? on sweetening and bottleing

[Hawkeye15]

Just have a quick question on an apple wine I have made recently. Some quick info:

Apple cider wine - 1 gal.
1 gallon Tastee Apple Cider (walmart)
1 tsp pectic enzyme
Fleischmanns bread yeast
1/4 tsp. Tannin

Starting SG @ 1.050

All wines I've made thus far I have just let ferment dry and haven't really experimented with back sweetening or any kind of additions after the wine is finished.

This apple cider wine has fermented dry and I want to be able to mix some of the original bought cider to it to have more an apple flavor with a little kick.

What I want to know is, is it common practice to dry a wine out, do all the usual procedures (sorbate etc.) and then add fruit juice for taste and then bottle it?
My worry is that by adding juice ,bottleing and aging that the whole point of adding the fruit juice (to taste like apple cider) for that flavor would be fruitless. I know wines develop flavors and can mellow out with aging, if juice were added would it change the flavor too much to make it worthwhile? Or would I just be better off aging the wine like it is (dry) and then when opened eventually, add sweeteners?

Appreciate any input from some of you experienced winemakers.

 

[kiljoy]

If your recipe is accurate and you did not add additional sugar, you were only able to get 6.8% ABV at best. As it is, it’s barely wine. More like a cider beer. I’m not sure how much you have lost after clearing and racking, but I would say adding more cider to sweeten it will dilute it even more.

If it’s not too late, my opinion is to see if you can get the alcohol content up before you decide to sweeten it. Then make an F-Pac which some of the more experienced guys will be able to elaborate on.

 

[Tom]

Like Kiljoy said you should have added sugar. Next time use wine yeast not bread yeast. I also agree NOT to try to sweeten or adding a f-pac. Chaulk it up to experience. Next time ask here as what to do with whatever you plan on making.

To add "flavor" simmer 2 quarts of apple juice down to 1 quart. add, then taste. To add sweetness add simple syrup to your taste. (2 parts sugar to 1 part of water) I

 

[Leanne]

I'm with Tom here. Any wine is an individual and should be treated as such.
Use the correct yeast and back sweeten gently.

 

[St Allie]

You can buy apple syrups at the supermarket.. the all natural ones have good flavour.. check the aisle where the pancake syrups are stored. Have used these for f packs in my apple wines.

If you have almost a 7% cider.. sweeten slightly which will probably bring it down to 6%.. and put it away for 6 months.. Cider, icy cold, is great, sometimes you don't want to drink something of a higher abv, and you don't really feel like a beer.. Cider is a good in-betweener type drink..

Allie