Peach wine fail.

[Noz03]

I put this in here because I think it is closer to cider than it is to grape wine.. anyway. Tried experimenting with a litre of peach juice. Pitched the yeast (bread yeast) about a month ago, I noticed it had stopped fermenting after about 2 weeks although I was so busy I left it there for an extra 2 more and just opened it up last night. I noticed there was a huuuge amount of sediment also but figured it was just because the juice I used was very thick peach juice from the shop. Anyway, taste was horrible to say the least! Very very sour and completely undrinkable. I could definitely taste alcohol, or maybe it was just because of the sourness I felt like it was stronger.

Any ideas what could have caused this? It was at quite low temps, I guess mostly going between 5c and 15c, but ferment seemed to work ok, lots of bubbles and co2 coming off for the first 2 weeks.

 

[Corriveau]

Maybe let it sit longer? What was your O.G. and F.G.?

 

[Noz03]

Sorry I dont have a gravity reader yet unfortunately, just thought I'd try some hobo style to learn the basics of brewing before I go back to the UK and get some better equipment. My apple and cherry juices came out quite nice, just the peach was bad. Didn't smell rotten, just really sour.

 

[argyle]

I've made many wines that were initially harsh and sour, but I learned about ways to fix them.

Do you have anything to stabilize the wine? If you have a common wine stabilizer called potassium metabisulfite, then add that per instructions and let it sit for a couple days. Then siphon or pour the wine off the sediment and add sugar syrup to the wine in small amounts until you get a level of sweetness that tastes good to you.

I sweeten many of my wines. When you learn how to do this, some of the harshest sour wines will become so flavorful and pleasing that they may be your favorite.

If you have no potassium metabisulphite, do not give up on the peach wine, refrigerate it for a couple days, siphon or pour it off the sediment into another bottle and sweeten with some sugar syrup. Add a little at a time and mix so the syrup mixes well with the wine. I guarantee it will start tasting good. Since it is not sulphited, after you add the sugar it will start fermenting at room temperature, so keep it refrigerated until you finish it and it should be fine.

Also, I know you went hobo style, but pick up some wine yeast when you get the chance and leave the bread yeast for making bread.

Don't give up on the peach wine it may taste sweet and peachy yet!

 

[Noz03]

Damn, I already chucked it. Though I still think this one was beyond help. It wasn't just a little sour, I literally had to spit it out and wash my mouth after tasting it. I figured something had gone wrong with it. Wish I still had it to experiment on now.

 

[amandabab]

Peaches are worse than strawberries to work with.

Peaches need about double the pectin enzyme other friuts need.
They really pump out sulphur so you need alot of nutrient and you need to degass and transfer more often to get the sediment to drop out.

 

[Kashue]

Thoughts for next time:

• Don't use bread yeast. As a cider maker I'm going to tell you to use Nottingham for EVERYTHING, but a couple of the Lalvins are meant for general purpose fruit wines.
• Don't leave it on the yeast- you will get better flavor faster if you rack to secondary after fermentation finishes.
• Time is your friend. A cider or wine should spend more time in secondary the more "complex" it is (complex usually being winemaker for "****ty"). A lot of the unpleasant sulfur notes and sourness will dissipate with time. Which brings us to...
• Bottle condition! I find my cider is never really where I want it until It's bottled, pasteurized, and has sat in my fridge for a few weeks. This seems to be the part of the process that does the most to stop that rocket fuel taste cider likes to get. If you sweeten as suggested here, bottling is also the time to do it.

You could also try making peach wine with blended juices. A lot of juices can be mingled with apple for fermentation and will completely overtake the apple taste, as I learned the hard way when I stuffed a pound and a half of blackberries in a 1-gallon cider jug.

 

[Noz03]

Thx Kashue, good tips to keep in mind for my next brews.