Frozen Fruit Thawing

[CJH]

Hi all,

New to the forum and wine making. Girlfriend and I have tried a couple wine/mead kits and now are now trying our own. We have about 6lbs of picked fresh strawberries that we cleaned and froze. If anyone would be so kind as to provide some more specifics details on the dethawing process, I would really appreciate it. I’ve read a few guides, but they all barely touch on proper procedure.

Some guides suggest throwing them in the mesh bag frozen, adding boiling water, while others used normal water. Some suggested mashing in the bag and leaving for 24 hours before continuing. Some indicated testing levels and adding all the chemicals needed then. While some just say thaw them before continuing. I know there are many ways to do it, however, I was just hopping for a clear and concise starter guide. Thanks for the help!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

When I freeze fruit, I wash & destem, then put it in those large (2 gallon size) Ziploc bags & freeze. When I thaw fruit, I place the bags of frozen fruit into a large (18 gallon) plastic tub, just to contain any juice that might leak; and simply let it thaw. The freeze/thaw process actually helps to break down cell walls in the fruit & it will be soft enough to easily crush with a potato masher or your hands. I thaw, then crush (if needed) & place in the bucket, lined with a mesh sack. I pour in any juice left in the plastic bags, add water, sugar & sulfites, give it a quick stir, tie up the sack & cover the bucket with a towel, held in place with a rubberband. Wait 12-24 hrs before aerating & adding pectic enzyme or pitching yeast. I "punch the cap," twice a day, meaning I push the floating fruit back down into the must & give it some gentle agitation; this prevents it from molding and/or drying out. After X amount of time (time varies with recipes), I pull the sack out of the must, rack to a carbouy & airlock it.
Hope that helps. Regards, GF.

 

[jgmillr1]

With my strawberry wine, I do not add water which only dilutes the flavor. A pure strawberry wine has great flavor and crisp acidity.

It really doesn't matter how you plan to thaw the berries. I've thawed them in bags, buckets and tubs and not had trouble. The faster you can get the must up to room temp, the better. The berries can vary by season and location where they were grown, so you really don't know your starting parameters unless you measure them. The recipes you find online are a swag at what is typical and your mileage may vary.

At the minimum, you will want to get a hydrometer reading and add enough sugar to bring the must up to 21brix. If you can measure pH and TA, then you can make any acid adjustments AFTER the fermentation is complete. The reason for waiting is that much of the acid is going to be tied up in the fruit and will be released during fermentation. If you are working with juice there is no need to wait. Or if you know your fruit is very high/low in acid (eg. cranberries) then you can make some careful initial adjustments. With my strawberry, I never need to add acid since the pH is fine and the TA is already high enough without being too high.

One thing you will run into is that the strawberry seeds will give a slight sharp tannic character to the wine unless you fine it with gelatin in the secondary.

 

[jgmillr1]

And I suggest you use a grain bag that beer brewers use. Just line your bucket with the bag and ferment with it in place. When it's done, pull the bag out and squeeze your wine out of the mush. Strawberries tend to completely disintegrate during fermentation.

 

[CJH]

Any thoughts on simmering a few pounds of strawberries and adding that to the primary to hold flavor/color? Thought I read a few people do this. I think I’ll have a few more questions I just need to get started. Thanks for all the help.

 

[Marty50]

1 lb 5.75 oz Nanking bush cherry
2 lb 12 oz strawberry blueberry
8.70 oz wild blackberry
4 lbs 10.5oz
2 cups sugar
Lalvin 71b
SG 7/19/17. 1.10
7/24/17 Gravity. 999
7/31 racked
8/7 racked
8/24 racked
Add potassium sorbate 9/21
Bottled 9/23 w campden

My recipe/time-line for a 1 gallon country wine that turned out wonderful.