My reds are far too sweet

[Sudds]

I've done quite a few kits recently but nearly all of them, except chatuex vue de roi (scuze the spelling) are far too sweet for my liking. I don't want to reduce the sugar & lose the alcohol but is there anything I can add that will give more body and reduce the sweetness. I used to make a lot of hedgerow wine but having moved from Cumbria to Aberdeenshire I've found there just isn't a ready available wild larder to go to.

 

[Drunkula]

What kits are you doing?
Are you using the kit yeast?
What percentage are you shooting for?
Are you taking hydrometer readings?

Do the kits have gubbins you add at the end like flavouring bags / glycerine like the Winebuddy kits? I know their reds can be absolutely ruined by that bag of gunk you're supposed to put in at the end.

 

[110ben]

When I first made red wine kits I thought the tasted a bit like alchoholic ribena.
I now stick to Kenridge or the Beaverdale cabinet/shiraz and get a much more acceptable wine...especially if left to mature for a couple of months.
Hope you find something you like.

 

[Sudds]

I've found beaverdale & Solomon Grundy platinum best. Always take the starting & final gravity but I like to try a bit of variety rather than stick to the same ones. I've just started trying WOW's & that's trial and error (but mainly error). Spent a bit of time last night on the forums reading up on dried elderberry & might look at adding some to a kit but I guess financially I'd probably be better off spending more on the kit to start with.

I've currently got 22lt platinum shiraz, homemade strawberry, 39p punnets Asda clearance so I got 2.5kg, a WOW with cherry & grape juice, a betterbrew cab sav (clearance on line) & 21lt stout all working away. Building up quite a reserve at the moment but some previous kits I've not bothered keeping any back due to sweetness.

 

[Applesnmore]

Forgive me, but do you take hydrometer readings? and if it is hitting 990 are you finding the wines sweet?
Only ask because if the wine hasn't got down to 990 it could be why it is sweet.



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[Sudds]

most of the kits I've done say either below 995 or 994, at which point I usually add the stabiliser. Perhaps a heat pad might help get down to 990. I'll give it a go & thanks for the tip

 

[Nicks90]

I wouldn't have thought 5 points would make that much of a perceptible difference to the overall sweetness.
I suppose it depends on the ingredients. Literally just bottled a plum wine, rhubard wine and a red grape and elderflower wine. All made from fruit and made the same way and made up to 1100og. Same yeast too and all hit 995
The plum wine is really sweet, the rhubard drier than a Saharan lizards armpit

Let's see how they turn out in a year's time. Talking of which, got some blackberry and blackberry+elderflower wine to tuck in to from last year.

 

[Applesnmore]

Have to agree Nick 5 points isn't going to make a difference.
Kits should be fine. Though I was given a cider kit that came out too sweet. Turned out there was sweetener in the yeast pack.

Sorry Sudds if you have got a kit to 995 and stable then it should be dry. Clearly you are getting there or there abouts without a heat pad.

It is interesting how the flavour of wine changes on bottling.
I have recently done a KenRidge Classic Vieux Chateau du Roi. It was so fruity, almost grape juicy on bottling. Dont get me wrong, i liked it but as it's settled it's flavour has changed. The tannin from the elderberries and oak have started to come through. There was a thread some time back about the amount of grape concentrate in the kits. Generally.... the more expensive the kit, the more grape juice you get. Then there is how the 7/10 day kits are drink now whereas the 28 day kits are at their designed to be at there best at 3 months.

No answer at the end of it. But can say don't usually come out sweet,, unless they are meant to.



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