Vinometers -vs- Hydrometer

I've been backing down on the sugar trying to get a alcohol around 10-11%. I make mostly fruit wines and generaly start the crushed berries and sugar juiced around 1.070-1.075SG. I don't like the finished wine real sugar sweet, usually around 1.025- 1.030 which is sweet to some but I don't like the alcohol after taste.. Most my wines finish around 11-12% Vino after initial ferment. But Potential Alcohol with the hydrometer says it should be around 10 %. Example: I started Strawberry at 1.070SG with Hydrometer and ended up with 12% Vino. It's got a good strawberry taste , but I got the alcohol aftertaste in the end which i'm trying to get away from. I always get a alcohol aftertaste from the Peach and Strawberry wines, Why??

Reply to
stephen sauchinitz
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Alcohol can be balanced with acid or tannin.

Since you probably don't want tannins in a fruit/country wine, maybe your acid can be brought up a bit ?

Note that acid also balances sugar, so if you bring up the acidity then you also might find they taste less sweet despite having the same amount of residual sugar.

All strawberry wine recipes I've seen call for 1 or 2 teaspoons of acid per 3 to 4 pounds of fruit. If you are not making this addition, that could be the problem.

Never made peach wine, but the recipe on Jack Keller's website calls for a lemon, so it seems you need to add some acid to peach wines as well.

If you are adding enough acid then perhaps the solution is simply to make your wine 7 or 8% alcohol instead of 10% +.

Reply to
chrisorlando

Not enough fruit maybe?

Steve Oregon

"stephen sauch> I always

Reply to
spud

Reply to
Steve Sauchinitz

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