Care to share sweet wine recipes?

[NDOutdoorsman]

Would anyone care to share some easy sweet wine recipes with a beginner?

I bought this kit on amazon to get me started. Not sure what else I might need: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W3PZ4RY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks

 

[Blacksmith1]

Looks like a compleate kit. More one gallon jugs maybe so you can get several batches going and get ahead of the curve when it comes to aging.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Looks like pretty reasonable stuff in the kit, though I personally don't like buying from Anheuser Busch ...

Some tips so you won't have to learn the hard way:

• You might want a mini auto-siphon, which makes transferring a LOT easier.
• I prefer S-shaped airlocks over the 3-piece in the kit.
• A drilled #7 stopper will work a lot better than the screw-on cap. Plastic caps break pretty quickly.
• You need cleaner and sanitizer products. PBW is the best cleaner, but any fragrance-free Oxiclean product will work. Star San is cheap and effective for sanitizing.
• You need bottles, corks, and a corker, or any other method of packaging. And a bottle wand.
• Last but not least, you need fruit or juice.

Here's a recipe for a sweet, tart, faux ice cider:
7x 12oz cans of frozen apple juice concentrate (Great Value brand or Old Orchard)
45oz (0.35 gal) Distilled water
8 grams R-HST wine yeast

Put the thawed juice in the fermenter.
Shake vigorously for 3-5 minutes to aerate. (You have to earn it!)
Rehydrate the yeast with some of the water and the add to fermenter with the rest of the water (should be 1 gallon total).
Airlock and let ferment. 50°F is best during fermentation.
Slowly raise to 70°F after 6-8 weeks.
Allow to ferment 2-5 months total.
Crush and add 1/2 campden tablet to your bottling bucket, rack, and bottle.

OG approx 1.130
FG approx 1.050
ABV approx 12%

I suggest reading some books about winemaking. There's a lot of info out there. Lots of products can help too.
Welcome to the hobby!
Cheers

 

[Blacksmith1]

That kit has enough stuff in the box to make 15 batches.... One at a time.

 

[NDOutdoorsman]

Thanks for the responses!

I was thinking of following the recipe in this video since it’s the same kit I have. If I want to make it sweet do I do that during a third rack and just add sugar till it tastes sweet?

 

[Blacksmith1]

Stabilize it before you sweeten. Sweeten just before you bottle.

 

[NDOutdoorsman]

What works best as far as water? Is tap water ok or should I use spring water?

 

[Blacksmith1]

Tap water usually contains clorine which will kill the yeast. I use spring water, some of the guys use filtered or well.

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi Ryan Olson - and welcome.
Chlorine may not kill the yeast. I use chlorinated water when I bake bread and have no problem but I won't use it when I make hard cheese. The thing is that chlorine can produce an off flavor in wines that makes the wine taste like band aid or like mouthwash. The chlorine can bond with the phenols produced by the yeast and you get chlorophenols and I don't know of any way to remedy the problem. I would look for spring water or any water you know has no chlorine or cholarmine. Chlorine will evaporate off if you draw the water and let it stand in an open vessel for 24 hours or so. Chloramine is used by municipalities because it does not evaporate off, but you can neutralize chloramine by adding a crushed campden tablet to every gallon of water or the same quantity of the active ingredient - K-meta.

 

[NDOutdoorsman]

Thank you for that info. I will pick up spring water tomorrow and start making my first batch.

 

[NDOutdoorsman]

Is this normal?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Foam escaped up into the airlock.

Take it off, rinse, sanitize, fill with sanitizer, & put it back.

In cases where there is not enough headspace to contain all the foam, a blow-off tube should be used.

 

[bernardsmith]

Perfectly "normal" if one overfills the carboy, has a must that will produce a great deal of foam, and one seals the mouth with a bung and airlock. Impossible if one uses a bucket rather than a carboy as the primary or you use a fermenter with a great deal of headroom (space) between the surface of the must and the top of the fermenter and you cover the fermenter loosely with a cloth. The CO2 produced by the yeast will create a blanket to protect your wine from oxidizing and unless you are brewing grain fruit is far less vulnerable to lactic bacteria than beer: the pH of wine is going to be far lower than most sour beers, so whereas brewers are neurotic about sealing their primary fermenters , wine makers are not... Just because self published videos on youtube all use bungs and airlocks before racking into the secondary does not mean that such practice makes good sense. It's "normal" but counter-indicated... But not harm done.
Me? I would remove the bung, wash the airlock and loosely cover the top with a clean napkin or such. If the wine is right at the top I would pour out an inch so it is just above the neck. If you are really uncomfortable with the idea of using a cloth cover, could you find some tubing that will fit snugly inside the drilled hole of the bung and lead that tubing down into a mason jar filled half way with water or sanitizer and that is what brewers call a blow-off tube... Bottom line ? everything is fine. Don't worry.

 

[NDOutdoorsman]

Remember I’m a beginner. . I dumped a little out. Wasn’t sure how full to fill the carboy.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I just opened an amazing sweet blackberry last night with the wife. Bottled last fall. Below is my recipe, using a 2 gal ferment bucket:

6lb fruit (1/2 fresh, 1/2 frozen)
aprox 14 cups boiled water
40 oz honey
25oz sugar
fill bucket to near full
SG 28 BRIX

Of course you must dissolve the honey and sugar in the hot water. I usually do it this way. Half fill a glass 2 cup measuring cup with honey or sugar. Then add the water and stir to dissolve; maybe microwave to reheat if neccesary. Little by little I can add all my sweeteners fully dissolved.

When the must is complete, reserve and freeze 1pt for backsweetening later.

Ferment in primary bucket for 5 days, just covered with cloth. Then transfer to 1 gal bottles and place under airlock. Ferment to dry in about 2 months. Stabilize, then backsweeten with 1 cup per gal of reserved must. Bottle and allow to age at least 6 months. Final ABV, 15%.

The key is reserving some must for later backsweetening. That way you get an increased berry taste and sweetness.

Of course, you can lighten up on the sugar and pull it back down to 12 or 13% ABV. Probably would not need as much backsweetening if you did. But this is a good basic recipe, you can experiment with it to suit your needs.

 

[NDOutdoorsman]

I appreciate that Gene, thanks for sharing!