Sweetnes/Dryness number

[SFBREWING]

I have been making beer for a while now and have the process off but now my wife would like me to make her a couple of batches of wine. I have a good handle on the process (in theory) and with a little practice should be able to (eventually) make some decent wine. The only thing that I need to know is how to determine how sweet or dry it is. Everyone is asking me "Is it a 1 or 2" How the heck do I know?

 

[Tom]

1 ST WELCOME !

Ignore the #.
Just like beer you make what you like. What is you favorite wine? What is your wife's favorite wine?
Make that.

 

[SFBREWING]

I plan on making whatever we will drink. By "we" I mean SWMBO. But a lot of my family suffers from migranes and they need to know the sweetness so they know if they can drink it.

 

[Tom]

Migrains do not come from sweetness or sulfites rather the Tannin (skins) in the wine causes it.
If worried about family make a wine THEY like.
If you buy wine there is no such code on them (ie 1-5) only kits. Reason is they are assuming you know little of wine profiles. Kits also sell "patio" wines which are sweet and low on alcohol

 

[SFBREWING]

I know about the tannins that is why I stear clear of red wine. But mom believes it is all about the sugar. I guess I will just make something up. But I am making a white merlot I'm thinking no skins less tannins. They should be able to drink it.

 

[hector]

As far as I know , you can determine the sweetness of Wine in terms of the Hydrometer readings .

S.G. <1000 → Dry
S.G. from 1000 to 1010 → Medium Dry
S.G. from 1010 to 1020 → Medium Sweet
S.G. from 1020 to 1030 → Sweet
S.G. from 1030 to 1040 → Dessert Wine

The Wine should have been fermented out to Dryness and be stable . then you can measure the amount of Sugar to be added to the Wine in order to reach the desired Sweetness . Don't forget the Stabiliser ( Potassium Sorbate ) .