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ygerchman

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Hi,
I’ve got a question-
If I don’t have any reserved wine for topping the carboy - is that better to topping with last harvest wine which was already in bottles than keeping it not full?
Thx again...
Yoav.
 
Yes. As long as it’s a similar wine.

Why does it have to be "similar"? The flavors shouldn't fight one another but if I am making a strawberry wine and have only a bottle of blueberry or a bottle of elderflower or even a traditional mead made with avocado honey what is so unacceptable about topping up with such a bottle? If my target volume is a gallon then a bottle is - what ? 20% and if my target is five gallons then this one bottle is 4% of the volume...
 
If you don't care about mixing flavors then it doesn't matter. Even a 4% change with some wines can change the character. Blueberry into a strawberry? That seems pretty weird. Mead or a white wine no big deal.
 
What about topping up a fruit wine with pasteurized apple juice with not other preservatives?

Not unless you want to re-start the fermentation.

Any topping up liquid should have absolutely zero fermentable sugars in it or you may come back to find an airlock loaded with wine and spilled wine on the floor. Except for the watering down effect, you'd be much better off just using some filtered water.
 
Not unless you want to re-start the fermentation.

Any topping up liquid should have absolutely zero fermentable sugars in it or you may come back to find an airlock loaded with wine and spilled wine on the floor. Except for the watering down effect, you'd be much better off just using some filtered water.
I racked batch of Rhubarb wine last night to get it off some Lees and had a space to fill, also I was out of white wine to fill it and it was still at SG 1.05 so I thought it might work in a pinch since I need it to ferment more. I hope it works. If not my wife will be upset with me when it explodes but everything was fine this morning.
 
I racked batch of Rhubarb wine last night to get it off some Lees and had a space to fill, also I was out of white wine to fill it and it was still at SG 1.05 so I thought it might work in a pinch since I need it to ferment more. I hope it works. If not my wife will be upset with me when it explodes but everything was fine this morning.

That's a little different situation. You are actually interested in extending the fermentation. - So yes you can but will your yeast handle the end ABV you are headed toward? That's the question.
 

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