Kit wine ABV question.

[sickpuppy]

I am in the 5 day of primary fermentation with a kit wine. Kit is Island Mist Black Raspberry Merlot. The starting SG 1.051 at 80F, so I calculate the final ABV to be about 7%. It is a fast making wine between 4 and 6 week to bottle and drinkable chilled at bottling.

What I would like to know if it would be feasible to add more sugar to raise the final ABV to about 12%? Also could I add it now to the primary and let it ferment longer or could I add it to the first racking? I assume that if I added more sugar it would then take longer to finish and may have to be aged.

Or should I just go by the kit and enjoy a short producing chilled wine for the summer?

Thanks for any help or thoughts.

Dan

 

[DarkStar]

There was a discussion on doing this and the people that did it either said it made it harsh and needed to age or had weaker taste to it. The intentions for the island mist series is a low alcohol sweet wine like the arbor mist or some other types of wine coolers. This is a link for the discussion and theres lots more on these kits there, just use the search function and chose "most relevent" option
http://www.winepress.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=6801&hl=

 

[Dan McFeeley]

What you're describing is called chapitalization, in winemaking circles. It's possible to use this for your kit wine, although you may have some problems with the balance of the wine once it's finished out, since the kit was designed to produce a low alcohol sweet wine.

Here's a brief article on the process:

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Archives/Show_Article/0,1275,3567,00.html

 

[Oskaar]

Here's a link from a previous discussion on chapitalization that got carried away, I think it was my fault! LOL


http://www.gotmead.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=103&topic=1365.msg11064#msg11064


Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[Brewbear]

Have you ever considered using honey for this chapatmalizing thingamagig they're talking about? It would make a wonderful pyment but it would probably need some aging.

Cheers,
Brewbear

 

[sickpuppy]

Thanks all

Every time I read a post I glean more and more knowledge about wine/mead brewing. Again I have added a word to my brewing database. I hope that at some point I will be able to use these words in describing some excellent wine or mead’s that I have bottled.

From all the great information you all have given me, I see that the wise choice is to make this wine as the instructions say. Later when I have gained more skill and knowledge, by success and a few failures, I will adventure into some experimentation.
Also would like to have a few drinkable bottles to fall back on if I have a failure.

Thanks again,
Dan