Demijohn

How much sugar and water does my fruit wine need?

Pick your fruit, say how much you have, and choose how strong you want it. You get the recipe, the starting hydrometer reading, and a check on acidity.

Units
kg
L
12% ABV
Finished sweetness
I've measured my must with a hydrometer

Mix the fruit and water first, before any sugar. Then enter the reading and how much liquid you have now. The sugar amount will use your reading instead of the fruit estimate.

L
Sugar to add –
Starting gravity–
Water to add–approximate
Acidity–
Fruit alone gives–without added sugar

Your recipe

    Hydrometer targets

    Why the fruit matters

    Most fruit has far less sugar than wine grapes, so country wines need added sugar. How much depends on the fruit and how ripe it is. That is why the result shows a range. A hydrometer reading of your must removes the guesswork.

    Kit for a first batch

    • Hydrometer and trial jar
    • Wine yeast and yeast nutrient
    • Fermenting bucket and a demijohn with airlock
    • Campden tablets and potassium sorbate, if you plan to sweeten

    How it's calculated

    Target gravity = 0.996 + ABV ÷ 131.25. One gram of sugar per litre adds about 0.384 gravity points. Fruit sugar uses typical values per fruit. Acidity is a rough estimate from typical fruit acid, so measure it with a kit if you can.