Strawberry Ruhbarb Jam wine

Hi folks,
I've always been curious about jam wine, and I got my hands on 9 Kg that I mixed with boiled water to make about 20 L. I added Pectic enzyme last night (64 g!) and am waiting 2 more days to add the rest of the ingredients.
I'm just hoping someone can share their experience with jam wine.
I'm following Jack Keller's recipe (of course) and am hoping to avoid the 5 minute boiling time he reccomends. Anothe rrecipe I have doesn't include this step.
i realize jam wine is rare, as it's rather counter-productive, but hopefully someone can share a story!
Thanks

ps - Jack calls for powdered Tannin, but I'm thinking of just topping up with grape juice instead. Thoughts/grape juice recommendations?

I think you will find that jam wine is not rare--many home winemakers make this.I have made several types of jam wine since I got started. I NEVER boil must, not even jam. You can use warm water if necessary, and do not forget the pectic enzyme. For topping up you can use fruit juice, try to stick with 100% juice versus a cocktail type juice. Food for thought, if making a 1-gallon batch, perhaps consider adding one can of frozen/thawed 100% white grape concentrate, like Welch's, at the very beginning-- as this will help add body.

Do not be shocked if you find that you did not have to add much, if any, sugar as you assemble everything. I tend to use three 16-18oz jars of jam per gallon. Jam wine, in most cases, is clear and drinkable within 90day or so.

Enjoy!

Good to hear! I will skip the boiling step and top up with grape juice.
I haven't checked the SG yet, but I don't intend to add sugar.

Thanks alot, the wealth of knowledge on this site is incredible!

Need more insight...!

I pitched my yeast on this Thursday night, and my initial SG was 1.100 (Keller called for 1.095).
It's now Sunday morning and the SG hasn't moved, and there is no sign of lees at the bottom of primary.
All other signs point to vigourous fermentation (foam, bulging primary, smell), so why is my SG staying put and where is the lees?
The foam is very thick. Is it possible that with the high SG, those dead yeasties are floating? Have I been transported to another planet?

Thanks!

You are only a few days in and it is quite common in an ideal situation for it to take 5-8 days, or longer, to see a SG drop of 2/3 (the point at which many transfer to carboy and apply airlock). I would not be shocked if you do not wake up tomorrow and see a drop. Lees typically develop as the dead yeast and fruit sediment drops out of solution, again typically too early to see this in a jam wine. Plus you say you have foam and you likely have things suspended in the foamy cap--like yeast and fruit. Did you put your jam in a straining bag or is it free in the must?
You mention bulging primary--if you have an airlock in place take it off until that SG drops by 2/3 and stir your must twice a day. If you have a lid snapped on a primary bucket, pop it off and let it just rest on the edges. You can put a towel over the opening and then simply rest lid over opening if that bugs you. Just this change will allow oxygen to access the must and encourage that SG to get moving--something you want right now.
Oh, and what is the temperature of your ferment and which yeast did you use?

It's at 18 C, or 68 F and the yeast is Lalvin EC 1116.
I was just worrying too much though - Last night, after 6 days , it was down to 1.060. I sealed with an airlock and it's bubbling away, much to my delight.
The jam is free in the must, and the additional strawberries were in a straining bag that tore when I was removing it, so there's alot of fruit in there. I plan to just let it clear with rackings, and transfer through a straining bag before bottling if necessary. Or perhaps it's better to do it now while it's fermenting and enjoying the oxygen exposure? The jam is smooth, so that fruit is there to stay, which is fine by me.
I had a taste, and it's the first booze I've made that has tasted good during fermentation. I think it's around 6% ABV right now. Can't wait to try the finished product!

You will want to rack off of the pulp within a reasonable amount of time as it can start to provide off flavors. You can usually tell when it is spent, but I have never left fruit intact for more than eight days. Glad to hear things kicked into gear, I knew it would.

Just an update that this turned out quite well. It was bottled June 22 and I'm already half way through (gave a lot away). It aged a little in the carboy, and was delicious when it was bottled.
My only complaint is that it's too sweet - I did too much topping up with grape juice concentrate/runny jam. I wasn't confident that it would be good (third batch of booze), so kept thinking I should sweeten it more. The good news is that I've already started a new batch and will have extra to save for top ups.