Does yeast metabolize all the sugar in a batch of wine must. If not, what else can the sugars become?

Question

Last year I made some really great tasting pear wine. The problem is, it won't give me a buzz.

Before fermentation, I had 14 degrees of sugar according to my hydrometer. After fermentation, I had 2 degrees of sugar, suggesting that the wine was 12 proof. But its no where close!

My question is, if the yeast didn't metabolize the sugar into alchol, what happened to all the sugar?

Answer 1

It stayed as sugar, sweetening the wine.  Sugar doesn't all convert into alcohol, or you would have very strong, very bad-tasting wine, since it will have no sweeteners.

pardon me if i am not understanding, but if you started with 14 degrees of sugar, and then had 2, that doesn't mean that the 12 difference is all alcohol.  alcohol dissipates.  You need to use your hydrometer to read the actual end alcohol content, which doesn't actually mean just subtracting, but i have never used one, so i don't really know

Answer 2

If you did not have a fermentation (non aerobic or anaerobic) conditions were present. Conversely, you had an aerobic must. In such a case your yeast went through resiration produsting energy and CO2 but no alcohol. For this is occur you would have to nearly constently add O2 (oxygen or at least air) into the must. I would think you would have some residual sugars and have a nice carbonarted pear soda/nectar.

Basic Science Class

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_re...