How to Read a Hydrometer for Wine Making

Hydrometers are essential tools in any wine maker’s arsenal, providing homebrewers and wine makers with an effortless way to quickly determine specific gravity of liquid they’re working with and estimate alcohol by volume.

Hydrometers provide you with an invaluable compass when creating wine or beer. Although seemingly straightforward, hydrometers offer deeper insights into your craft. With some preparation and careful reading, navigating your hydrometer can become second nature in no time at all!

Before beginning, ensure your sample jar is clean and sterilized. Next, slowly submerge a hydrometer into the liquid in your jar ensuring there is sufficient liquid for it to float freely without hitting any sides. For added precision it may help dislodge any air bubbles present; gently rotating your hydrometer may help dislodge them as well.

After taking an initial reading, be aware that your specific gravity will change throughout fermentation. It’s essential to monitor this daily to ensure the yeast are turning sugar into alcohol and producing wine as intended; too much sugar could kill off your yeast altogether and leave behind an overly sweet product; while too little could result in your wine becoming dry sooner than planned.

Distillation and gas chromatography are also used to measure alcohol content of wine or beer samples; however, these processes require more sophisticated equipment and tend to be employed by larger wineries and manufacturers.