gooseberry wine

I bought some gooseberry juice from LBH. There is a recipe on back of can. Has anyone used this Recipe before? Is it a good one? If not does anyone have a good 3 or 5 gallon recipe? I Love gooseberry pie so figured i would buy some juice and give the wine a shot. Thanks in advance for the help.

Use the three gallon recipe and you will be fine.

I screwed up and did not use a straining bag. Just poured the whole can directly in the primary. Thought the can consisted only juice not fruit. Did i completely screw up the wine? You learn by your mistakes. Any advise or help is appreciated.

You will be just fine. Around Day 5-8, or the timeframe you recipe recommends, the fruit will start to take on a spent look. It may loose color, etc. I personally sanitize new cheap pantyhose and fit that over/in a strainer or funnel and when I transfer the liquid with the racki.g cane/tubing this will catch the majority of pulp.

Pitched the yeast last night and expected to some activity in the bucket tonight but there is none. Should i add more energizer or yeast nutrient? Never done a wine from actual fruit before. Have only done from concentrate or kits. Any help is appreciated.

Can take a good 48 hrs to see anything. Sometimes all you hear is a pop, sizzle on the surface, that is it. Just keep it close to 70, give it a stir am/pm. What yeast?

I used red star monoratchet i believe. Stir twice a day? Instructions say once a day. Is it personal preference?

I tend to stir twice a day for adding oxygen, any cap management, plus to check temp and inspect. But daily is fine.

I hear people put a lid on & airlock it. Is that preference?

jkrug said:

I hear people put a lid on & airlock it. Is that preference?

Click to expand...

For primary fermentation, I leave the bucket lid loose to facilitate stirring. It generated enough CO2 to stay protected. If you wish to airlock it, you can, just be aware it might foam over or blow off the airlock.

When you transfer to your secondary, an airlock is a must.

Thanks to everyone for the help and advice. Using pantyhose as filter worked great. Any advise on what to top up with.? Can't find gooseberry juice. Prefer to not use water as to take away from body or flavor. Any advice appreciated.

jkrug said:

Thanks to everyone for the help and advice. Using pantyhose as filter worked great. Any advise on what to top up with.? Can't find gooseberry juice. Prefer to not use water as to take away from body or flavor. Any advice appreciated.

Click to expand...

Grape juice, blueberry juice, pommograte juice.....

The neighbor had three gooseberry bushes he was giving away. Somebody had passed them on to him thinking they were grape vines. I snapped them right up and planted them (a little too close to each other) in the back yard. I had to go and fish out a bottle of the Beta Grape wine I made from the 8 lbs of grapes he gave me off his vine last year to say thanks. Just to keep it coming I added a bottle of my plum wine and a 750 bottle of my Whiskey Barrel Ale.

So. . . never having eaten a gooseberry, I am very curious how your wine turned out.