What is Backsweetening????

[AcmeRidgeRose_Nate]

I have never heard this term till I come on this Forum....so I am curious as to what you all mean by back sweetening??? And how do you do it? How does it work??? Whats the purpose of it??? Please all opinions welcome. Thanks.

 

[KevinM]

Just adding a sweetner after the fermentation is finished, and usually stabilized so that you have a sweet drink.

Yeast will eat sugar till its gone, or the yeast can't take the alcohol. If it eats all the sugar the wine is dry, not sweet, and some people prefer a sweet wine or cider.

Its called backsweeten because its adding back sweetness to what originally was sweet.

 

[Yooper]

Actually, the term is misused on this forum all the time.

"Backsweetening" means to save some of the original must of the wine, freezing it, and then using it for sweetening the finished and stabilized wine with it.

It seems in our forum that the term is used simply as "sweetening" after fermentation is finished and the wine stabilized, by using any sweetener afterwards.

I use the term "sweeten" in those cases, as it's not technically "backsweetening".

 

[KevinM]

Good point, using some of the original substance. I was going to reference a cider, where it might be fermented dry, and then additional fresh cider would be used to sweeten, but since it was the wine subsection... I didn't even consider nonsame juice or ingredients not normally part of a flavor profile.

 

[AcmeRidgeRose_Nate]

Thanks....that what I assumed it was...but what do you use for the sweetener??? Just add sugar or do you add a sweet substance....or as u said use some of the origional must???

 

[Yooper]

Thanks....that what I assumed it was...but what do you use for the sweetener??? Just add sugar or do you add a sweet substance....or as u said use some of the origional must???

Once the wine is stabilized, you can use anything you want to sweeten. Some use sugar, but sometimes honey or juice is used as well. Whatever you use, if it's a non-liquid, I'd mix it up in some water so that it's easy to mix. Or pull out some of the wine, dissolved the sugar in that, and add it back to the wine.

 

[AcmeRidgeRose_Nate]

Once the wine is stabilized, you can use anything you want to sweeten. Some use sugar, but sometimes honey or juice is used as well. Whatever you use, if it's a non-liquid, I'd mix it up in some water so that it's easy to mix. Or pull out some of the wine, dissolved the sugar in that, and add it back to the wine.

Great...thanks for the help. Is this something you should let sit for a week or so before you bottle??? or can you mix it in and bottle a few hrs later???

 

[Yooper]

Great...thanks for the help. Is this something you should let sit for a week or so before you bottle??? or can you mix it in and bottle a few hrs later???

I'd let it sit for at least 3 days, to make sure fermentation doesn't restart. Better to be safe than sorry!