Comparing my Blueberry to winery (sweetness)

[UnkleBead]

So I just finished up my blueberry wine about two weeks ago, and I checked the S.G. tonight, it was still about 1.011, which typically is very sweet for me. The recipe I used says to wait a year until it’s ready to drink. So I’m fine with the fact that it didn’t taste all that blueberry-ish yet.

However, I wanted to compare the S.G. to a local winery’s blueberry wine, so I bought a bottle, and poured some and measured the S.G. To my surprise, the S.G. was coming in at an astonishing 1.051. This sucker is super sweet, too. I understand that sweetness is subjective and there is no real hard fast rule for comparing a S.G. to a desired sweetness level, but there are rough estimates out there, and this is way higher than what one typically considers ‘very sweet’. Is it common for a winery’s final S.G. to be this high? I have some peach wine and strawberry wine that I’m about to sweeten here in a month or so. I was only going to go as high as 1.010. I guess I’m just a little confused as to why theirs is this high.

 

[sour_grapes]

May I ask how you are measuring the SG? Hydrometer or refractometer?

 

[Scooter68]

Agree - 1.051 would be way way sweet. That is practically as sweet as fresh pressed Apple Juice. Sure sounds like a measurement error.

 

[UnkleBead]

I am measuring with a hydrometer.

 

[Scooter68]

That's really a strange wine they are selling then. A wine must fermented from that point (1.051) would yield 8% ABV.

I'd recheck that measurement.

What quantity of blueberries did you use for the wine? How many Pounds per gallon?

At 1.011 you should have a full blueberry flavor. My blueberry wines with 6-7 lbs per gallon are normally back-sweetened to no more than 1.010 (About same as yours). The flavor at that point is very solid with 6-7 lbs of blueberries per gallon.

Post your recipe if you can perhaps it's a high ABV interfering with the flavor.

Also how long has it been aged?

 

[UnkleBead]

So this morning I re-checked with a different hydrometer and got the same 1.051ish reading with the winery’s wine. I put a few drops on my refractometer and that thing is showing 1.080, so that thing seems off. Although water on it measures right about 1.000. Regardless, I tend to just use my hydrometer 95% of the time.

as for my blueberry recipe, I made a 6 gallon batch and used 2lbs blueberries per gallon. I drove up the initial SG with 10.5 lbs sugar. My initial SG was 1.084 and it fermented completely dry to .990. I used red grape concentrate to back sweeten it. And the current stabilized SG is 1.011ish. As I mentioned, the recipe calls for the wine to sit for 10-12 months to bring out the rest of the blueberry flavor, mine has only sat sweetened for 2-3 weeks so far. I just am confused as to why the winery’s wine’s S.G. is so high, unless I’m missing something.

Has anybody bought a sweet fruit wine from a local winery and tested the S.G.? I thought I’d be able to use theirs as a basis comparison, but I guess not.

 

[Johnd]

So this morning I re-checked with a different hydrometer and got the same 1.051ish reading with the winery’s wine. I put a few drops on my refractometer and that thing is showing 1.080, so that thing seems off. Although water on it measures right about 1.000. Regardless, I tend to just use my hydrometer 95% of the time.

as for my blueberry recipe, I made a 6 gallon batch and used 2lbs blueberries per gallon. I drove up the initial SG with 10.5 lbs sugar. My initial SG was 1.084 and it fermented completely dry to .990. I used red grape concentrate to back sweeten it. And the current stabilized SG is 1.011ish. As I mentioned, the recipe calls for the wine to sit for 10-12 months to bring out the rest of the blueberry flavor, mine has only sat sweetened for 2-3 weeks so far. I just am confused as to why the winery’s wine’s S.G. is so high, unless I’m missing something.

Has anybody bought a sweet fruit wine from a local winery and tested the S.G.? I thought I’d be able to use theirs as a basis comparison, but I guess not.

The presence of alcohol in the wine distorts the readings from a refractometer, use your hydrometer for these type readings. Are you certain you are reading it right, that it's 1.051, and not 1.0051? That just seems to be insanely sweet.

 

[UnkleBead]

I’m sure, at least I think I am. It was halfway down my hydrometer. And yes it tastes pretty darn sweet.

Maybe once you get to around 1.025 you can’t taste much of a difference in sweetness down to 1.050? I’ve never tasted two side by side with those known SGs.

Perhaps that’s a test down the road. I guess when I go to bottle I could save a bottle and experiment with adding more concentrate at different SGs up to 1.050 and see if I get a similar profile.

 

[Scooter68]

The problem you are having is with the amount of blueberries per gallon. Two (2) Pounds per gallon??? That's way way low. My first batch was with 4 1/2 lbs for a gallon and the flavor was very good once back-sweetened a little (about 1.008 as I remember). I've tried 8 lbs and it was no better tasting than batches with between 6-7 lbs AND with 8 lbs the acidity of the blueberries causes issues. So I stick with 6-7 lbs per gallon.

Forget that sugar "wine" from the winery - that stuff is crazy. I don't know why they did that but it's the sort of thing that made me decide to make my own wine.

Increase the quantity of blueberries per gallon to at least 5 pounds and you won't need to sweeten it up much at all unless you just prefer a sweet wine.

 

[cmason1957]

I have an idea why the winery makes the sugary wine. Sugar sells (tastes horrible to anyone who likes wine). I have never measured this wine, but went to one of the larger wineries around Missouri, down Hwy 44. Had a tour from the winemaker, asked how sweet they make some of their wines and the winemaker said they put in one pound of sugar for each gallon. If they start at 1.000 sg, that gets them to 1.022 sg. I wouldn't drink that sugar water for nothing. But, if they cut back the sugar, sales go down.

 

[UnkleBead]

Interesting, thank you guys. Scooter, I had picked 12.5 lbs of blueberry back in July that I was gonna use to make another 6 gallon batch. Maybe I’ll just use those to make a 3 gallon batch now. Is yours ready to drink sooner than 8-12 months after you bottle? I know aging is a different discussion for a different thread on a different day, but with you using that many blueberries, is it an early drinker?

 

[Scooter68]

My first batch (As a total Noob) was bottled at about 4 1/2 months and we drank the first bottle within a month. I was proud of it and it was good.... BUT after another 5 months it was so much better, like a different wine smoother, the taste came through so much better.

So direct answer - I would recommend at least 8-12 months aging. You won't regret that a bit. You can drink it sooner but if you keep it around, even in the bottle, until 12 months the changes are remarkable.

I don't bottle until it's aged at least 10 months and perfectly clear. I also don't sorbate/back-sweeten until then either. That way may sweetening is more accurate, less apt to end up too sweet that way.
My preference in wine is definitely towards a sweeter wine but I consider it evidence of a good fruit wine when it has great flavor, aroma etc with an SG of no more than 1.004 - When I can do that I figure it's good and even folks that prefer dry wine can still enjoy it. I have bottled a couple of fruit wines with zero back sweetening but Blueberry typically needs a little help there.

Addendum: I have used a few ounces (2-3oz/gallon) of white grape concentrate as part of the back-sweetening and it really adds some floral notes (?) to the blueberry without detracting from the flavor.