Brand new home winemaker. Already in over my head. Using small batch of beautiful Concord grapes from Up North. Started out great but I kept must on skins at 50 degrees for 3 days then went to 80 degrees for 2 days. Started cooling to 70 but must started having acetone odor. I know my equipment is sanitized so I think I went too hot. Not sure when I should do 1st rack. pH is 3.4. SG-1.035. BRIX-9. Tastes sour now. Can I add more sugar before racking? Somebody HELP!
Newbie here.
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keystonehb
AHA Homebrew Shop of the Year 2025
Concord is known to be a fairly acidic or "sour" wine grape. This is why most of the time you will see concord wines be a sweet wine to balance it out. Based off your description you depending on how fast you fluctuated the temperature will also stress the yeast out. In the future I would recommend trying to stay around 70 degrees throughout. The acetone may be a bi-product of the yeast being stressed at 80 degrees.
I would not recommend adding more sugar until later in the process. Once racked it is recommended to use sulphites (or campden tabs depending on the size of the batch you are doing). As long as there is not too much acetone in it it may dissipate from racking, sulphiting, and then later down the road I would add sorbate with the sulphite to back sweeten it.
I would not recommend adding more sugar until later in the process. Once racked it is recommended to use sulphites (or campden tabs depending on the size of the batch you are doing). As long as there is not too much acetone in it it may dissipate from racking, sulphiting, and then later down the road I would add sorbate with the sulphite to back sweeten it.
