is vinometer accurate with fruit wine?

[doughowe]

Hi All,
I recently got a vinometer to estimate percent alcohol in finished wines. Yesterday I was bottling 3 wines: pinot gris, a blackberry, and a blueberry. According to my starting specific gravity readings, the pinot gris (no sugar added) should have been around 12%, the blackberry around 12% (lots of sugar added), and the blueberry around 15% (lots of sugar added). The vinometer readings on the pinot gris was spot on at 12%, while both the blackberry and blueberry came in very low on the vinometer, around 8-9% Is there something about adding table sugar that artificially inflates the specific gravity reading so you don't get the correct finishing alcohol even if the fermentation is complete?

Any thoughts or observations appreciated!

-Doug

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Vinometers only are supposed to work on dry wines, were your fruit wines dry? CC

 

[Runningwolf]

I think they are basically very inacurate for most wines. Even the dealers I know that sell them will discourage their customers from buying them. But there are people that insist on getting them so they carry them for those customers.

 

[doughowe]

Vinometers only are supposed to work on dry wines, were your fruit wines dry? CC

ahh..thanks Cracked! My pinot gris has 0.5% residual sugar, so it's basically dry and had a pretty accurate read in the vinometer I think. The blueberry is about 4% sugar and the blackberry is around 1% residual sugar. So maybe the lack of dryness in the fruit wines is the major culprit. Thanks for the tip CrackedCorn!
-Doug

 

[winemaker_3352]

I think they are basically very inacurate for most wines. Even the dealers I know that sell them will discourage their customers from buying them. But there are people that insist on getting them so they carry them for those customers.

I agree - i would not rely on these to give accurate readings.

 

[robie]

They are notoriously inaccurate with ANY wine.

 

[Luc]

The work of the Vinometers is based on the capillar working of fluids.
However a fluid with sugar dissolved in it has a very different cappilar working as a fluid without.
So that makes a vinometer totally unreliable as you never know how much sugar is in your finished wine.

I am starting (shortly) a series of 9 articles on my web-log about all ways to measure alcohol in wine,
and the accuracy of these. So stay tuned.

Luc

 

[jswordy]

They are notoriously inaccurate with ANY wine.

The sugar and also any solids in the wine will throw it off, as well as the temperature of the fluid tested, since viscosity improves as temps go down. I got one as part of a used equipment sale, and I used it once. It was way wrong. I'd rather figure abv by potential alcohol readings. Even that has its detractors, but I think it's far more accurate than the vinometer. The gold standard is supposed to be a refractometer, and they are very accurate once you learn how to use one, but though I lust after it I can't justify the price for what I'm doing. Someday maybe I'll find one used.

Vinometers are cheap to buy - and you get what you pay for!

 

[applelover12]

a vinometer cannot work if there is CO2 in the wine. It will not be accurate.
Also, if there are sugar in the wine it will not work.

At last the wine has to be clear otherwise fining agent, yeast etc. can and will affect the reading.

 

[JohnT]

Do yourself a favor. Toss that thing in the trash and purchase a hydrometer.

 

[dralarms]

Do yourself a favor. Toss that thing in the trash and purchase a hydrometer.

Need a 1000 like button.