It’s a fact that the sugar and acid levels are 2 of the key elements of creating a good batch and so any adjustments to the process are based on those tests. As you are already aware, the sugar level of your wine is incredibly important as the yeast must feed on it to create the alcohol. The amount of sugar you use will determine the amount of alcohol that will be in the final batch but in order to run these tests you will need a hydrometer.
The hydrometer lets you accurately tests as well as measure the sugar that is contained in the juice and the amount of alcohol that can come from the sugar. Because of that you can also measure how much additional sugar you may need to add to the juice.
A gravimeter is comprised of a glass tube with a weight on one end that can remain afloat. Sugar levels are tested by reading how low or high it ultimately floats with almost all hydrometers having and it’s scale gives us an estimate of the alcohol content. The scale is readable when the process starts to tell you whether or not you need to use more sugar depending on how much alcohol that you want to be present in the final wine.
If you think that you need to adjust the sugar level in order to increase the alcohol level, you probably want to know what sort of sugar is the best. It is important to remember that different types of sugar will exhibit very different characteristics. [Corn sugar and cane sugar are usually the cheapest] and the most available, though, there’s nothing to stop you from experimenting with other sugar options if you have them available.
You’ll need to do tests and possibly adjust the acid level. Bear in mind that a proper acid level will give your wine character, and balance and render assistance for the fermentation process because it’s important that your remember that the level of acid changes in different fruits.
The best way you can test acidity is through the use of a titration kit, which will help you determine how the wine will actually taste. For example, if there is too much acid the end result will be bitter whereas, if it does not have a sufficient acid content, it’ll be flash. By utilizing what you’ve just read, you will know whether or not you should modify the acidity level of your wine. If you find that you require to make adjustments you can accomplish it using one of three different fruit acids: citric, tartaric and malic fruit acids.
A few ways you can adjust the flavor the wine during bottling involve combining it with other fruit based wines, incorporating spices, or oak chips, flavor enhancements. You can even fortify your wine with something as simple as grain alcohol. The most critical guideline to follow while making final adjustments is to ensure that you adjust in small amounts, so pretty much, always experiment with small amounts and never the full batch.
When it comes to Wine Making and Testing, getting the right information can be a daunting task. That’s why we put together this confidential report for you at Wine Making and Testing