Kiwi wine inquiry

[jigmee7276]

Hi! So i'm a farmer in the himalayas, India. Recently, since the lockdown, i've begun dabbling in making wine from the kiwi fruit ( green variety ) and ive come across few hurdles. Firstly im genuinely interested in this new hobby of mine and i would like to know if anybody has any knowledge of where i can find rich comprehensive guide on making wine from this fruit. Now I've tried it twice in the past two years and ive faced a small issue. The wine which i have made has turned out very acidic and tart. All i've read has told me that it is in the nature of the fruit that has made it happen. But intuition tell me i can make a balanced wine. Can i make some modifications to the process? Use a blend of fruits. Perhaps a heavier bodied fruit like a banana. Or as somebody posted here, backsweeten it to balance it out. Please tell me the best and latest method to overcome my shortcoming.
I'm pasting the recipe which i followed while making the wine here. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...ads/my-father-wants-to-make-kiwi-wine.206088/
Help would be immensely appreciated. Thanks.

 

[lukebuz]

Do you backsweeten? Add sugar after stabilized and ferment is complete.

 

[jigmee7276]

No i didnt backsweeten because the recipe had enough sugar for the wine to turn out sweet. What i didnt like was that the wine tasted too tart and bit flat. like a cheap distilled alcohol. What could be the reason for this? does anyone know?

 

[PettyFlamwell]

No i didnt backsweeten because the recipe had enough sugar for the wine to turn out sweet. What i didnt like was that the wine tasted too tart and bit flat. like a cheap distilled alcohol. What could be the reason for this? does anyone know?

Hello jigmee7276,

I am only a newbie so I'm far from the best person to take advice from, but I have a chemistry-adjacent background. Personally, if acidity was bothering me, I'd try to bring down the tartness by neutralising the acid with a weak base. Literature recommends precipitated chalk (calcium carbonate) be used for neutralising fruit acids where necessary. You can order it online from brewery stores, or make your own by crushing up sterilised, boiled eggshells (they're made of the same stuff). You add a bit, wait a few hours to gauge the difference and add some more, bearing in mind the delayed effect. Maybe you can test the pH after you're done if you have strips.

Perhaps tartness can be covered over instead by adding a fruit, as you say. Here my lack of practical expertise is apparent. Maybe try blending the kiwi wine with some others to see how they work together.

I have looked at Jack Keller's kiwi recipes and the ones he provides contain no other fruit. I can point you to where they can be found on the internet.