crabapple wine recipe

[jigmee7276]

Hello community,
So i've recently found crabapples growing in my garden. The crabapple variety is native to my place in Sikkim, Northern India. ( a.k.a mallus sikkimensis ). I'm new to winemaking and most definitely not a horticulturalist. If there is anybody who has a deep knowledge on crabapples combined with its usage in making wine, can you tell me some good recipes for making wine? Also do these fruits need to be ripened before you make a must from it? because my crabapples are quite sour when harvested from the garden. It only becomes sweet when they fall off their branches and begin to spoil. IS this the best time to make a must from them? Also would combining them with kiwis make a good fruit wine? I would really like if these questions are answered. Cheers!

 

[JohnSand]

Welcome aboard!
I have only a little experience with cider, and none with wine. I do think ripe is better, but on the ground may be too late. If you don't find answers, go ahead and experiment. Please post your results.

 

[jigmee7276]

Welcome aboard!
I have only a little experience with cider, and none with wine. I do think ripe is better, but on the ground may be too late. If you don't find answers, go ahead and experiment. Please post your results.

Hey thanks for the reply. What constitutes as ripe? Being sweet? Being soft?. Crabapples, im beginning to learn, has lots of varieties. Mine are tart when the are ripe. They begin to sweeten once they softwn on the ground.
I harvested them ripe. Froze them a couple of weeks and prior to fermentation, left them in the open. Once they turned sweet and soft mashed then and used pectic enzyme. Now ill add yeast and wait a week. Will try and post results. cheers!

 

[JohnSand]

I'm not an apple expert, but I grew up where we picked many fruits wild. One of the ways we thought they were ripe is when they could readily be pulled from the plant. Otherwise by tasting.