adding a touch of sweetness

I am going to bottle a several month old Valpolicella Ripasso tomorrow. I plan to blend some of it with some several month old Rosso Fortussimo (cab, merlot, sangiovesse) making a Rubio. I have bench tasted the blend to find the % I want. but I would like just a tiny bit of sweet. Both wines are completely dry and very clear. Could I back sweeten just a bit? I don't have any kind of flavor pack. What could I use if anything? What is the procedure? I have never done this but really would like to add a touch of sweet. the amount I plan to blend into Rubio will be 1.5 gallons and I have the perfect bottle to let it sit another few weeks in until I bottle it. I hope this makes sense and I hope someone has suggestions and how to.

Tony, from what you are saying, it does not seem like you want to add another flavor to the wine, so sweetening with fruit is probably not a consideration. You know, I am sure, how to make a simple syrup (2 parts sugar to1 part water) and sweetening with sucrose. If you want to sweeten with fructose, I suggest getting a pound of white raisins, pulsing them in a food processor or rough chopping them with a knife, covering them with two cups of water and bringing the mixture to a boil. Cover, let cool and then press through a strainer to get the liquid which you can add to the wine. I did this with a Cherry wine that I wanted to sweeten and it worked great.

If you sweeten at all, be sure you first add proper k-meta and k-sorbate or the added sugar will just referment to dry and leave you a gassy wine.

appleman said:

If you sweeten at all, be sure you first add proper k-meta and k-sorbate or the added sugar will just referment to dry and leave you a gassy wine.

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Sorbate was added months ago at clearing, do I add it again or just the Kmeta?

If it has already been sorbated then k-meta is all you need to add at this time. Stir it in gently.
The raisin mixture will definately cloud the wine. I would use a simple syrup if it were me

Thanks guys. I added 1 ounce of cane simple syrup to 1.5 gallons of wine. (Torani brand that I sell to restaurants for their bar drinks). My wife and I drank what wouldn't fit in a bottle last night and could not get over how absolutely delicious it was. And very similar to a commercial Rubio that we love. I really appreciate the quick responses and can't imagine what my wines would taste like (yuck) without y'alls help and the forums. Molte grazie!

Awesome, never heard of that product that you said you used, Ive heard of the name but never just a simple syrup straight up.

Wade said:

Awesome, never heard of that product that you said you used, Ive heard of the name but never just a simple syrup straight up.

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Came out about a year ago. Comes in regular and Sugar Free. I use it instead of making Simple Syrup for Margaritas and Whiskey Sours. Says it has Sorbate for preservative so I would never use it pre fermentation.

So I added a bit of sweet to the Rubio, stirred and bottled.
I have a MM Amarone ready to exit the barrel and go back to carboy for a few months prior to bottling. I plan to add about 1/2 as much sweet to the Amarone, should I mix it in when I rack from barrel to carboy or wait to add it just prior to bottling a month or two from now?

I would say get it in so it can meld a bit with the wine. You did add Sorbate right?

ibglowin said:

You did add Sorbate right?

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Yes, I haven't been brave enough to leave it out.

You can't leave it out if you back sweeten unless you sterile filter which not too many winemakers are set up to do (expensive filters!)