I'm just starting out making wine and I see a lot of people using different things to make there wine. So what's the pros ad cons of using each methods. Such as using juice, using fresh fruit, or using the store bought kits. Which gives the best results.
Better wine
- Thread starter loren601
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Juice and kits are more consistent than fresh fruit...and often fresh fruit isn't obtainable for a reasonable price. Kind of an open-ended question.
Most fruit wines you avoid heating because it can strip fruit of desirable flavors. To kill off any bugglings you use campden.
Some wines use boiling to extract flavors, that we can't otherwise soak, mash or juice out of our products...like dandelion or parsnip.
That's not a technical term...just my jargon...any living organism, other fungi, bacteria or anything that could ruin your batch.
Do you have access to a juicer? I don't...so I end up smashing them to smithereens and fermenting the whole lot. If you have a juicer I'd juice them and put the pulp in a cheese cloth bag and steep it.
I always add pectic enzyme and bentonite to my must, if after I age my wine it still looks a little hazy and I don't want to wait I use sparkolloid, but give wine enough time and it will clear up on it's own.
I'd consider it a must for must if you are making a wine entirely from fresh fruit. It helps break down the pectin in the fruit so you can extract more colour and flavour into your wine. Also is helps reduce the pectic haze in your wines that prevent them from clearing.
If you are ordering goodies for your wine making get the following:
- Hydrometer
- Ph Test Strips
- Acid Blend
- Calcium Carbonate
- Pectic Enzyme
- Yeast Energizer (optional for fruit wines)
- Yeast Nutrient (optional for fruit wines)
- Campden
- Sorbate (if you want to back-sweeten)
- Bentonite (cheap and helps the big stuff ride faster to the bottom once fermentation is complete)
- Sparkolloid (for those stubborn wines you want to clear)
If you are just getting your feet wet you could skip the PH and adjusters...but I think it's an important step in making good wine.
- Hydrometer
- Ph Test Strips
- Acid Blend
- Calcium Carbonate
- Pectic Enzyme
- Yeast Energizer (optional for fruit wines)
- Yeast Nutrient (optional for fruit wines)
- Campden
- Sorbate (if you want to back-sweeten)
- Bentonite (cheap and helps the big stuff ride faster to the bottom once fermentation is complete)
- Sparkolloid (for those stubborn wines you want to clear)
If you are just getting your feet wet you could skip the PH and adjusters...but I think it's an important step in making good wine.
Goofynewfie
Well-Known Member
For my blueberry I use 2-2.5lbs/gallon
Inner10 said:
Is this the same product as acid blend
Acidex Super K contains potassium bicarbonate and potassium bitartrate in an easy-to-use tartaric acid reduction powder. You use this product after fermentation is complete.
That reduces acid (increase ph), just like calcium carbonate. Acid blend, (tartic acid, malic acid, citric acid) increase acidity (decrease ph).
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