Feedback on apple pie wine needed!

[Pendragon524]

Hello, homebrewing friends!

After finding a gallon of unfiltered apple juice at Whole Foods that actually comes in a one-gallon fermenter, I'm planning on making an apple pie wine. My proposed recipe is thus:

• One gallon unfiltered apple juice.
• Two cinnamon sticks.
• One vanilla beanstalk, sliced open.
• A pound or so of medium brown sugar.
• Safale S-04 yeast.

With these ingredients, I imagine my starting gravity will be around 1.080, and I'll have a nice 9-10% apple pie wine/cider with some residual sweetness (I'll back-sweeten to taste). I'll then bottle it up and try it again in six months. What do you think of this recipe? Too much vanilla? Not enough? Should I include some amount of acid blend or tannin (both of which I have)? Let me know how I might improve my procedure to capture the essence of apple pie in a wine!

 

[ShadesManna]

Brown sugar is a great ingredient, and contains molasses, which sometimes can take longer to ferment out. When making this batch, be sure to keep close watch on your gravity measurements to avoid mishaps. That being said, it sounds like this recipe could be tasty. Back-sweetening will definitely help the desired "apple pie" sweetness level and flavor.

The acid level should be fine with all the citric acid that's in the cider naturally. Adding tannin can't really hurt too much. It can aid in clearing, and adds that "wine crispness" to the liquid, if that's something you're going for.

Try out the recipe you have! The addition of vanilla, and molasses could bring out the tastes you're craving. Back-sweetening will definitely help it get as sweet as pie! Let me know how it turns out; my three apple wines did not go as planned.

 

[Pendragon524]

Brown sugar is a great ingredient, and contains molasses, which sometimes can take longer to ferment out. When making this batch, be sure to keep close watch on your gravity measurements to avoid mishaps. That being said, it sounds like this recipe could be tasty. Back-sweetening will definitely help the desired "apple pie" sweetness level and flavor.

The acid level should be fine with all the citric acid that's in the cider naturally. Adding tannin can't really hurt too much. It can aid in clearing, and adds that "wine crispness" to the liquid, if that's something you're going for.

Try out the recipe you have! The addition of vanilla, and molasses could bring out the tastes you're craving. Back-sweetening will definitely help it get as sweet as pie! Let me know how it turns out; my three apple wines did not go as planned.

Thank you for the feedback! I really appreciate it. I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out! I’m making it today.

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi Pendragon524. My thinking is that apple juice intended for a soft drink rarely has the acidity and tannins expected for apples for wine or cider. The main acid in apples is malic (not citric) but rather than accept the levels in the juice and perhaps be disappointed with the final outcome there is nothing to stop you bench testing the finished wine to see if more acidity is called for (and I would add malic rather than citric or acid blend) and /or if more tannins are required. Wines often taste nicely crisp when there is about 6g/L of acid

 

[Pendragon524]

Hi Pendragon524. My thinking is that apple juice intended for a soft drink rarely has the acidity and tannins expected for apples for wine or cider. The main acid in apples is malic (not citric) but rather than accept the levels in the juice and perhaps be disappointed with the final outcome there is nothing to stop you bench testing the finished wine to see if more acidity is called for (and I would add malic rather than citric or acid blend) and /or if more tannins are required. Wines often taste nicely crisp when there is about 6g/L of acid

Hello!

So you would suggest adding acids/tannins in secondary? Or do some bench tests and add those things in my next attempt at apple pie wine (before primary)?

 

[bernardsmith]

I would suggest that you consider bench testing before you bottle. The 6 g/L is all about taste and has nothing to do with the yeast or fermentation , although pH can have an impact on the shelf life of your wine but TA is not the same as pH. TA is a measure of the quantity of the acids present whereas pH is a measure of the strength of the acids. Tannin levels don't affect fermentation either. Which is to say that I find it amusing that so many recipes call for the addition of acids and tannins with the addition of yeast without any question about whether the wine that YOU are making needs more or less acidity or more or less tannin. A recipe that calls for the addition or acids without suggesting why is like someone reaching for the salt before they have tasted the dish that they are about to eat.

 

[Pendragon524]

I would suggest that you consider bench testing before you bottle. The 6 g/L is all about taste and has nothing to do with the yeast or fermentation , although pH can have an impact on the shelf life of your wine but TA is not the same as pH. TA is a measure of the quantity of the acids present whereas pH is a measure of the strength of the acids. Tannin levels don't affect fermentation either. Which is to say that I find it amusing that so many recipes call for the addition of acids and tannins with the addition of yeast without any question about whether the wine that YOU are making needs more or less acidity or more or less tannin. A recipe that calls for the addition or acids without suggesting why is like someone reaching for the salt before they have tasted the dish that they are about to eat.

I gotcha! Thank you for that information, I will report back in probably two months (or whenever it clears enough for bottling).

 

[JordanfromOK]

Following for future updates.

 

[Pendragon524]

I racked it a few days ago and gave it a taste! For young apple wine, it's not half bad! The F.G. is 1.019, so it's a sweet, dessert wine, and that is precisely what I wanted. There are vanilla/cinnamon notes, of course, and it didn't lose its apple flavor through fermentation. However, it's relatively light-bodied and almost "thin." Were I to do this again, I'd add three ounces of raisins to help increase the mouth-feel and body of the wine. I'm very eager to see what it does with three months/six months/a year aging. My only question at this point is the extent to which it will clarify. I did the recipe with unfiltered apple juice, so I don't know how much I can hope for it to become crystal clear. Thoughts?

 

[ShadesManna]

Congratulations on getting the flavors you wanted! It sounds like a tasty batch.

Usually, wines will continue to have particulates fall out of suspension if you give them enough time. One type of wine I make every year (involves a grumpy type of tea) is always cloudy for the first nine months. After it's done fermenting, I keep it in one-gallon-sized, sealed jugs to both let it age, and let it clear. After around another four or five months of rest, it's ready for bottling.

You can bottle it while it's still hazy, and as each bottle ages, the sediment will settle to the "bottom" of however the bottle is oriented. If it's on its side, there will be a stripe of sediment up the side of the bottle. If it's standing upright, the sediment will be in a ring around the bottle's punt. Personally, I don't like the look for sediment in my wine bottles, but it's merely a cosmetic preference.