On 12/10/03 1:55 PM, in article bTKBb.301422$Dw6.1004351@attbi_s02,
"Stephen" wrote:

I have 3 fruit wines making and I want to know the best way to make it
flavorfull and sweet with a good kick. Is the best method to feed the yeast
with a 1/2 cup sugar and rack every 3 to 4 weeks (or is it when the meter
gets to .990), or run it to dry use potasium sorbate and sweeten wait ten
day and bottle?

I suppose that depends on how balanced you want your wine. The feeding
method will produce a wine with significantly high alcohol (15% or higher).
That may be ok if it tastes balanced with the residual sugar and acid - but
I would expect it to be a bit more port-like than wine-like in that respect.
Personally, I would opt for fermenting to 11-12% alcohol (dry), stabilizing
with sorbate and bisulfite and then sweetening to taste. I suspect you will
find a more balanced product in the end.


My next question is what is the best method for finning, chemical or
filtering?

Do you mean getting it clear? Or adjusting some other property of the wine
(taste, color, etc)?

I would not use any fining materials unless the wine has bulk aged and been
racked when necessary for at least 6 months. Then, it depends on what
specific problem is causing your haziness. Pectin, protein, etc. will each
need something different to fine with.

You cannot filter a cloudy wine. It will not go through a filter. You should
only filter a wine that already looks completely clear. Thus, it is not an
option for the clearing process.

--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)