Sorbate

[chevs15]

Stabilize

What should I add to stabilize before back-sweetening and how much for 6 gallon carboy? How long should I wait after adding the stabilizing before I sweeten?

 

[djrockinsteve]

After your wine has aged you will rack it to a clean carboy with a pinch of sulfite (potassium metabisulfite). Take your gravity readings and acid, SO2 etc if you can.

It is at this point I invert some sugar in a pan with @2 cups of the wine. I blend both the inverted sugar wine and dry wine in a beaker and take a gravity reading. Sample it. If it's at the point you like it great, if not adjust up or down sweetness till you find what you like.

Calculate how much sugar you need, add 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of sorb ate to your carboy and back sweeten to the point you found you liked. Airlock it and wait 2 weeks to be sure fermentation does not begin. If not you may bottle.

There are tutorials on our home page in the tutorial area to assist you more.

Sorbate can be added anytime after fermentation is complete. I prefer to do it at sweetening time. FYI I allow 6 months min. for whites and fruits, reds get over a year to age.

 

[chevs15]

Great info! Thanks! I am working on a Welch's White Grape Juice wine. Can I sweeten with more of the grape juice concentrate?

 

[djrockinsteve]

yes you can however to prevent watering down your wine barely simmer the juice to half it's volume. Stir often and simmer in a pan until approx. half the original volume. Allow to cool. Then you can add.

To avoid over sweetening once it's cool take sone wine in a beaker (record ounces) and add some welch's (record the amount). This will help you calculate the ratio to get the sweetness you want. See "Pearson Square" on how to calculate this.

 

[jswordy]

I just add the 11.5-ounces of Welch's concentrate to mine with no reduction. I've never had to use more than 2 per 5-gal carboy, and my wine finishes at 14% before adjustments typically. Five gallons is 640 ounces, so I'm adding just 3.5% more volume with 23 ounces of concentrate. My ending ABV is still typically just above 13%.

I don't use sugar when fixing up my Welch's on the back end. My two tools are acid blend and the canned concentrate. If I was to use sugar, I suppose I would warm the concentrate enough to add my sugar to it.

I now know this is the "wrong" way to do it, but I figured it out before I knew that, and everyone raves about the wine. I literally have to hide bottles so I can tell people I am out of stock to get some for myself.

Welch's Concord is always working in at least one carboy at my place. I cannot make enough of it to satisfy the demand. The White is also popular.