1. Home
  2. Winemaking Craft Forum
  3. First time bottling mistake...

First time bottling mistake...

I bottled my first batch of wine, which was made from home grown Concord grapes. The wine had been aging in a class carboy in my basement for 2 years. (Not sure whether letting it sit longer helps, but according to the "Vines to Wines" book, he says it ages better in bulk than in individual bottles).

Anyway, I sweetened about 1/2 the batch with Concord grape juice, and then bottled. I was surprised to see corks popping out after a few weeks, and also tasting one of the bottles, it seems like it became a fizzy wine.

I thought that once the wine reached full alchoholic level, all the yeast died? I guess also, based on what I just read, you have to add Sorbate when bottling to prevent this?

Reply to
Shalom Shachne
Loading thread data ...

Shalom Shachne wrote in news:945a93e6-c2d4-4cb4-8a91- snipped-for-privacy@h5g2000vbx.googlegroups.com:

Oops.

Doesn't surprise me. You're lucky the corks popped before the bottles exploded.

Fermentation stops when EITHER of two things happens: the alcohol level becomes high enough to kill the yeast, or there is no sugar left to ferment.

Most fermentations stop for the latter reason, not the former -- and, as you have discovered, if additional sugar is introduced, the yeast will be happy to ferment it for you.

Yes. NEVER sweeten a wine without adding sorbate at the same time.

Reply to
Doug Miller

have discovered,

Or you could sweeten it with stevia I think, without sorbate.

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie

Charlie wrote in news:grnqm7tqc6itttkusnue63uqapang33r8c@

4ax.com:

Stevia is not fermentable, but it may, or may not, produce palatable results. Wines are sweetened with table sugar, fruit juice, or honey for a reason. I certainly would never consider sweetening an entire batch with stevia, or any artificial sweetener, without having tested it first, both by the glass (to see if the flavors are compatible) and by the bottle (to make sure it doesn't develop off-flavors during aging).

Reply to
Doug Miller

I've not used it at all, but thanks for the tip. Charlie

Reply to
Charlie

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.