How do I know how strong my wine is?

[daisymay]

Hi All, I have just made a Solomon grundy Rose kit, it says it should be 12% alcohol. The starting gravity was 1050 and at the end it was 994, so has it made it to 12% ?
I have just bought some juices and addatives to make a Wow type one next, I will be following the Rose one that Chippy Tea recommends, there is such a lot to read on the site I am sure the info is here somewhere if someone could point me in the right direction.
I can't believe how nice the wine tastes, I expected something like an alcopop, I can see I am going to need some storage space in my husbands domain, his garage! lol

 

[terrym]

Use a calculator like this
https://winemakersacademy.com/wine-alcohol-content-calculator/
Your wine is, apparently, 7.4% ABV
The SG numbers you should be using are 1.050 and 0.994, which is how your readings are correctly stated.

 

[daisymay]

That's disappointing, its only as strong as Lambrini!
I'm not a lush but the kit did say it would be 12% like a 'normal' Rose wine or something similar.

 

[Drunkula]

That's disappointing, its only as strong as Lambrini!
I'm not a lush but the kit did say it would be 12% like a 'normal' Rose wine or something similar.

Did you add the right amount of sugar? If so if you didn't stir it enough the sugar can sit on the bottom and you won't get the right hydrometer reading but it'll still come out the right strength.

 

[daisymay]

The kit says 3kg sugar, perhaps that is what happened, its the first time I have used a hydrometer. It still tastes like 'real' wine anyway. I think I will dissolve the sugar next time,
thanks.

 

[LED_ZEP]

Try drinking three bottles of a shop bought 12% wine and count how many times you fall over. Then the next night drink three bottles of your own wine, again count how many time you fall over. It should then be an easy calculation to work out the strength of you wine.

12*(no of falls from 2nd night)/(no of falls from 1st night)=ABV%

 

[Bigcol49]

Try drinking three bottles of a shop bought 12% wine and count how many times you fall over. Then the next night drink three bottles of your own wine, again count how many time you fall over. It should then be an easy calculation to work out the strength of you wine.

12*(no of falls from 2nd night)/(no of falls from 1st night)=ABV%

Hi!
I can't find thar calculator on Brewer's Friend

 

[Ghillie]

No calculators needed!

(OG - FG) x 131.25

(1.050 - 0.994) x 131.25 = 7.35% ABV

 

[tonyhibbett]

30 bottle kits can be somewhat misleading. They are not usually ready in 7 days, you don't actually get 30 bottles and the alcoholic strength is usually a bit lower than claimed.

 

[LED_ZEP]

No calculators needed!

(OG - FG) x 131.25

(1.050 - 0.994) x 131.25 = 7.35% ABV

So that would be the equivalent to three falls the first night and two the second (±1)

 

[daisymay]

So I'm aiming for 3 falls a night, sounds normal lol.

 

[Jacalou]

My last two 30 bottle wine kits (Beaverdale and Cellar 7) have both been around 7.5 % Does anyone know how any kits that will get the alcohol up to around 12% ? Ta.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

My last two 30 bottle wine kits (Beaverdale and Cellar 7) have both been around 7.5 % Does anyone know how any kits that will get the alcohol up to around 12% ? Ta.

Which kits were these as all kits i have made have been 12 - 13%.

.

 

[Jacalou]

Hi Chippy, Cellar 7 white and Beaverdale white. Used the well known B******o website calculator.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Can you remember what the readings were as i still think 7.5% ABV is very low for wine.

 

[Jacalou]

Starting was 1050 finish was 994

 

[Chippy_Tea]

This is why i asked and was surprised the reading was so low this was a Cellar 7 Sav Blanc it finished at 12% -
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/cellar-7-sauvignion-blanc.39466/#post-382394

.

 

[daisymay]

The numbers on my Solomon Grundy kit were the same, but on the kit is does say it would be around 12%.
The wine itself seems to be the same strength as a 'shop' wine, My sister thinks it is stronger than the Pinot she buys.

 

[Nicks90]

In which case I would suggest as mentioned above - your sugar was not fully dissolved when you took the first OG reading. It will still get eaten by the yeasties and make the right 12% abv, but you reading will be wrong.

 

[The Baron]

I agree with Nicks90 on this if you have added the correct amount of sugar the wine has fermented to 0.994 then all the sugar has been fermented also it would be so sweet as wine it would be undrinkable if not so I would say it is full strength as per the recipe. Check you dissolve all the sugar before taking a reading and also probably as they are cheap enough buy another hydrometer to double check the original one is reading correctly