measuring high gravity wine

[stone3414]

Hi All,

I need to know how to measure a high gravity wine with a hydrometer. My must has a gravity that is too high for my hydrometer. One way I found online was to dilute a sample and then take a reading, if this is the case is there a certain ratio and calculation to use?

 

[BGBC]

It's a linear relationship, so if you take a sample and dilute it with the same amount of distilled water, your measured gravity will be half what your wine OG is. Gravity points that is, so just what's after the decimal point. ie, if you take a 50mL sample, dilute with 50mL of distilled water, and your new measured gravity is 1.070, your true gravity would be 1.140

I'm sure there's an equation out there, but I don't have it handy.

 

[DoctorCAD]

The real question is why is your gravity so high that you can't measure it with a standard hydrometer?

That is not good for the yeast, nor will it make a drinkable wine (at least for many years).

 

[pumpkinman2012]

Most Hydrometers will measure up to 1.160/35 Brix, that over 23% ABV, there's something that you're not telling us? That is extremely high for a wine, and as DoctorCad stated, that is not good for yeast, most will die out long before reaching anything near that..

 

[stone3414]

Hi all,

Thanks for the responses, my hydrometer measures up to 17% but my wine is around 20% which is why I wanted to know how to measure at higher gravity. Do you think this is too high?

 

[Yooper]

Hi all,

Thanks for the responses, my hydrometer measures up to 17% but my wine is around 20% which is why I wanted to know how to measure at higher gravity. Do you think this is too high?

Yes.

Most yeast strains will go to 14-16% pretty easily, but in order to get them higher, it often takes a low OG to start, and then incremental feeding as the yeast works on the wine. Even using champage yeast, which can be pushed to 18%, starting with a very high OG means that the yeast will be under stress from all the sugar, and won't ferment well, and then will stop far north of where you'd hope, leaving a sweet cloying dessert type of wine, probably with about 12-14% ABV, and the rest as residual sugar in the wine.

 

[stone3414]

Would adding extra yeast assist with breaking down some of the excess sugar?

 

[DoctorCAD]

No, add some water to get the SG down to a reasonable level, 1.100 or less.