Fortify with Brandy

[Mcamnl]

I have a 6 gallon +1 gallon batch of Blackberry that is done and just sitting there staring at me. I decided that I wanted to play a bit with the one gallon so I went to my local supply shop and asked what they recommend for fortifying a wine. I was handed a bottle of a clear brandy and he explained that this is what they recommend if you don't want to change the flavor just fortify it. They did have a blackberry brandy but he said that would change the wine flavor and if I was happy with the way it tasted this clear stuff was the way to go. So my question is, what kind of ratio is generally used to fortify a wine? I know a lot is to taste and that will be my main guide. I am just wondering if there is a starting point. The brandy I bought is a 750mL bottle.

 

[Mcamnl]

Did some searching and found this link.
http://www.vinovation.com/Pearson.html

Not sure what a good final abv would be but I put in going from 13 to 20% as a start. Comes out to having to add 1/2 gallon of brandy. Seems like a lot.

 

[Rocky]

What is the proof of the Brandy? I did a quick calculation using 80 proof (40% alcohol) and I get 44.8 ounces to add. If your brandy is 68 proof (34% alcohol), a half gallon or 64 ounces would be correct. I used this formula: (0.13(128) + .4x)/(128 + x) = 0.20 or in words, 13% of one gallon plus 40% of some unknown quantity divided by one gallon plus the unknown amount equals 20%

 

[hobbyiswine]

One general rule is one 750ml bottle of brandy to 1 gallon of wine. This would bump your 13% wine up to around 18%. If you have one gallon sitting there you might try this ratio in a small trial. Then if you like it you can dump in the brandy. How do you plan on sweetening the wine? I recently fortified some wine and found that I liked a ratio of 80 parts wine, 25 parts brandy, 15 parts simple syrup.

 

[ckassotis]

Many people use everclear for this purpose, as the ABV is up at 95% leading to your ability to add much less to get you to the desired ~20%. Some note that it is also a grain alcohol though, which may or may not mesh as well with your fruit port. It definitely has a neutral taste though, as opposed to a lot of the commercial brandies that you will encounter.

 

[Runningwolf]

I have a silly question. Is schnapps much different than brandy? I want to add a few bottles to a flavored schnapps to the port I am making.

 

[g8keeper]

I have a silly question. Is schnapps much different than brandy? I want to add a few bottles to a flavored schnapps to the port I am making.

if i'm not mistaken, most schnapps are artificially flavored, dan, so therefore depending on what flavor port, or profile you are going for, it might be more artificial....i don't think they are normally a fruit based liquor, but a flavored, grain based liquor, unless perhaps you get an actual, say, german apple schnapps...but this is at least my understanding...

 

[Runningwolf]

The colors are not an issue. I picked up Hazelnut schnapps for the coffee port and Butter Shot schnapps for the Apple. I did a bench test today with 6.6 ML of schnapps with 93.4 Ml of the ports and they both tasted very good. The schnapps I think is about 24%abv. This ratio works out to the same as one bottle to a 3 gallon carboy as someone else suggested.

 

[Mcamnl]

I sweetened the wine with simple syrup back up to 1.010 and added a flavor pack.
It has been clearing for a month or so now. Planning on racking it tomorrow and adding the brandy then.

 

[g8keeper]

The colors are not an issue. I picked up Hazelnut schnapps for the coffee port and Butter Shot schnapps for the Apple. I did a bench test today with 6.6 ML of schnapps with 93.4 Ml of the ports and they both tasted very good. The schnapps I think is about 24%abv. This ratio works out to the same as one bottle to a 3 gallon carboy as someone else suggested.

dan, is the hazelnut actually a schnapps or it is a hazelnut liquer???...either way, i do have to admit i do like your choices of flavors.....i definitely do believe the hazelnut will compliment the coffee very nicely....and i can only imagine that the butter shots will give an almost salted caramel like flavor to the apple, resulting in a caramel apple like flavor....definitely sounds very tasty....i applaud your choices.....

 

[Runningwolf]

Thanks and I believe the bottle does say liquer.

It's funny you mentioned the caramel apple. I just blended a maple syrup wine I was going to dump with some of my apple wine and it came out tasting just like a caramel Apple (and thats the name for it). I was also thinking of adding some butter shots to this to up the abv and smooth out the mouth feel a bit.

 

[g8keeper]

Thanks and I believe the bottle does say liquer.

It's funny you mentioned the caramel apple. I just blended a maple syrup wine I was going to dump with some of my apple wine and it came out tasting just like a caramel Apple (and thats the name for it). I was also thinking of adding some butter shots to this to up the abv and smooth out the mouth feel a bit.

i had read the thread you posted about your "failed", so to speak, maple syrup wine....just glad you had found a use for it....that caramel apple flavor definitely sounds good, as well as the idea of fortifying the blend with the buttershots....now i know you mentioned the ratio, but that does somewhat surprise me that you wouldn't need more of the hazelnut liquer, or the buttershots to achieve your desired abv, because i thought both the hazelnut liquer, and buttershots, were both lower abv than most brandies....i believe the buttershots is only 30 proof, where most brandies are more like 80 proof...but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me the hazelnut liquer you are using is not FRANGELICO....that, i'm sorry, would be a sin....lol.....

