new to e-z caps

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Hello everyone. I just started my first batch of wine useing e-z caps. 1
bottle of pear and another cherry. They seem to be doing fine after the first
day, but I have a couple of questions.

1) It says in the instuctions that if you want a higher alcohol content, to
add additional sugar after 7-8 days. I followed the basic instructions for both
batches and added 1/2 cup of sugar to start.(wanted to play it safe). My
question is, how much additional sugar should I add and how much longer should
it sit to ferment?

2)My package did not come with any sort of bottling instructions. When the
wine is complete, and clarified, is it ok to bottle seperatly (16 oz. gasket-top
bottles)? And what would be the shelf life on that? And one more: does wine have
to continue to be refrigerated after bottling?

Hope I didnt overload this message, and thank you for any input. Looking
forward to sharing tips and recipes!

It is best to add the sugar at the beginning of the recipe, not after 7-8 days. The wording on the instructions was updated to reflect this (it was actually updated on a lot of things, I'll post it on the forum). If you want a high alcohol content, use 2 cups of sugar, or 1.5 cups to play it safe.

This from the FAQ should be a good starter on bottling:

Question #11: After brewing wine should it be refrigerated or will fermentation start again and can it be bottled for extended shelf life?

Answer: Fermentation is complete when one of the following occurs: 1) All the sugar is consumed and the yeast dies of starvation. 2) The alcohol content reaches 16-18% which will kill the yeast. 3) The beverage becomes toxic to the yeast due to natural or artificial reasons (such as the addition of chemicals specifically designed to kill the yeast such as a Campden tablet). 4) The temperature of the beverage rises above approximately 104 degrees for a period long enough to kill the yeast. Fermentation is complete when no more bubbles are rising to the surface when the beverage is at room temperature. If you place a beverage into the refrigerator that isn't completely fermented, it will continue to ferment in the refrigerator at a VERY VERY slow pace (i.e what you use to count in days now takes months). If you take such a beverage out of the refrigerator, it may begin active fermentation again. It is important to ensure fermentation is complete or almost completed before bottling your beverage at room temperature. Failure to follow this rule can result in burst bottles and possibly even personal injury. I don't use additives in my beverages but that is a personal choice . I let the yeast die naturally by letting the yeast dine until it dies of it's own alcohol poisoning or by starvation. Bottling your beverages is fun and it allows different flavors to develop over time.

Question #11a: How long does bottled EZ Caps last before going bad?

Answer: This depends on many factors including temperature, alcoholic and sugar content of the beverage, and storage conditions. In worst conditions the beverage will last about a year, in average conditions several years, and in best conditions, several decades.