Bowhunter32
Active Member
What kind of plums have you used for plum wine? I can get California Plums for 1$ a pound right now and I'd like to know that they can make a good wine first..
Plum Wine plums..
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bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
Taste them. How much juice are you going to get out of the volume of plums you intend to purchase? How much will you need/want to dilute with ... um... water? , the juice/flavor to get the volume of must you want? How thin and watery will that likely taste?
If you have a refractometer measure the sugar content and if you have a pH meter measure their pH and TA. If you have to do a great deal of work to bring this fruit into where you think you want your wine to be then only you know how much tweaking and tinkering you are willing to do
If you have a refractometer measure the sugar content and if you have a pH meter measure their pH and TA. If you have to do a great deal of work to bring this fruit into where you think you want your wine to be then only you know how much tweaking and tinkering you are willing to do
OP
OP
Bowhunter32
Active Member
Thanks for the "figure it out yourself" answer, good questions for any recipe in question. You cant make good tasting wine without good tasting juice. With that being said I guess I was just wondering if anybody had success with the specified varietal.
gratus fermentatio
Well-Known Member
I've used red, black & prune plums to make wine & melomel, black plums are my favorite. Sometimes it's a challenge to get good flavored plums from the grocery stores though. Red plums usually have a slightly higher acid content than black plums, and I've used a bled of red & black, but I honestly didn't notice much difference in the final product.
I've only used the prune plums in a blend with black & though it was very tasty, I only made it once, so don't have a direct comparison. I usually "sweat" my plums, meaning that I leave them in a cool, dark & dry place for a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the condition of the fruit, so that it ripens/softens/sweetens prior to fermentation. I also freeze/thaw the plums for 2 reasons: 1) it makes it MUCH easier to extract the pits, I just squish them with my hands after thawing, but watch out for the pointy end of the pits. and 2) freezing help to break down the cell walls in the fruit, resulting in more juice extraction, hence more flavor.
Current plum prices around here are about $2.79/lb. If the fruit is good & you can process or at least wash & freeze it for later, I'd jump on that $1.00/lb price, that's a smokin' deal!
Regards, GF.
I've only used the prune plums in a blend with black & though it was very tasty, I only made it once, so don't have a direct comparison. I usually "sweat" my plums, meaning that I leave them in a cool, dark & dry place for a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the condition of the fruit, so that it ripens/softens/sweetens prior to fermentation. I also freeze/thaw the plums for 2 reasons: 1) it makes it MUCH easier to extract the pits, I just squish them with my hands after thawing, but watch out for the pointy end of the pits. and 2) freezing help to break down the cell walls in the fruit, resulting in more juice extraction, hence more flavor.
Current plum prices around here are about $2.79/lb. If the fruit is good & you can process or at least wash & freeze it for later, I'd jump on that $1.00/lb price, that's a smokin' deal!
Regards, GF.
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