wife's wine

[Krayton]

Well I am on my 3rd batch of mead. The wife said I can not make anymore until I make here a wine. So last night we started a strawberry wine. The starting gravity was 1.140. I would take a picture but I am using a 2 gallon bucket I used lalvin D47.

 

[Krayton]

I do get to buy a 60 Lbs pail of honey though!

 

[Yooper]

That's a very high OG for a fruit wine, particularly strawberry. I generally start my lighter fruits at an OG of 1.085 or so. It may turn out very "hot".

 

[Krayton]

I followed this recipe, we made ours for 2 gallons though and I am short a couple pounds of strawberry.
"Strawberry Wine Recipe #1
Provided by Judy.
Makes 1 gallon.
Ingredients
4 – 4.5 pounds strawberries
1 gallon water
2 pounds sugar
1 teaspoon acid blend (do acid test)
1/8 teaspoon tannin
1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 Campden tablet
1 package Côte des Blanc or champagne yeast (can substitute regular wine yeast)
*
Instructions
1. Wash and remove the stems and leaves.
2. Use a straining bag and fill with the strawberries. Tie the top, commence crushing and mashing. Leave straining bag in a sterilized bucket.
3. Add water, sugar, and acid blend (if needed, do test), tannin, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient. Stir well.
4. Before you add the yeast, you will need to sterilize the must. Crush up one Campden tablet and add to the must. Stir and cover for 24 hours. Now you may add the yeast. Stir well, cover, and stir every day for 4-5 days.
5. Then siphon into your 1 gallon jug, put the rubber stopper on and airlock.
6. Siphon every 2 weeks and add 1 crushed Campden tablet every time you rack. It will take about 2-3 months before your wine is clear enough to bottle.
7. You can make more than just 1 gallon if you just multiply out the recipe to however many gallons you want to make. One pack of yeast will work well for 5-7 gallons."

 

[bernardsmith]

Wow! four pounds of berries to make 1 gallon? I would have doubled that amount (actually, I think you want 10 lbs of strawberries to make a gallon of wine) and used as little additional water as possible - strawberries are not rich in flavor - so the more water you add the more you dilute the flavor. Your call, of course... But in future taste the must before you add any sugar. If it tastes flavor poor before you ferment it it won't taste any richer once it's wine.

 

[Krayton]

Oh wow 10 pounds ! That is a lot. I found the above recipe and went with it. Live and learn lol. Thank you for the information I will remember that for next time.

 

[bernardsmith]

My protocol is to use water for sanitizing and cleaning, and to use the fruit juice for wine making. Wine makers who make wine from grapes don't dilute their must with water. Why should those of us who make country wines (from fruits and vegetables) dilute our must? If the fruit does not have enough juice to make the volume you want, make a smaller volume or get more of the fruit. There are exceptions - wines from flowers, or wines from oranges or lemons or IMO, cranberries (because of the level of acidity), but you taste the must to see how flavor rich it is. I wouldn't follow a recipe just because someone printed or published what they did. The only thing that counts is how it tastes. But Hey! I am a contrarian.

 

[Krayton]

That is very interesting, I will remember that for next time.

 

[Stigmond13]

I typically use 3-4lbs of fruit per gallon and it works for me. You still get plenty of strawberry flavour with that method so crack on and I wish you well. It is going to be like rocket fuel with that sg though!!

 

[Krayton]

Okay cool thank you.

 

[Krayton]

Here is a picture of the wine I took before I did gravity check today.