 

[Runningwolf]

Yup, your right. I read 40 proof on the Hazelnut and assumed! I was wrong, the buttershots is 30 proof. But thats ok. I was not really going for the high abv but looking to enhance the flavor of the ports. The coffee port is extremely bold.

Now if you have a different recommendation for the butter shots on my caramel apple let me know and I don't mind upping the abv on that wine as it's not very high. Again I'll do some bench testing on it and will take your recommendation of possibly doubling up on the bottles. I do have everclear but am not interested in just uping the abv for the sake of doing so. It's all about flavor and smoothness I am going for.

The brand is Dekuyper.

 

[g8keeper]

Yup, your right. I read 40 proof on the Hazelnut and assumed! I was wrong, the buttershots is 30 proof. But thats ok. I was not really going for the high abv but looking to enhance the flavor of the ports. The coffee port is extremely bold.

Now if you have a different recommendation for the butter shots on my caramel apple let me know and I don't mind upping the abv on that wine as it's not very high. Again I'll do some bench testing on it and will take your recommendation of possibly doubling up on the bottles. I do have everclear but am not interested in just uping the abv for the sake of doing so. It's all about flavor and smoothness I am going for.

no dan, i don't have a recommendation for that as i find the idea of the buttershots as quite appealing....definitely interested in how it turns out....and as the ports, i just questioned the quantity as i thought you were trying to up the abv to a certain level, but i agree, the flavor is the most important issue...now if you were looking to up the abv on the ports, what about a combination of the liquer and everclear?... just an idea, but once again, the flavor is priority number one....and i actually was hoping you were not using frangelico as fhe hazelnut flavor addition, in the fact that yes, it would taste exquisite, but seems like a waste of such a fine liquer, as i believe it is priced at about 40+ dollars a 5th....yes, it would definitely compliment the coffee, but there has to be another hazelnut liquor....buttershots,, though, heck, at only about 10 dollars a 5th, bg l means go for it....lol....

 

[SpoiledRotten]

I used Peach Schnapps for a flavor pack on one batch and, although it's drinkable, it definitely not a smooth wine taste that I've come to enjoy. I won't use it again.

 

[Deezil]

I used Peach Schnapps for a flavor pack on one batch and, although it's drinkable, it definitely not a smooth wine taste that I've come to enjoy. I won't use it again.

How long did you let it age? Fortified wines take longer to meld together than typical wines so if your wine was only a year or two old... Could be why.

I'm getting ready to make a couple gallons each of red raspberry, gold raspberry, and blackberry-cherry port-style wines.. I'll probably put these away for atleast 4-5 years.

 

[Deezil]

Peach Schnapps

Just wanna say thanks for bringing this up. Led to me doing some research, out of curiousity.

There was a thread on here somewhere, a while back, where i was taking to a few other people.... robie, perhaps?... about fortifying, and eau de vie; something about portugal & real ports...

Anywho, come to learn today that german schnapps is, in essence, eau de vie. The german speaking contries just dont use that terminology - but german schnapps is usually twice-distilled fruit wine/must.

Would make it a better candidate for fortifying a fruit wine, over a brandy. I learned something today

Edit: should be noted that American schnapps is a liqueur - a neutral grain spirit mixed with fruit flavorings.

Edit #2: Finding german schnapps might be a challenge, the jury is still out

 

[ckassotis]

I remember that discussion! Very interesting little thing you discovered there. I'm still having my brother search for some aguardiente while he is over in Europe. Perhaps I can tell him to add this German schnapps to the list! Haha. I do think he has an upcoming Germany trip, actually. Hmmm...

 

[Runningwolf]

Well I did some blind tests tonight with some friends.

Apple Caramel wine 3 glasses, one was the control, one with the equivalent of one bottle of butter shots and the third with the equivalent of two bottles per 3 gallon batch. The control with no additional liquer won.

Next was coffe port with the same three test except with Hazelnut. The glass with the equivalent of one bottle Hazelneut liquer per 3 gallons won.


If anyone is interested in doing these bench trails, start with a 100 ML graduated cylinder. Add 6.6 ML of the liquer and the rest of the way with you wine. This sample will be a good sampling of what one 750ml bottle of liguer will taste like when added to 3 gallons of wine.

I also use this same cylinder to do bench test for blending of different wines. Working with 100 ML makes it a lot easier to figure the ratio than for the large blend of carboys.

 

[SpoiledRotten]

How long did you let it age? Fortified wines take longer to meld together than typical wines so if your wine was only a year or two old... Could be why.

I'm getting ready to make a couple gallons each of red raspberry, gold raspberry, and blackberry-cherry port-style wines.. I'll probably put these away for atleast 4-5 years.

I tried some a few weeks after it was bottled and I found it to be very strong. I'm planning on allowing the rest of the batch to age for some time, so I won't be in any hurry to break the seal on it. I'll let it go for a year or so now.