Chaptalization calculator finds how much sugar to add to your must to hit the desired Brix. Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to must early in wine making process to boost the Brix and thus the total alcohol in the finished wine. The purpose of adding sugar is to boost the Brix in a poor growing year and help the final product turn out better.

Do not go overboard with adding sugar! An overly alcoholic wine is just as bad as an over oaked wine, or any other defect.
Chaptalization Calculator:
Current Brix:
Desired Brix:
Wine Volume: (gallons)
 

Sugar to Add:


Sugar Addition Equation:
To raise 1 gallon of must, 1 Brix, add 1.5 oz of sugar.


Wine Volume:
Enter your expected wine volume, not your must volume. If you have no idea how much wine you will get, multiply your must amount by 65% as an estimate. Eg - 11.5 gallons of must will give you ~7.5 gallons of wine. This mainly applies to red wines, where the press will occur after fermentation.

How to Chaptalize:
Warm up some water or juice from your must in a sauce pan to about 80-90 degrees F. Dissolve the sugar slowly in the pan. Plain granulated sugar from the cooking aisle in the grocery store works fine. Let the pan cool down to room temperature, then gently pour into the must.

Legal Disclaimer: The Chaptalization Calculator is for entertainment purposes and should not be used for professional brewing or wine making. No warranty or guarantee of accuracy is provided on the information provided by this calculator.