In article >,
Marshall Jose > wrote:

> Erroll Ozgencil wrote:
> > We use hydrometers to gauge sugar content. Since hydrometers measure
> > solubles solids and soluble solids are mostly sugar in wine grapes,
> > that works pretty well. In researching raspberries, I found that sugar
> > can make up a much smaller fraction in other fruit. A clear sample of
> > raspberry juice might measure 9 Brix, but contain only 3 g/100g sugar.
> > More detail he
> >
> > http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/b...-you-trust-you
> > r-hydrometer/
> >
> > If we're just talking about raspberries, that may not be a big deal.
> > It's unusual to make wine from 100% raspberry juice - I've never done
> > it with more than 25%. So, for the entire must, the error is a lot
> > smaller. Might be a problem with other fruit though.
> >
> > Erroll
> > http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/
>
> Well, this is why the big winemakers send their samples to a lab with
> GC/MS and titration equipment. Of course, they have much more to lose if
> they have an "off" batch.

Can you think of a big winemaker that makes top quality wine? Of course
the sheer bulk of the wine in gallons allows for economies of scale that
can justify using a gas chromatograph/mass spec. Smaller wineries will
use hydrometers as an indication as to when samples should start going
to the lab for enzymatic measurements of glucose/fructose.
>
> I guess the big deal for us hydrometer users is that non-assimilable
> solutes contribute to density in the same way as assimilable solutes,
> and the hydrometer can't tell us what the ratio is. However, it can tell
> us how much assimilable solute has been metabolized by the yeast, which
> is still a useful piece of information.
>
> Marshall
--
- Billy
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