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  • #1

    More help needed - dessert wine despair...

    Hi all. Can I just say how nice it is to read about normal people making wine. There are plenty of very intelligent and funny people who make wine, but on a lot of forums I was intimidated by the amount that they knew about different wine yeasts. so never thought I could ask daft questions...
    Having done 2 wines, got a bit above my station and decided to 'make up' a wine (I can feel your hearts sinking already).
    I love dessert wine (I know - I'm a rare breed!), so made one using roughly the following recipe:
    3lbs peaches
    1 pound of figs
    1 large banana
    3lbs sugar
    250 grams sultanas
    7 pints of water
    dessert yeast, nutrient, acid, pectic enzyme etc.
    I know that sounds very sweet, but that was what I was aiming for.
    Starting SG was about 1130 and racked it into a demijohn yesterday at 1040. Added Campden tablet, but didn't add stabiliser. At that point, discovered weak point in my knowledge - how the heck to make sure it doesn't ferment out totally into a dry wine. No understandable help to be found in C J Berry. HELP!!!!! What do I do??
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Try PM ing Brewer Again if no-one else comes to your rescue!
    Otherwise- sorry can't help you out!
    Last edited by Nicos; 02-10-2009, 09:14 PM.
    "Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

    Location....Normandy France

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    • #3
      Campden tablets do stop fermentation don't they? have a look here: Winemaking: Finishing Your Wine
      All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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      • #4
        Thanks for that link. Think I'll test SG again and add more sugar if necessary until it has stopped fermenting. Does that sound about right?

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        • #5
          If your wine finishes too dry for your liking, you can backsweeten with artificial sweetener which won't ferment.
          Happy Gardening,
          Shirley

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          • #6
            If you keep sweetening it little by little, eventually the yeast won't be able to cope and you WILL get a sweet wine. With all that fruit in, there should be plenty of flavour to go around! It may end up nearly (but not quite) as strong as a sweet sherry (pale cream type) which is often delicious, but you need very small glasses to drink it from!

            We do experimental wines as well. The worst results end up in the cooking pot. Only ever had one that actually had to be thrown away (although there is a non-clearing one been sitting in demijohn for a year now........)
            Beware, bananas can be tricky to clear (the main problem with the one I have failing to clear I suspect, got quite a lot of bananas in it). I think you need amylase for that? (SHIRLEY HELP!!)
            Last edited by Hilary B; 04-10-2009, 02:55 PM.
            Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Hilary B View Post
              Beware, bananas can be tricky to clear (the main problem with the one I have failing to clear I suspect, got quite a lot of bananas in it). I think you need amylase for that? (SHIRLEY HELP!!)
              Yup, I bought mine from ebay as the local store was sold out. I think (long time since I tried making banana wine) it has to be added early though.
              Happy Gardening,
              Shirley

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              • #8
                I need to sweeten a couple of wine and dont really want to use artificial sweetener. Can i just make up a water/sugar mis and add that?

                And if so, what ratio should I be using? Did i read somewhere 4oz sugar/1 pint water?

                Thanks

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                • #9
                  I would dissolve the sugar in the smallest volume of water you can manage (and with gentle warmth and a good deal of patience, that is a remarkable small amount), you really don't want to dilute the wine any more than you have to......
                  Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Scottishnewbie View Post
                    I need to sweeten a couple of wine and dont really want to use artificial sweetener.
                    I top mine up with grape juice... red or white
                    All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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