Can I add more sugar to Primary after slowed fermentation?

[slh]

I'm making strawberry/rhubarb from fresh extracted juice, water added to make 5 gallons. About 14 lbs of sugar to 10 lbs rhubarb plus 4 lbs strawberries.
6 campden tablets (added 24 hours before yeast and other ingredients below)

Other ingredients:
1 qt Welches white grape juice concentrate (pure juice, no preservatives)
5 tsp yeast nutrient
1-1/4 tsp grape tannin
3 tsp pectic enzyme
Used Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast (2 pkts)

Beginning SG was 1.084 or so. SG went down to about .997 in just five days! Must is in primary bucket with airlock. I've stirred about four times over five days.

Question is, will it hurt to bring the SG up at this point (by adding sugar syrup) to try to wake up the yeast and bring up the final ABV? Based on my original SG, I understand it would be about 9-10% ABV when it's finished. I'd like that to come up a couple of points to around 11-12%. I would like to rack at around 1.010 in another 5 days if I can get things going again.

Must tastes and smells clean and flavorful (FYI)

 

[winemaker_3352]

Welcome aboard!!

If the SG is .994 - your fermentation is done. I would transfer it to a carboy and stabilize it. Add k-meta and sorbate in. Wait about 3-4 days. Then add sugar to sweeten to your taste.

I would also recommend a flavor pac - for the strawberries.

 

[Duster]

I think your trying to raise the abv higher than what was allowable by your SG. By all rights I believe you can do this however IMO your wine will have a much better taste if you leave it around the 10% it is at already.
If it was mine I would follow winemaker_3352's advise.

I have never tried rhubarb wine, sounds good, let us know how it turns out.

 

[Runningwolf]

slh first off welcome to the forum. IMO you are using very little fruit and want high abv. I think you're going to end up with something very high in alcohol with little taste. Rhubarb makes an excellent wine by itself or blended with strawberry.

I always make the strawberry and rhubard seperate and then blend to taste after each has finished just before bottling. Incidently the rhubarb is excellent with a higher acid content.

 

[Sirs]

I know with wild yeast you can do this and most of the time it will ferment to dry again but like Dan said it will be abit weaker in taste and higher in alcohol. If thats what you want I'd say go for it. Myself because this is what I normally do I always add alot of extra fruit at the start so there is always alot of flavor and body so the higher ABV doesn't take away/overpower from the flavor.

 

[Sirs]

I've noticed when I got a wine that ferments quick it will not have the flavor of a slower ferment

 

[blackpage]

I have a question about the process used. Is 6 cambden tablets a lot for a 5 gallon batch? I've only made 1 gallon batches so far and I know I use 1 tablet per gallon but I thought 1 tablet was good for up to 5 gallons?

Gotta ask these things before I start on the big batches! haha

 

[winemaker_3352]

I have a question about the process used. Is 6 cambden tablets a lot for a 5 gallon batch? I've only made 1 gallon batches so far and I know I use 1 tablet per gallon but I thought 1 tablet was good for up to 5 gallons?

Gotta ask these things before I start on the big batches! haha

1 tablet per gallon of wine.

 

[slh]

continued...

I jumped ahead and added the sugar solution (about 1-1/2 cups in equal water, boiled & cooled) on Saturday (being impatient and a little concerned about how quick the ferment happened, I thought I'd give it a shot before waiting for replies). It brought the SG up to 1.010. Today, it is the same so I'm going to go ahead and rack it into a carboy. It is still a little fizzy but I know that will subside with time. I'm hoping the SG will fall to 1.000 if I wait to stabilize. Is that the wrong approach?

As for the amount fruit I used, it was a little less than I wanted but the fermenter was half full of chopped fruit when I started. Not finding out about freezing the rhubarb until after I started it soaking was kind of a bummer so I jumped out of the box again and let it soak for about 3 days. At that point I added the strawberries and campden and let it sit for another 24 hours. I don't expect it to be super-douper bold in taste but it's a fun experiment, at any rate.

I had similar experiences with a goof-up here and there with my last (and very first) batch of cranberry (from concentrate) wine. I've found the process is quite forgiving! I'm meticulous about sanitizing everything in site and figure that helped. The cranberry turned out a bit on the boring side but somebody showed me how I can amp up the body with glycerin. It's miraculous!

I look forward to further replies

 

[slh]

I've noticed when I got a wine that ferments quick it will not have the flavor of a slower ferment

I've certainly read fast fermentation doesn't make the best fruit wine. I sure wasn't expecting it to ferment so quickly! Next time, should I consider using a champagne yeast and a cooler location? It was fermenting this time at around 73 degrees. Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast (2 pkts).

 

[cpfan]

You actually had about 11.5%.

(1.084 - .997) * 133 = 11.57%

Steve

 

[Arne]

You will probably find it takes quite some time to ferment back to dry again. The yeast is still there but not as many as when you started, so it will probably be slower. Now patience is probably the word, so you get it fermented out and don't make bombs when you bottle. Make sure it is done before you try and stabalize and back sweeten. Good luck withit. Arne.

 

[slh]

You actually had about 11.5%.

(1.084 - .997) * 133 = 11.57%

Steve

cpfan: Thanks for the math! I actually didn't know how to do that and I seem to have difficulty getting an accurate reading with my vinometer. Not sure why that is, it's such a simple tool. I will be utilizing your method in future.

Arne, "Patience" is definitely the watch word here. I can take it!

 

[jet]

IMO, the vinometer is a worthless piece if junk.

 

[winemaker_3352]

IMO, the vinometer is a worthless piece if junk.

Ditto to that!!!!

 

[winemaker_3352]

I've certainly read fast fermentation doesn't make the best fruit wine. I sure wasn't expecting it to ferment so quickly! Next time, should I consider using a champagne yeast and a cooler location? It was fermenting this time at around 73 degrees. Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast (2 pkts).

The Lalvin 71B-1122 is a good yeast - i use that a lot. 73 degrees is that the room temp or the must temp?

if the room temp is 73 - the must temp is probably a lot higher with such a vigorous fermentation.

I have a hydrometer/thermometer combo - that way i can check the SG for the given must temp.