2 questions about apple wine (adding citric acid later and taking into account the sugar in apples)

[Jabbah]

Hi,

I just got back into this hobby after a long break and started a new batch of apple wine few days ago. It's fermenting happily and using almost the same recipe that resulted in good tasting clear wine before: 9kg (19.8lb) of Granny smith apples and 600 grams of raisins, 6.5kg (14.3lb) of dextrose (last time I used table sugar though), enzyme, and wine yeast (I don't know the exact strain of the yeast). Total volume is 27 liters (7.1 gallons) at the moment.

Now, onto the questions. Previous times I have used citric acid to give some additional kick to the taste but it wasn't included in this "winemaking kit". I wonder if it would be safe to add it later or would it disturb the fermentation? Or maybe it should be added after the fermentation if there is no difference in taste either way.

Other question I have is about the specific weight and the alcohol content. I got only +95 on the meter which in theory means that when the fermentation is complete the end product would have around 13% alcohol content. When I took the measurement there is no way though that any of the sugars from the apples and raisins could have dissolved into the liquid yet. I'm wondering how much of that sugar actually gets used in the fermentation since I'm aiming for little bit higher alcohol concentration. 15% would be ideal for better storage life. How much sugar do you think the apples and raisins are contributing to the fermentation? Do you think I should add some more sugar to reach closer to 15% alcohol concentration?

Thanks for anyone who took time to read and/or answer!

 

[Abhishek Dewan]

Hello, no point in adding citric acid now in middle of fermentation. Apples contain malic acid, so it should be fine from pH point of view. As for adding more sugar, please avoid - risk of infection, oxidation etc. Also, definitely raisins & apples will add to the ABV.

 

[Jabbah]

Now the fermentation looked complete with the slow bubbling and -9 SW. I transferred it to a new container (except the gooey part at the bottom), shook out some CO2 and introduced the solution that kills the yeast. It tasted super dry and I'm happy I didn't choose to add any more sugar because the alcohol really comes through in the taste. I think this definitely needs some sweetening later.