WineXpert Backsweetening a VR Riesling?

[sdr3]

Greetings, I am a novice wine maker who has learned a tremendous amount from this forum. I am coming out of the shadows with what I hope is an easy question.

My first attempt was a Winexpert Vintners Reserve Liebfraumilch that was bottled in January. I am extremely happy with the result. Being a novice wine drinker I can’t compare it to more expensive wines, since I haven’t really tried anything beyond a $15 bottle, but it is better than anything I have tested. People, who have tried it with far more experience than I, have been impressed. My second attempt was Dragon’s Blood which I am enjoying as well. Each time I open a new bottle of each I am surprised at the changes that have taken place as it ages.

I currently am making my third and fourth batches, a Winexpert Vintners Reserve Riesling and a Winexpert Selection Italian Pinot Grigio. I really like the level of sweetness in the Liebfraumilch and I think I would like to match that sweetness in the Riesling since my preference is a slightly sweet Riesling. Basically I am looking for suggestions as to how much sugar I need to add when I backsweeten my Riesling. Any suggestions or other advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[Julie]

Hi sdr3, welcome to WineMakingTalk and especially to Nother PA'er!

Take a hydrometer reading of the Liebfraumilch, this will give you a guide. There are calculators that will help you with the sugar but a simple calculations is one cup of sugar will increase sg by .018 per gallon.

Shoot for a lower sg, each wine is difference and sweetness will vary and taste. When you are very close stop and leave it sit a week before tasting.

 

[mmadmikes1]

Please note that as you make and drink more wine your taste buds will start to change.

 

[salcoco]

the best method is a bench trial. prepare a sugar syrup by dissolving two cup sugar in one cup of water. use a blender to mix. then set up three to four sample of wine, use a fixed measure say 1/4 cup which equals 60ml. use the first sample as control, add 1/4 tsp of sugar syrup to next sample, 2 times 1/4 tsp to next and 3 time 1/4 tsp to next. taste to determine level of sweetness desired. if not enough continue with more samples increasing the sugar syrup by 1/4 tsp per sample. each 1/4 tsp is equal to 1.25 ml. use a ratio equation to determine amount of sugar syrup to add to bulk wine. make sure you add Kmeta and sorbate to wine after adding sugar. wait a week to insure fermentation does not restart and then bottle.

 

[GaDawg]

use a blender to mix.

It may be easier to use hot water to mix.

 

[sdr3]

Thanks for the responses, and of course this leads to more questions. I am getting ready to add the metabisulphite, sorbate, the clarifier and degass the wine. Would this be the time to backsweeten, or should I wait until it clears?

When tasting the wine with the various amounts of sugar or simple sugar as a bench trial, should I go on current taste or will there be changes in the sweetness as it changes? Again, thanks for the help.

 

[mmadmikes1]

the wine will change as it ages. At this point,not be rude, with your ecperience you will just be guessing. I ruined a lot of wine learning and you probably will as well

 

[salcoco]

Hot water is the best for making the sugar syrup in the blender.
wait until the wine is clear and any desired aging completed. bench trials should be just before bottling. the wine will taste slightly sweeter overtime from what the bench trial will produce. Don't be afraid to perform the trial as it will add to your education on wine making. I perform this bench trial on all of my wines, some with acid addition some with sugar addition. these trials are to develop a balanced wine. If no improvement the wine stays as fermented.
one additional step that might help on your selection, from the bench trial, make one sample past the one you select to determine if the wine might be to sweet, essentially bracketing your selection. another is make a half bottle of your selected blend , taste after two weeks to see if sweetness level is as desired. make sure sorbate is added to this test bottle. have fun.

 

[JoyofWine]

When I backsweeten the WineExpert Muscato, I let it clear fully, then I made a simple syrup (boiled 1 cup of water with two cups of sugar), then added it to the carboy once it cooled down. It made my cleared wine cloudy again, and I ended up having to add pectic enzyme to get it to clear. And it took a while! Has anyone else had that issue? The wine tasted awesome once I bottled it though.

Salcoco do you just use hot tap water, and then just dissolve the sugar that way?

 

[blackspanish777]

Was the moscato not sweet enough? I am a week from bottling mine and I am now curious why you back sweetened.


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[salcoco]

I used hot water form the tap in a blender. I have also used cold water and it still worked. the syrup has to clear first. I am not a chemist but possibly the boiling of the sugar may have added something to the wine to cause it to be cloudy. that is another reason I suggest bench trials and a sample of the selected blend to ensure no problems. a problem in 500ml is better than in five gallons.

 

[JoyofWine]

It wasn't sweet enough for me. For others it would probably be all right though. I like sweeeeet! I made a second kit and didn't backsweeten because I didn't want to deal with the cloudiness again & I'm really sorry I didn't...


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[JoyofWine]

Thanks Salcoco for the advice! Not going to boil the water next time & see if that works.


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