came out to 0.992

which means the alcohol level is somewhere around 12% (right??)

Then I degassed it while adding stabilizer, kieselsol and chitosan.

Waited for a week then used a filter machine to finish it off.


Although the taste is very good the wine does not seem to have any alcohol... I drank a whole bottle and didnt even feel it and trust me when i say im a feather weight

The funny part is some batches that i make is alcoholic but sometimes its not, so its hit and miss....

I gave some as a gift but all the drinker friends i know tells me that my wine is just a grape juice because it does not seem to have any alcohol.

Does anybody know what can effect the alcohol level?
Anyone out there has a similar problem??

It would be much appreciated if someone can tell me the solution so I can prove my friends wrong

Thanks guys!

 

[Elmer]

I have made many a 10L grape concentrate kit.
If you had a starting SG of 1.082 and an ending of .992, and you saw the bubbly, foaming goodness of fermentation, then you have alcohol!

having done these type of kits the biggest complaint I get is that the flavor is thin or watery, and this could lead to the perception that it is juice and not wine.

When asked feedback from a friend he said "it certainly is liquid".

This is why I have vowed to move on to 16L or 18L kits only!

other than that I would be stumpped, and others on her certainly know better than I!
Best of luck!

 

[jamesngalveston]

The funny part is some batches that i make is alcoholic but sometimes its not, so its hit and miss....

makes me believe its somethng your are doing....
maybe you need to calibrate your hydrometer.....

http://byo.com/equipment/item/411-calibrate-your-hydrometer-and-fermenter-techniques

 

[foursons]

Thanks Elmer, the taste is watery and that might change as it ages (from what I hear)
but I dont feel the alcohol when i drink my wine...

Are there any factors that effect the alcohol level other than sugar level? like temperature, pH, etc??

 

[sour_grapes]

The feeling of drunkenness is widely regarded to be very subjective. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFUiUT-n9KM"] It's really grape juice![/ame] The simplest explanation is that the thinness of the wine makes you perceive that it lacks alcohol, but that the alcohol is really there.