ABV % on Labels

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MN-winer

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I'm curious as to what others do as far as posting the estimated ABV on their lablels. I've done this in the past. I do find it difficult to feel like the % are very accurate. I am doing a CC kit with skins and my initial reading was 1.083, but I really did not stir in the skins, which I'm told will have lots of sugar. It fermented dry to .990, but that would put the % at 12.5 or so which seems low for a CC kit with skins. Its the 5 week kit so maybe that is normal.

Is it OK to not post the ABV on the label?
 
Non-commercial? Put anything you want on the labels. It it were me, I'd put:

"Somewhere between 12 & 14% ABV"

Seriously
 
Some of my labels have it posted, some don't. I have a general idea what is in all of them in my head in the event anyone would ask. My issue is the many formulas out there for calculating it. Which is the most acceptable formula?
 
Non-commercial? Put anything you want on the labels. It it were me, I'd put:

"Somewhere between 12 & 14% ABV"

Seriously

I agree - if it is not commercial - don't put anything on it if you don't know.

Based on gravity readings i can assume what my ABV is - as long as i am with 1% - i am fine with that.
 
I put the abv and using the hydro gets you very close. If you take the sg the next day with the grape skin kits youll get a pretty accurate reading then.
 
I add the % plus the gravity reading as I have various gravity's for my wines. Usually a dry and a semi dry or semi sweet and a sweet etc. Some prefer sweet while others prefer dry. This way I can tell what's in each bottle.

Last night I counted 24 different types of wine that I have excluding what's bulk aging.
 
I add the % plus the gravity reading as I have various gravity's for my wines. Usually a dry and a semi dry or semi sweet and a sweet etc. Some prefer sweet while others prefer dry. This way I can tell what's in each bottle.

Last night I counted 24 different types of wine that I have excluding what's bulk aging.

:tz:db:f:b:db:tz:fsh YEA! you're catching up. I hope you have a large wine room and lots of racks!
 
:tz:db:f:b:db:tz:fsh YEA! you're catching up. I hope you have a large wine room and lots of racks!

I spent the last few days ripping up padding and carpet from my wine cellar/former bedroom. We got some water after the last heavy rainstorm. I rearranged everything and I'm trying to decide if another full rack will be enough, and still have a 4' by 6' work table.

No wines were injured in the move.:):):)
 
I don't bother adding it. Rather, the month/year bottled.
 
Some of my labels have it posted, some don't. I have a general idea what is in all of them in my head in the event anyone would ask. My issue is the many formulas out there for calculating it. Which is the most acceptable formula?


FFemt, a lot of us use the Starting Gravity minus Ending Gravity divided by .735


(1.80 - .990)= . 09 / .735 equals 12.2%.

there are other formulas and other versions of this one, but they all come to within a small fraction which is good enough for me.
 
I put the year/month I started it since my wines sometimes sit in a carboy for a long time. no abv or other notes besides the name. I never put labels on kit wines, only an identifiable shrink cap and I keep them together on a rack. but I just do cheap kits of mist type stuff and it goes quick.

by the way, the thermocapper or whatever its called : great investment. seems unnecessary until you get one and I'm so glad I have that and the italian floor corker when its time to bottle.
 
FFemt, a lot of us use the Starting Gravity minus Ending Gravity divided by .735


(1.80 - .990)= . 09 / .735 equals 12.2%.

there are other formulas and other versions of this one, but they all come to within a small fraction which is good enough for me.

That's the formula I've been going by, I've seen others and they generally come close within +/- 1%
 
That's the formula I've been going by, I've seen others and they generally come close within +/- 1%

Yeah - i have seen this before:

Example: (1.085 - .996) = . 089 * 131.8 equals 11.7%.

So i use both and split the difference :h
 
Even commercial wines are allowed a certain margin for error. It's completely up to you what you want to put on there...if anything at all. I only label the bottles others will see, so I will put an alc% only because people expect to see it on a wine label. if it weren't for that I would just put it on ones that are out of the ordinary, like 10% or 14%+, etc.

I use OG-FG*133= alc%
 

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