My Wine came out toooo sweeeet :-(

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ranweiss

Amateur Wine Maker
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Dec 23, 2006
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Hi!

I have just been tasting a 300 L Cabernet Sauvignon I have made back in September 2006. The wine tastes too sweet (as someone said - it's a girl's wine). Never had that before, I cannot get this problem out of my head. Recalling, that I harvested this lot a few weeks too late, and at the Israeli weather, grapes may have lost some water, making the sugar concentrate too high? Thus, the yeast could not dispose of all sugar before alcohol rate went up to 12-13%?

This is all maybe, but that's the only clue I have.

I just winder if someone knows of a way around this problem (less throwing it away...)?

Many thanks for anyone who read my post!

Ran
 
What is your gravity at now? Would be possible to repitch with a starter made with a high alcohol yeast like lalvin ec-1118. What is the PH of it? If its not to low, would be possible to add some acid to cover up the sugar, the only other way is to blend with another wine.
 
It is hard to come to a conclusion without some stats. What was the brix of the grapes at harvest? What yeast did you use? What was the SG when you stabilized? Did you assure a steady SG before you stabilized?

Do you use a hydrometer or a refractometer to check your SG? I only ask this as I have learned recently that it is not a real good idea to check your SG after fermentation has began with a refractometer which used to be my practice. I know a few that do this as it only used a couple drops of the must as opposed to drawing a sample in a test jar.

The only real suggestion I would have for the use of the wine is to possibly blend it with another wine to bring the sweetness down. If you have stabilized with sorbate, I doubt you can get a fermentation going again successfully. I am sure some of the others will throw a few good ideas at you as well.

Smurfe :)
 
I agree with all above.

Go get yourself a wine weigher for Christmas.
This little device is a special hydrometer with a thermometer build inside and has a different scale.

You proceed as follows:
First take some must generally 250 cl
Put the wine weigher in and note the number on the scale.
Then boil the must until half is evaporated, cool down and add with distilled water
until you have again 250 cl.
Now put the wine weigher in again and note the number it gives now on the scale.

An included table will give you then the residual sugar and the amount of alcohol in this wine.
This really is a great device which allows you to examine any must with unknown data.

Next step is indeed to make a starter with a high alcohol tolerant yeast and restart the fermentation. If you add yeast to the wine it will likely not start to ferment while the yeast is not customed with alcohol. So make a starter, let it ferment for a few days and then add it to the must so the new yeast cells will have an alcohol habit :D

Success
Luc
 

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