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We make many different fruit wines. Usually start with a SG of 1.105. Sometimes the fermentation has stopped at 1.000. Can we add yeast and nutrient at this point to increase the alcohol content, let's say to a SG of 0.900.
Any help would be appreciated.
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We make many different fruit wines. Usually start with a SG of 1.105. Sometimes the fermentation has stopped at 1.000. Can we add yeast and nutrient at this point to increase the alcohol content, let's say to a SG of 0.900.
Any help would be appreciated.
You can write us direct at [email protected]

Hi alaskanaturally, and welcome. While technically, a final gravity of 1.000 suggests that there is still some sugar left (and that sugar may be fermentable) there is not really very much. I have never tried to get a wine down as far as .990 - would think that that would be drier than sand-paper. Do you have a wine in mind that was fermented that low?

Wine is all about balance..balance between alcohol level, and perceived sweetness/dryness and acidity and a wine that dry with that amount of alcohol (about 14% ABV) might scratch your throat going down. What fruit are you fermenting? What yeast are you using? What was the temperature of the fermentation? What nutrients did you add? How much and how often?

Others on this forum may disagree but adding more nutrient now is likely to create real problems for the yeast - and for the wine - as bacteria are far more likely to glom onto any nutrition at this point and sour your wine before any yeast will choose to ferment any remaining fermentable sugars.
 
I think you meant .990, not .900 which is more like a distilled spirit. Ethanol is lighter than water, but with a wine you can't ever get the SG below .990.

If you want to end at .990, the key would be to start at a lower OG. Most wine yeast strains peter out by 16%, some even at 14%. EC-1118 can be pushed to 18% in a very happy fermentation (incremental feeding, plenty of nutrients early in the fermentation, degassing/stirring daily for the first five days, etc).
 
I've had a few batches of fresh grapes that started out at 25 brix/1.105 SG, which I had no problem fermenting to .990, the key is selecting the correct yeast that can tolerate that level of alcohol, and a good nutrient regiment.

Bernardsmith asked really important questions, I agree with his:
Wine is all about balance..balance between alcohol level, and perceived sweetness/dryness and acidity and a wine that dry with that amount of alcohol (about 14% ABV) might scratch your throat going down. What fruit are you fermenting? What yeast are you using? What was the temperature of the fermentation? What nutrients did you add? How much and how often?

Others on this forum may disagree but adding more nutrient now is likely to create real problems for the yeast - and for the wine - as bacteria are far more likely to glom onto any nutrition at this point and sour your wine before any yeast will choose to ferment any remaining fermentable sugars.

And with Yooper:
If you want to end at .990, the key would be to start at a lower OG. Most wine yeast strains peter out by 16%, some even at 14%. EC-1118 can be pushed to 18% in a very happy fermentation (incremental feeding, plenty of nutrients early in the fermentation, degassing/stirring daily for the first five days, etc).

Higher alcohol in fruit wine can strip the flavor out of them, I made a "High Octane" Apple wine in 2012, I'm just able to drink it now, it tastes like a cross between Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, the high ABV stripped the apple flavor.
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. I've learned a lot. We have made the following wines from fruit in our orchard: pear, paw paw, fig, pomegranate. They all turned out well. Just started Asian pear and mint wine.

Another question: What kind of yeast will yield the highest alcohol content?

Loads of fun.
Thanks again
 
Hi! I'm new here but i've worked professionaly at wine making, the thoufest yeasts are the ones used to make chapagne, for a second fermentation in a botle, they endure low temperatures, higher acidity and lower pH, low O2 and nutrient availability, and hi pressure!
And of course higher ABV.
 
Temperature is very important! Try and keep below 14°C during fermentation. In the start, when you add the yeast, the must temp, should be between 14and 18, and then, when fermentation really starts, lower it as far as 9°C, the lower the temp the better, carefull, if the temperature lowers to much fermentation stops, so try keep low temp untill you reach the SG of 1005, at that moment you should gently raise the yeast that is at the bottom, and take the wine off the frezzer!

When the wine is really good, the ABV can go up to 16, and you almost dont feel the alcool content! Its like a juice whith some spice!

Sorry for english, its rusty!
 
What is the point of aiming for a higher alcohol content? If you are simply aiming to knock yourself out buy a bottle of whisky. A wine with a high alcohol content is rocket fuel.
 
You should try some portuguese red wines from a region called alentejo, and another one called tejo, offenly they have 14 and 15% alcool, and they are tasty, very fruity intense, fullbodyed and.... incredibly smooth!
 
With all due respect, when you aim for higher ABV% in fruit wines, it may last longer, unlike grape wine, it strips the flavor from the wine, I've never had a high ABV% fruit wine that "intensified aromas, and fragrances, just like in a perfume!" on the contrary, one batch of apple wine that I made with a high ABV% was tasteless, and too hot to drink for 3 years, it is just coming around, but the apple flavor taste and aroma are gone, it has a chardonnay ish and Pinot Grigio quality.
I'm not familiar with the yeast that you mention, but there are a few real nice workhorse yeasts, one of which is the old fail safe EC-1118, but to be honest, there are far better yeast suited for fruit wine that will bring out the qualities and characteristics that you desire, fruit and berry profile with decent mouthfeel.
 
The yeast you mentioned, ec-1118, is a champagne yeast! Can ferment easy up to 18% ABV
 
With all due respect, when you aim for higher ABV% in fruit wines, it may last longer, unlike grape wine, it strips the flavor from the wine, I've never had a high ABV% fruit wine that "intensified aromas, and fragrances, just like in a perfume!" on the contrary, one batch of apple wine that I made with a high ABV% was tasteless, and too hot to drink for 3 years, it is just coming around, but the apple flavor taste and aroma are gone, it has a chardonnay ish and Pinot Grigio quality.
I'm not familiar with the yeast that you mention, but there are a few real nice workhorse yeasts, one of which is the old fail safe EC-1118, but to be honest, there are far better yeast suited for fruit wine that will bring out the qualities and characteristics that you desire, fruit and berry profile with decent mouthfeel.

Have you fermented peaches? Apples? Mango? What is your ABV% aim in that kind of wine? How sweet is it?
 
I've fermented apples, peaches, and mangoes, I do not try to go any higher than 12% for fruit wines, it makes a real nice fruit wine that can retain its flavor, I usually use a yeast more suited for the fruit that I'm using. If I want a sweeter wine, I ferment to dry and back sweeten.
 
I've fermented apples, peaches, and mangoes, I do not try to go any higher than 12% for fruit wines, it makes a real nice fruit wine that can retain its flavor, I usually use a yeast more suited for the fruit that I'm using. If I want a sweeter wine, I ferment to dry and back sweeten.

Yes, me too. I do more "country" wines than grape wines. The only fruits that are ok over 12% that I've found are chokecherries and some blackberries. The idea is to make it a full bodied wine, big and bold, and I often oak those. They turn out well, but most fruit wines aren't great when the alcohol level is overpowering the delicate notes.

I've made banana wine, rhubarb wine, dandelion wine, apple wine, crabapple wine, cranberry wine, peach wine, plum wine, and so on. Those are white wines, except for the cranberry and plum which are blush/rose' colored. They taste like hot rocket fuel sometimes, even at 12%, until they age a bit (particularly the banana wine). I wouldn't push it much higher than that.

For bigger reds made with bolder fruit (elderberry, etc) you could push it a bit and oak it and then let it age longer.

Blackberry makes a nice port, for example.
 
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