How low can the SG realistically go?

[cohenhouse77]

I backsweetened my 6 gallons of Muscadine wine today. My first REAL wine backsweetening. I let this wine go completely natural, and only finally added sulfate at the three month racking. I cleared all on it's own. The starting SG was off the chart, and well below the last line on my hydrometer which is .96. I have added 7.66 cups of sugar to bring it up to SG 1.0. It does not taste sweet at all, so I cannot imagine my hydrometer is not calibrated correctly. According to WINECALC, the amount of sugar I added should have raised SG 1.0 to 1.25. I do not intend to sweeten past 1.01 which is why I am going very slow, but what am I missing here? I couldn't have fermented dry to SG .975?

 

[mmadmikes1]

.0990 is as low as it could have gone

 

[olusteebus]

I am assuming you meant 1.010, not 1.100. Wouldn't 1.100 be more appropriate for pancakes?

 

[cohenhouse77]

Yeah, I missed 0's all over the place. Darn confusing trying to think it forwards and backwards. I got it safely to 1.01 and it tastes wonderful. It just took a lot more sugar then I calculated for. I guess I need a finishing hydrometer.

 

[Rocky]

You guys need to mind you p's and q's, not to mention zeroes and decimal points!

Ethyl alcohol has an SG of about 0.789 so you could not have fermented it to SG 0.75 (you could not even distill it to 0.75!)

 

[Dugger]

.0990 is as low as it could have gone

That's pretty low!!

 

[cohenhouse77]

I use my mobile for posting on this site and that makes decimals even harder, especially when you accidentally hit the cancel button twice after typing it all out.

Most of my other wines have finished at .996 readable on the hydrometer so this was a strange one for sure. Maybe it is time for that backup hydrometer I have been wanting so that I can compare them and make sure the one I'm using is accurate! It still does not taste like I over sweetened though.

 

[cohenhouse77]

I have made corrections on my original post, for those who were twitching. I just figured out I can do that from mobile!

 

[robie]

Realistically, you might not ever get as low as .990 on a wine. The lowest I have ever gotten is .996, but that is just my own experience.

Be sure to spin the hydrometer in the wine in order to get rid of any bubbles on the hydrometer's surface. Also make sure the hydrometer is not touch anything, like the side of its test tube, the side of the bucket, or maybe the grape pack.

 

[Floandgary]

I have a WE Pinot Noir at .990 for 2 days now. Here's to pucker power!! Ready to stabilize and think about some oak maybe then sweeten it a bit

 

[robie]

I have a WE Pinot Noir at .990 for 2 days now. Here's to pucker power!! Ready to stabilize and think about some oak maybe then sweeten it a bit

I am not being critical, just curious, but why would you sweeten it? If aged out, it will loose its tartness. There are other ways to soften or remove the tartness without sweetening it.

Which WE Pinot Noir kit is this?

 

[Floandgary]

Criticism is good. Bolsters the learning curve,,,haha. The WE kit was given to my father (wine sampler) but he never bothered to do it. Well he died a few years back and unbeknownst to me, one of my brothers had it stored away and rather than pitch it and gave it to me. I really couldn't tell you which kit it was but I suspect it was the Vintners Reserve. Anyway maybe just stabilize it and let it sit would suffice? Still learning after all!!

 

[robie]

Criticism is good. Bolsters the learning curve,,,haha. The WE kit was given to my father (wine sampler) but he never bothered to do it. Well he died a few years back and unbeknownst to me, one of my brothers had it stored away and rather than pitch it and gave it to me. I really couldn't tell you which kit it was but I suspect it was the Vintners Reserve. Anyway maybe just stabilize it and let it sit would suffice? Still learning after all!!

That sounds old, but it could still be good. Smell of the must and only if it smells good, take a very small taste. If both those are OK, the kit should make a good wine. If either smell or taste is not right, it will be obvious.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[Floandgary]

The WE P-N settled at .990SG Added K-meta/ K-Sorbate/ fining agent from the kit and now will sit for 10 days or so to cool off and clear. I'm thinking of oaking for a day or two then racking to rest for a while. BTW sample tastes throughout process were not thrown out,,,,LOL

 

[Julie]

LOL, Robie, I suspect that Gary is trying to keep SWMBO (Flo) happy, she likes sweet wines.

Gary, I don't think you would really taste any difference if you only oak a day or two. I normally keep my oak in for at least a month.

 

[seth8530]

.990 would taste rather dry I believe. I think the lowest I have gotten was with a mead using ec1118. It hit .992

 

[mmadmikes1]

I have gone to 990 using turbo yeast at end of fermentation. The stuff was gross

 

[Floandgary]

All I have to say today is thanks to all for your input and ideas. That said, let me add GRRR!@#%$&^*<>... Rube Goldberg would have been proud and Jimmy Halto ("they'll do it every time" comic strip [elder among us might remember]) would say "they'll do it every time"!!! Was putzing around the basement and bumped something which knocked over something else which fell onto another thingy which ultimately came to a crashing stop amid shattered carboy glass and 6 gal. of very dry Pinot Noir... So dry in fact that the floor showed no signs after only 15 minutes!!! LOLOLOL I'll take that as my true inauguration Moving on,,,next for stabilization is the Valdespano-Tempranillo which has settled at @.994. Quite tastey as is but any suggestions will be put on file

 

[Julie]

Oh No!!!!!!!!!! Mike says it's Flo's fault.

 

[Hokapsig]

Broke a carboy??? Welcome to my life and the hobby.... (stupid glass....)