Sweet reserve

Sweet reserve is specially treated, storable grape must for the subsequent sweetening of wine . The actual alcohol content of the sweet reserve must not exceed 8 g / l, which corresponds to around 1 percent by volume . A basic distinction must be made between the enrichment of the must before fermentation to increase the alcohol content (→ chaptalization ) and the sweetening of the wine as a measure to achieve harmony through residual sweetness by means of the sweetness reserve. The residual sweetness compensates for an excessive amount of acid in the wine in terms of taste.

In the past, unfermented grape juice was preserved by adding a high proportion of sulfur dioxide . Today the latest cooling and filter technology enables the production of sweet reserves without the unpleasant smell of sulfur dioxide.

Today, grape concentrate or rectified grape must concentrate are widely used instead of the sweet reserve, which, however , are not permitted for use in quality wines. The high sugar content of the concentrates prevents the development of harmful microorganisms. The concentrates can therefore be kept without the addition of preservatives. In addition, instead of later sweetening, the alcoholic fermentation is preferably stopped early.

literature

• Friedrich Schmitthenner : Keeping wine sweet through disinfection and sweetening wine with sterile must in the light of the Wine Act of 1909 . Seitz-Werke, Kreuznach around 1920
• Jancis Robinson : The Oxford Wine Lexicon . 3rd completely revised edition. Hallwag, Gräfe and Unzer, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-8338-0691-9 .