Advice on Apple wine 5 gal

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jokalotus

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Ok so i was kinda sloppy with this last batch i didn't write anything down really but here goes. Any comments will be appreciated.

Apple wine 5gal

13 lbs Apples (cored, sliced, and frozen)
1 gallon frozen squeezed apple juice
lavlin EC-1118
2 tbsp cinnamon
yeast nutrient
yeast energizer
pectic enzyme
tannin
1 tsp acid blend

Started may,22,2011.
Topped off the 5 gallon bucket with water/sugar mix bringing the sg to a whopping 1.110 aiming for 13%.
I don't want it to finish out dry.
I'm also planning on topping the carboy off with a regular apple juice but not sure.

may 23
Got the yeast started. stirred the mix for 20 mins. Then added the yeast, covered and let sit :)

may 24
No activity in the morning about 7 hours later.
Got home from work about 9 hours later and there's a good 2inch cap, almost to the top!
 
Last edited:
Any idea how much weight wise was in each bag of apples. I think you will be light on fruit. Sounds good other than that. If you are going to top off, I would simmer down the juice to at least 1/2 it's volum before adding. This should bring some good apple flavor out. Starting at 1.100 this should finish semi-sweet. You can add more cinnimon as the process progresses to you taste. Get an acid test kit and aim for a finsihed acid of .65-.70%.

Other with more experience I'm sure will chime in.
 
yeah i was thinking i might be light on fruit as well. The bags were easy 3-4lbs ill know for sure tonight.
And yeah probably gonna bring the juice down to 1/2 when i top it off. thx for confirming that for me.
Im aiming for a sweet wine abv isn't a big issue as long as its over 10%.
Had no idea how much powdered cinnamon to add because all the recipies said to use sticks. but i added enough to taste.
 
I think you will be light on fruit.

What amount of apples per gallon do you recommend. I have seen a variety of recipes - some call for 3 lbs/gallon all the way up to 20 lbs/gallon ( must be straight apple juice).

Has anyone ever made apple wine from compote? If so, does the cooking process of the apples change the flavour of the wine?
 
My first batch of apples I used about 20 lbs for 3 gallons of wine. Very good flavor. I still back sweetened this with an fpac. My last 2 batches I used straight Fresh Apple Cider that was fresh pressed the day before. This year I will be doing the same.
 
Turns out the bags were 3-4 lbs varying so i averaged it to 13lbs altogether. the flavor so far is amazing but that's not saying much right now.
 
Appelwine should be made of pure apple juice, anything less will give you a very light wine.

Luc
 
Ok so fermentation slowed slightly as of Tuesday when i got home (or just more fruit had fallen to the bottom so there was less cap...).
I racked into a 5 gallon carboy, topped off with a half gallon of boiled down apple juice.
Checked on fermentation yesterday and its just a bubbling away, a bubble a second or so :)
checked sg and it was at 1.050 before topping up. Flavor is still amazing! :)
 
2 weeks into ferment and its still bubbling away nicely in the carboy
last checked the sg was at 1.020 two days ago
About 4 inches of sediment at the bottom.. hoping this compresses more over the next few weeks, or im gonna have to do a lot of topping off.

I would also like to thank luc for the tips on juicing apples on my previous post a few months back. I cored and sliced the apples, then froze and used pectic enzyme to extract the juices a little bit more.
 
Think i would just rack it to a 3 gallon carboy and then use 1 gallon jugs or wine bottles with airlocks to take up the remainder rather than topping up. topping up will just water down your abv. Just my $0.02.
 
i plan on topping up with an apple juice/sugar combo to sweeten and hopefully restart the ferment a tad as well.
Im not too happy with the flavor right now its quite tart but i can already tell that with age this will be a beautiful wine.
The abv right now is at 15% and the color is that of a bruised apple or a dark caramel :)
Ive also got about 3inches of heavy sediment on the bottom that should be fun to rack lol
 
I'll bet if you steal a small glass of the wine, add a little sugar, and you will be happy with the flavor again. Arne.
 
At 15% i doubt that you will get it to ferment further. thats pretty high as is. i would stabilize it before you add anything else. otherwise all you will taste is rocket fuel.
 
turned out rather delicious! couldnt keep the stuff around! did have a small problem with 1 bottle being racked a little early just popped the cork the rest of them kept a good amount of fizz and are in high demand :)

Thank you eveyone who could help with advise!
 

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