Strawberry Jalepeno Wine

About to put this all together...

2lbs fresh strawberries
1 can strawberry daiquiri mix (frozen concentrate)
1.37 lbs jalapenos (only removed stems) (15)
water to a gallon.


starter with must 1.5 cups
1 tsp Pasteur red yeast
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp sugar

WEARING GLOVES I dice the jalapenos and place them into a sterilized nylon bag. I want it to be super hot so I use the whole pepper minus the stem. Once in the bag i set them aside, and also sliced my strawberries then pureed them and put them in a nylon bag. I put both these bags in the pot along with the frozen mix, and a cup of water and let simmer for 30 min. i added sugar until I reached a SG of 1.075. I let it cool then took a sample to make a the starter and added a crushed campden to the rest.

I intend to let it ferment to about 1.02, then possibly sweeten further with more concentrate for flavor.

*updates*

Day 4 of fermentation, still active in the airlock ( every 5 seconds ). i havent had a taste, but the aroma escaping from the lock is very potent with jalapenos up front, then as the burn fades you can smell the daiquiri mix. The color is a bright red, like fruit punch kool-aid.

Here comes my question, does anyone know how balanced jalapenos age out in comparison to other fruit flavors? I would like to do a variety of berry additions to make a sort of 'texas berries' series. ( prickly pears, blackberries, strawberries, etc)

updates...

The fermentation got away from me, and it went completely dry (0.90). Which turned out to be ok. I have added potassium sorbate and a campden when racking, then after a few days I added in an additional four jalapenos (diced) and two more cans of strawberry mix. FG 1.008.

Still has a sweet flavor, and the zing from the jalapeno is mild, yet staying and long lasting even after just a sip. winner.

Pulled out the jalapenos today. Its super red, and may take forever to clear if it ever does. Hope it will be ready to gift around christmas,

Regarding your question on how jalapenos age I would guess if you added 1/8 tsp of tannin it would help it age better.

I may have to try this wine for myself soon.

Another month another *UPDATE*

So I racked it off a rather thick layer of sediment and pulp ( losing liquid volume to my dismay), and have noticed a rather overpowering jalapeno smell. Its such a strong, and not too appealing, smell that it covers the delicate aromas and flavors of the strawberry....

Totally could be that I added too many peppers at primary, or secondary, or in the way that I prepared them...

So, aside from a flavor extract from the LHBS how can I go about adding flavor to my wine, without destroying it, and what (apart from aging) can be done about this very almost rotten veggie smell that I have?

meep

I'd get a sample, swish it around in a glass and get it good and aerated. See how the aroma compares. If it gets better, rack your wine and let it splash a little, let some of the pepper smell dissapate.

Oh, and I haven't any powdered tannins.. any other thoughts?

I hear the pits of certain fruits can add tannins?

Another month.....

So the aroma issue has mostly settled itself. Of course it doesnt hurt that I have since made a strawberry habanero wine that is way better, and doesnt pose any of the problems ive had so far with the jalapenos. I have bottled them, and will probably let sit for a while.

I actually suggest not using jalapenos with strawberries in favor of habaneros. I find that the sweet aroma of habaneros better compliments the sweetness of my fruit.

I used:
(primary)
2lbs straberries
1/3 pound of habaneros ( destemmed, and roasted in the oven)
sugar to 1.06

fermented for maybe 5-6 days.
racked and added stabalizers.
added bottled strawberry flavor to taste (home made by reducing strawberries in water then bottled)
sits until clear.

My word, you drink this, or sell it to law enforcement as an effectivemeans of submission???? You have, however, peaked my interest, as I am expecting tons of prickly pear fruit (as long as we don't have another hurricane)and I have an abundance of habaneros, ghost chilis and trinidad scorpions. Not too fond of strawberries, though...any thoughts on another kind of juice? Made some killer pineapple wine, and I like pineapple and jalapenos on my pizza.... The color of your wine is outstanding!!! PS...I don't know about anyone else, but I use a tablespoon of strong black tea for tannin.

Haha sometimes I like to prank friends with a shot of habanero... But it will probably be used for cooking, or mixing into other drinks.

In the future I will probably only use one or two habaneros per batch, as I want it to be spicy, yet drinkable