How to determine the strength of wine at home?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Amateur winemakers very often, after they receive a ready-made drink, think about how to determine the strength of the wine. In this article, we will look at how you can do it at home. A variety of methods are presented, both modern and ancient. What devices and methods are most effective, and which ones are of little use and it is better to refuse them?

To begin with, let's get acquainted with the general concepts of winemaking in order to have an idea of what is at stake. First of all, it is worth saying that it is impossible to determine the absolute accuracy of the fortress. For example, on industrial labels, manufacturers indicate this indicator as 12-13% or 15-18%. The dispersion is especially noticeable in dry wines. This example points to the fact that even in production, the fortress is not calculated for sure. Currently, there are many ways and devices that allow you to determine the fortress.

Fortress wine

Any host, treating guests with wine, wants to show that he is perfectly versed in winemaking issues,varieties and strength of the drink. All this is not just out of idle curiosity. The strength of the wine at home indicates exactly which variety it belongs to. The alcohol content is measured as a percentage (of the total amount of liquid). Each variety has its own indicator.

• Semi-dry and dry wines have a level of 9-12%.
• Dessert and fortified - 15-18%.
• Sherry is up to 24% ABV.
• Semi-sweet wines - 18-22%.

Fortress, which is popularly called degrees, depends directly on the sugar content. The higher it is, the higher the degree and the sweeter the wine.

It's good when all this is already written on the label. But what if we treat guests with homemade wine? Various winemakers come to the rescue.

Interesting facts

Wine is considered an alcoholic beverage that is obtained by fermentation. It can be made from different fruits, but grapes (technical wine varieties) are most suitable for this. The strength of the wine in any case depends on the amount of sugar.

The wine variety is different from the table variety: it is sweeter, smaller, always has a stone. Grape clusters ripen all year round and people harvest: in the Northern Hemisphere from August to October, and in the Southern Hemisphere from mid-winter (February) to April.

Harvest (year) corresponds to vintage. Non-vintage wines are made by blending several vintages.

Variety wines are made directly from a single variety.

Blended is a mixture of several varieties.

In warm regionswines are made with a calmer taste, drinks from the northern regions have more acidic shades.

Key characteristics of wine

Evaluating the taste of wine, each connoisseur considers five signs:

• acidity;
• sweetness;
• strength of wine;
• activity;
• tannin content.

Acidity. The key element is acid, which determines the sharpness, taste and acidity of the drink. Grapes contain such useful acids as tartaric, citric and malic. The better the grapes ripen, the lower will be its acidity. For this reason, in the northern regions, where the vines may not always be fully ripe, the wine is more often sour.

Sweetness. This indicator is affected by residual sugar. One that has not been converted into alcohol during fermentation. In terms of quantity, a dry wine (glass) contains about half a teaspoon of sugar. Interestingly, if two drinks have the same level of sweetness, then lower acidity makes the wine taste sweeter than high acidity.

Fortress. During the fermentation process, alcohol appears: yeast converts sugar into ethanol. In some cases, the fermentation process is interrupted by adding ready-made alcohol, so the wine is fortified. It is alcohol that delivers all the aromas and smells of the drink to our nose. It is also necessary for consistency, viscosity. We feel the fortress by the temperature effect, the heat that occurs first in the mouth, then in the throat. How to determine the strength of wine, we will tell below.

Teality. This term is oftenused by experts to determine the character of a wine. “Full-bodied”, “light-bodied” wine has its own level of acidity, sweetness, and strength. The overall score can range from very light to intense.

Tannin content. A natural polyphenol (tannin) found in plants. It is present in the pits of berries, in the skin, and it is also found in a wooden barrel. Grape tannins are high in antioxidants. New aging barrels release more tannins than old ones that have already been used. Tannins affect the astringency of the drink. There are more of them in red wine, because during production the skin from the grapes is not removed. Such wine becomes tart, astringent, leaves a sour taste and dry mouth. Most often, it is recommended to consume it with food (meat dishes, cheeses, pasta).

The old way of determining the fortress

Winemaking began to be engaged in mankind long before exact sciences were published. Measuring instruments that determine degrees did not immediately appear.

The finished wine was given to taste the chosen one. If a person liked the taste, and at the same time he got drunk, then the drink was considered ready. The strength of dry wine was more difficult to determine, it should be pleasant, light and at the same time “not intoxicating.”

Not everyone was trusted to determine the crucial moment: so that the wine would not ferment, but also not be taken out of production ahead of time.

Today, this method, of course, is outdated, it is ineffective. Experienced tasters will be able to determine the quality from onepharynx. Well, if there is no professional in the environment, special devices and various methods will help.

Refractor method

This method makes it possible to calculate the strength of the wine. We have already mentioned that it depends on the presence of sugar in the recipe. This direct relationship can be expressed mathematically. Knowing how much sugar is contained, it will be quite possible to calculate the fortress.

The degrees obtained during fermentation are correlated with the sugar content of the original wort in a ratio of 1/6. So, 1% sugar will eventually give us 0.6% (or degrees) of alcohol. It follows that in order to obtain dry drinks, it is necessary that the wort has a sugar content of 24%.

But the level of sugar content can be accurately determined only using the refractometric method. This requires a refractometer and a qualified chemist.

A more affordable and simpler method has long been invented, which is also applicable in home use.

Determination by a winemaker

How to measure the strength of wine without resorting to complicated methods? An accurate device, which is called a vinometer, will help. Measured divisions are applied on it, a funnel is placed below, where you need to pour some wine. There are several requirements for an accurate definition:

• Wine must be poured carefully to avoid foam and bubbles.
• Fill the capillary through a funnel, a few drops should pour out from the opposite side.
• Perform manipulations quickly, but clearly. The appliance must not get hotwarm hands.
• Place the filled wine meter on a flat surface with the funnel down. A small amount may leak from the vessel.
• The figure where the lower liquid level stopped and shows the alcohol degree of wine.

Determination by hydrometer

Alcoholometer is one of the types of hydrometer. The degree is determined by the density indicators. The measurement process with such a device is quite simple.

• At least 200 ml of drink must be poured into the graduated cylinder.
• The lower meniscus is at your eye level.
• The device is carefully lowered into the liquid. To stabilize the fluctuations, you need to wait 30 seconds.

If the device does not give a result, then perhaps it is not designed for such a fortress. For this reason, some people buy several hydrometers with different measuring ranges.

There is another type - digital hydrometers. They measure the alcohol content more accurately, but at the same time it is necessary to strictly observe the temperature regime. The drink should not be colder than 20 degrees Celsius. The biggest drawback of the device is its impressive price.

How to determine the strength of homemade wine. Analytical method

There are times when there are no instruments at hand, but it is necessary to calculate the fortress. In this case, a method will come to the rescue, where the calculations are made manually.

If you want to know in advance the strength of the wine you are about to cook in degrees, do the calculations at the beginning of cooking.

So, if in onea liter of wort will have 22 grams of sugar, then in the end you will provide a strength of 1%. Knowing the sugar content of the grape variety, as well as the amount of sugar that will be added to the must, you can plan in advance the strength of the future drink. In this way, you can adjust the degree of the drink, you can make it dry or fortified. The more sugar, the greater the degree of the final result.

Conclusion

We have reviewed the most popular methods of how to check the strength of wine at home. There are some other ways to determine the degree. But many of them cause a variety of disputes among winemakers. Computational methods, tasting methods and with the help of instruments are generally considered optimal. Each winemaker strives to bring the production of his drink to perfection, uses various recipes for making wine, chooses the best results. At the same time, to determine the fortress, he also tries to find the most accurate ways, even if he has to act by trial and error.