I have a nice, dry peach wine (~12.5% alcohol) with a nice tartness (ph
around 3.0) and some peach aroma and taste. I started the wine in August,
racked from secondary to storage in a 5gal carboy in September. The wine is
very clear. Should I rack and store it another month (or few months) before
I bottle?

Also, I am interested in making a few bottles off-dry, and maybe a few sweet
as well. The acid will balance the sugar well I think. Any recommendations
or suggestions? I plan to sulfite for free SO2 of about 50 before I bottle.
If I sweeten I also need to stabilize with potassium sorbate don't I.

TIA

Robert


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Robert, add sugar a little at a time (as simple syrup) and taste test
the result to arrive at the best balance. The sugar will balance
against acid and alcohol. Getting that fine balance between the three
is where the "art" of winemaking enters the picture, assuming your
winemaking techniques are sound.

It is best to sweeten a sample of the wine first, recording exactly
how much syrup you add to get the right taste. Then you sweeten the
remainder using the same proportions. For example, if you have a U.S.
gallon of wine and use a 250 mL sample and add x amount of syrup to
achieve the taste you want, you then add 14x to the remainder to
approach the same result. For an Imperial gallon using a 250 mL
sample, you would add 17x to the remainder.

By all means, stabilize before sweetening.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Robert, add sugar a little at a time (as simple syrup) and taste test
the result to arrive at the best balance. The sugar will balance
against acid and alcohol. Getting that fine balance between the three
is where the "art" of winemaking enters the picture, assuming your
winemaking techniques are sound.

It is best to sweeten a sample of the wine first, recording exactly
how much syrup you add to get the right taste. Then you sweeten the
remainder using the same proportions. For example, if you have a U.S.
gallon of wine and use a 250 mL sample and add x amount of syrup to
achieve the taste you want, you then add 14x to the remainder to
approach the same result. For an Imperial gallon using a 250 mL
sample, you would add 17x to the remainder.

By all means, stabilize before sweetening.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Just to add to Jack's response in terms of when to bottle. For the dry
wine, you can bottle any time after it clears. But for the part that you
sweeten, it is a could idea to stabilize, wait a few days, then sweeten,
then give it a couple of months to be absolutely sure that it is stabilized.

Ray

"Jack Keller" > wrote in message
m...
> Robert, add sugar a little at a time (as simple syrup) and taste test
> the result to arrive at the best balance. The sugar will balance
> against acid and alcohol. Getting that fine balance between the three
> is where the "art" of winemaking enters the picture, assuming your
> winemaking techniques are sound.
>
> It is best to sweeten a sample of the wine first, recording exactly
> how much syrup you add to get the right taste. Then you sweeten the
> remainder using the same proportions. For example, if you have a U.S.
> gallon of wine and use a 250 mL sample and add x amount of syrup to
> achieve the taste you want, you then add 14x to the remainder to
> approach the same result. For an Imperial gallon using a 250 mL
> sample, you would add 17x to the remainder.
>
> By all means, stabilize before sweetening.
>
> Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
> http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/
>