Sweetening, Stabilization, Degassing and Clearing (Day 100 - 105)
Now that you have racked your wine for the 3rd time, it should be clear of sediment. It is now time to taste it to find out how it is doing. (*Note: you may also taste it as you rack it during secondary fermentation). You want to determine if the wine meets your preference for sweetness.
To do this you are going to need your wine thief and a clean cup.
Sweetening
Using your wine thief take some wine out of the carboy and drain it into your cup and give it a try. If it is too dry for your liking you can either use granulated sugar, or a wine sweetener/conditioner combination. You may also choose to use some of the original juice you used to make your wine with. Whichever method you choose make sure to add it in small quantities at a time so that you don’t end up making it too sweet.
Add the sweetener to your carboy and make sure it is well mixed in with a sanitized spoon before tasting again. Once you have achieved your desired sweetness level you need to add your stabilization ingredients so that the sugars you just added do not cause your wine to re-ferment.
Stabilization
This is a very important step, as you absolutely do not want your wine re-fermenting past this stage. (That is, unless you want popped wine bottles all over the place). To stabilize your wine you are going to need a combination of Potassium Sorbate and either Campden tablets or Potassium Metabisulphate. Typically you’ll need 1/2 teaspoon of the potassium Sorbate per gallon of wine plus a crushed Campden tablet per gallon of wine (or ¼ teaspoon of Potassium Metabisulphate (k-meta) for 5 gallons). If you have been adding 25ppm to your wine every racking, you will only need to add 25ppm here (1/8 teaspoon per 5 gallons) instead of the full 50ppm. Add these chemicals to your wine and stir them in making sure they completely dissolve and get properly mixed in with the wine.
Degassing and Clearing
These two next processes are put together because you will for the most part be doing them in sync. Firstly, once you have properly stabilized your wine it is now time to add the clearing agent. The brand you use will depend on what is available at your local wine making store. They come in packets that are usually made for 6 gallon (23 litre) batches. Once you have added your clearing agent, you can now begin the degassing phase. Using your long sanitized spoon, begin vigorously stirring your wine. The first time you do this you may get a lot of foam pouring out from the top of your carboy. Basically what you are accomplishing now is releasing all of the fixed C02 that was saturated into your wine during fermentation. This step is important because it turns your wine from being semi-sparkling into still wine. You should stir vigorously for 3 minutes, 6 times over the course of the next 24 hours. Make sure to keep track of how many times you have stirred. Once you have completed your 6th and final stirring, you can top up your wine, refit the bung and air lock and proceed to the next phase.
*Note: This step is made much easier and will take much less time (4-6 mins) if you have a stirring rod. A stirring rod can be attached to a power drill. Refer to instructions on stirring rod package for more details.