How much alcohol is needed for homemade wine to bottle it and preserve it?

1 gallon apple cider

1 quart APPLE juice

7 cinnamon sticks

2 cups of sugar

Boil until sugar dissolves. Turn off heat let stand until at room temperature

Then add 1 pt of Everclear.

Serve chilled

1 pint makes it about 5% alcohol I add 1 quart to make it 10%

Bottle it and it will keep.

Even if he is an unclean person his wine making would have to be correct in order for the wine to turn out correctly. And given the amount of alcohol it is sure to be sterile. The murkiness probably due to the fact it was from near the bottom of the barrel. He should have filtered it in some cheesecloth. If you are uncomfortable drinking it straight then maybe you can use it in cooking. I think that is what I would do in your situation. But if you don't want any more of it then say, yes you liked it but you don't drink often enough to need another bottle.

Alcohol is not the only part that preserves wine. Sulfites and other chemicals are added as a preservative. And the above people are correct - you don't just add liquor to something and it becomes wine, you have to ferment the fruit or juice. It takes longer then just adding alcohol to something. Although I'm sure it is tasty, you are talking about a cordial or a liqueur.

if you are using 180 proof grain alcohol, you arn't making wine

wine is juice thats fermented to make the wine... added grain alcohol makes either a cocktail or a infused alcohol.

as for how much alcohol to preserve wine, if everything is sanitized before bottling, a bottle of hommade wine that is around 10% will likely last many years. ... if stuff is not sanitized, stuff can still affect the wine, and it can go bad.

for alcoholic beverages in general, you usually have to get 20% or more to really get a preserved beverage

I believe you are describing a cordial not real wine

and I will not search my books for 2 points

but the 180 proof preserves it for months I believe (maybe weeks)

your finished wine will be about 40 proof after dilution excellent for sipping