wine stabilization

[Inkdrop]

OK. I have not done a lot of wines. Mostly beer, but I have done about half a dozen wine kits. I currently have a watermelon wine that I made from 10 watermelons this summer and added invert to bring OG to 1.6 that is clearing.

I would like to back sweeten this wine, but how to stabilize first. I read that potassium sorbate causes off flavors of pineapple or celery after it inevitably breaks down, so I am a little put off from using it. I thought about pasteurizing, but just found out that wine is sensitive to heat, so that is a bad idea.

What other options do I have for stabilizing my wine?

Also, is pasteurizing a bad idea for meads as well?

 

[Yooper]

OK. I have not done a lot of wines. Mostly beer, but I have done about half a dozen wine kits. I currently have a watermelon wine that I made from 10 watermelons this summer and added invert to bring OG to 1.6 that is clearing.

I would like to back sweeten this wine, but how to stabilize first. I read that potassium sorbate causes off flavors of pineapple or celery after it inevitably breaks down, so I am a little put off from using it. I thought about pasteurizing, but just found out that wine is sensitive to heat, so that is a bad idea.

What other options do I have for stabilizing my wine?

Also, is pasteurizing a bad idea for meads as well?

I dont' pasteurize any wines or meads, as heat is detrimental to the flavor.

For stabilizing, it's true that sorbate has a slight flavor but if you use the correct amount at the correct time, it will have very little to no impact at all on the flavor. Off flavors often come from concurrent MLF occurring, and will not be an issue generally with watermelon wine, or with proper use of sulfites.

Once the wine is totally and completely clear, and has no lees at all in the bottom of the carboy after at least sixty days in that new carboy, then it is ready to be stabilized.

To stabilize, use 1 crushed campden tablet and 1/2 teaspoon of sorbate per finished gallon of wine. Dissolve those in 1/2 cup boiling water, add it to a fresh carboy, and rack the wine into it. Wait about three days, and ensure the wine remains clear. Then, sweet to taste, and wait three days. If the wine stays clear, and no new lees form, and fermentation doesn't re-start, the wine can be bottled.

To sweeten, what I like to do is pull out a fairly large sample of the wine and divide it up. Sweeten one sample to 1.002 or 1.004, one to 1.010, one to 1.015 (or however much of a sweet tooth you have- I would start at 1.002 but others would start at more like 1.008). Use simple syrup (sugar dissolved in water) or whatever you'd like, but make sure you have a way to measure it and sweeten the whole batch with the same method.

When you find the one you like the best, do a little math by extrapolating the amount needed to the whole batch. However, one word of caution here. Wine always tastes a bit sweeter in the bottle. So if you love it at 1.010, sweeten it to 1.008. Otherwise, it will end up to sweet. Sweeten it to just under the SG that you like the best.

I hope that makes sense! I don't do many sweet wines, but I do some for friends. It's easy, but those steps I listed are crucial!

 

[Inkdrop]

Thanks Yooper. Huge help. I don't care for sweet wines a whole lot, but it is the only way my SWMBO drinks it. You

 

[T_Baggins]

I dont' pasteurize any wines or meads, as heat is detrimental to the flavor.

For stabilizing, it's true that sorbate has a slight flavor but if you use the correct amount at the correct time, it will have very little to no impact at all on the flavor. Off flavors often come from concurrent MLF occurring, and will not be an issue generally with watermelon wine, or with proper use of sulfites.

Once the wine is totally and completely clear, and has no lees at all in the bottom of the carboy after at least sixty days in that new carboy, then it is ready to be stabilized.

To stabilize, use 1 crushed campden tablet and 1/2 teaspoon of sorbate per finished gallon of wine. Dissolve those in 1/2 cup boiling water, add it to a fresh carboy, and rack the wine into it. Wait about three days, and ensure the wine remains clear. Then, sweet to taste, and wait three days. If the wine stays clear, and no new lees form, and fermentation doesn't re-start, the wine can be bottled.

To sweeten, what I like to do is pull out a fairly large sample of the wine and divide it up. Sweeten one sample to 1.002 or 1.004, one to 1.010, one to 1.015 (or however much of a sweet tooth you have- I would start at 1.002 but others would start at more like 1.008). Use simple syrup (sugar dissolved in water) or whatever you'd like, but make sure you have a way to measure it and sweeten the whole batch with the same method.

When you find the one you like the best, do a little math by extrapolating the amount needed to the whole batch. However, one word of caution here. Wine always tastes a bit sweeter in the bottle. So if you love it at 1.010, sweeten it to 1.008. Otherwise, it will end up to sweet. Sweeten it to just under the SG that you like the best.

I hope that makes sense! I don't do many sweet wines, but I do some for friends. It's easy, but those steps I listed are crucial!

Thanks from me too Yoop, I haven't done any sweetening my self yet and you just answered a few questions with real information!