Alc level of tea bag wine?

[wisp]

I'm wanting to start a fruit tea bag wine, but lost a little confidence after the last lot - although they made it in the end. Just what is the right amount of sugar to put in a 5 gallon bucket with 75 fruit teabags fully infused; with an outcome of 14%+?

[lockwood1956]

Just what is the right amount of sugar to put in a 5 gallon bucket with 75 fruit teabags fully infused; with an outcome of 14%+?

not sure why you would want 14%+ in a tea bag wine....it doesnt have the neccesary body to carry this excess amount of alcohol, you will finsd that around 10 or 11% is the right amount of alcohol for this type of wine (to still be pleasant to drink)

however if you are intent on this level of alcohol, the safe way (and less trouble) is to start at SG of 1.080 and when it gets down to 1.010 feed it with sugar, around 50g a time, allowing the SG to drop to 1.010 before feeding more (but watch for foaming)

this question would have been better placed in the general winemaking area though

so I moved it

[NorthernWiner]

I agree with what Bob says about this not making a good high alcohol wine. A lot of red grape varieties don't even have enough "oomph" to carry a 14% alcohol level and remain balanced.

Haven't seen the recipe, but assuming you are using water and tea bags (i.e. there is no sugar to begin with), it will take an addition of approximately 16.5 lbs (7.5 kg) of table sugar to achieve 14% alcohol.

If you decide to go with 10-11% alcohol, then it will take roughly 11 lbs (5 kg) to reach that end.

Now if this recipe uses a fruit juice base of some kind, then you will obviously have to compensate for the sugar present in the juice.

[hedgerow]

can i point out that for a gollon of cccccjjjjjj berry wine made from tea i only need to use 8 tea bags per gallon infused with a pint of hot water than left in a bucket for 3 days to ferment , i think you might be a little ott with the tea bags