Higher alcohol

Exponential Feeding A system of sugar additions to a must so that a high alcohol content can be achieved. If all the sugar is added at the start of fermentation, there is a great danger that the sugar will inhibit or even kill the yeast. By adding small amounts of sugar each time the specific gravity falls to 1-005, the yeast learns to tolerate alcohol concentrations which normally would kill it. In this way, a slow, steady ferment is encouraged. This aids quality by not causing the vaporization of esters.

Stephen

alcohol content can be achieved. If all the sugar is added at the start of fermentation, there is a great danger that the sugar will inhibit or even kill the yeast. By adding small amounts of sugar each time the specific gravity falls to 1-005, the yeast learns to tolerate alcohol concentrations which normally would kill it. In this way, a slow, steady ferment is encouraged. This aids quality by not causing the vaporization of esters.

Right on the mark. Just remember that increasing the alcohol of a four week kit will NOT improve the quality beyond its starting material.

A four week kit (read the label) is grape juice, sugar, and acids ,etc. Sort of like your "juice drink" that is 30% juice. If you want more alcohol DO NOT use less water--unless you bother to adjust the acid balance.

If you are talking about a wine cooler type of kit, DO NOT add sugar. It does not in any way make the thing any better (I tried). If you like the fruit flavour, add white grape concentrate and adjust the acid balance at the end.

I have to say that in working for a kit vendor, I was privileged to see every clever variation that a city full of customers came up with when making wine from kits. The best wine was from 8 week kits with less than 23 litres final volume. The next best was from fruit trees in a good year.

--Irene

The method I use (not with kits, but it should work there as well) is to wait until the SG drops BELOW 1.000, and then add 2-oz of sugar per gallon of wine. This raises the SG by ~.005, and is usually consumed within 24 hours. Wait until the SG returns to the original point before adding sugar. Do not add sugar until it does so, or you will end up with a stuck ferment and a overly-sweet wine. If it takes more than 24 hours for the last sugar addition to be used up (i.e. for the SG to drop to the original point again), do not add more sugar. You have almost reached the yeast's tolerance, and adding more will cause a stuck ferment.

To add sugar, draw a cup (per gallon) of wine. Add the sugar to this smaller container, and stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Then continue stirring just to be sure. Pour the sweetened must back into the main carboy, and stir that well (otherwise the sweetened must will drop straight to the bottom). This is essential. Undissolved sugars can and usually do cause a stuck ferment.

Some yeasts will take a lot of alcohol, so be sure and calculate (from a chart) how much you wish to add, and don't overdo it. If there is too much alcohol, it will overpower the flavour of the wine, and it won't taste very good.

Also note that this method will probably leave a bit of residual sugar in your wine, especially if you make one more addition than specified above. This is a good thing, because high-alcohol wines (like ports) need a bit of sugar to offset the bite. It should not be a bottling problem, or require the use of sorbate, since the alcohol will have exceeded the yeast's tolerance. And, it will keep better than lower-alcohol wines.

LALVIN EC1118 PRISE DE MOUSSE - S. cerevisiae - bayanus White, Red, Sparkling, Restart Stuck Fermentations EC1118 is the original, steady, low foamer, and is excellent for barrel fermentations. It ferments well at low temperatures, and flocculates well with very compact lees.

Jim are you aware of these properties of this yeast.

i assume it's this yeast

Stephen