Alcohol content

I am not a new winemaker, but not a total rookie either. Probably 15 or 20 batches to my credit, on my own or with my buddy.

I bought two RJ Spagnols Cru Select kits - Shiraz & Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc. I had real good luck with an earlier kit of Shiraz from these guys.

In both cases, when I started them, by the time I made the volume up to 23 litres I was starting with a S.G. of 1.08 and 1.076 respectively (about 23 C. in both cases).

While this makes for a nice light wine (I figure it will come out to about

10.5% alcohol), I am musing whether a guy could "kick it up a notch" in terms of final alcohol content by adding sugar in some form at the very start. If so, what kind of sugar would be best? Or is there another stage of the fermentation at which one would do this? I just racked the Shiraz to the secondary this morning, and started the S.B.
Reply to
Graham Gilbert
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I usually adjust the SG of kits to 1.09-1.10. There are tables available (I think Jack Keller's site has one) that allow you to calculate how much sugar to add per gallon of must to achieve the desired SG.

Bart

Reply to
bwesley8

Just add table sugar, but make sure it's well dissolved. The earlier the better.

Rob

Reply to
Rob

Make sure that you're really making up the kit to 23L and not more. Those numbers look too small, particularly the Shiraz. I haven't made these too but all 3-4 CS (Platinum) kits I've done so far were at or above 1.090.

Pp

Reply to
pp

I did make the RJ Spagnoles Shiraz kit several years ago and it is the only one of their kits that I was not happy with. But alcohol was not a problem. As I recall I ended up with 12.5% or more. I am surprised at your low numbers. I would suggest you contact them. I have talked with them (by email) in the past and found them very helpful. At that time they had a discussion group something like this one that you could post to.

I would caution against doing much adjustment to expensive kits unless you really know what you are doing or really want to experiment. They really are pretty well balanced to begin with and if you change them much you are likely to throw the balance off.

Just my thoughts.

Ray

Reply to
Ray Calvert

Another way you may 'kick it up a notch' is to not dilute to the full

23L, which is about 6 gal, aim closer to 5 1/2, or even better yet dilute until you get an sg of 1085 - 1090. This will give you the higher alcohol content, 12% or so, while keeping in better balance with the body of the wine. It will also make your wine a little fuller body, which I like. Good luck!

Steve Lynchburg, VA

Reply to
Steve Leonard

Hi.... I too have noticed low SG in red wine kits.....as alcohol vapor would carry with it aroma, would it not follow that if you jacked up the Sg a bit then one might get a tad more nose from a kit wine that already suffers in this regard?.....last month I added enough sugar to put a Grand Cru (Hearty Red Zin) up to 12.5-13%....i do notice a lot of lees though....perhaps a bit more than normal.....i expect i'll lose 2-3 bottles from the looks of it.....andy j.

Reply to
Andy j.

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