Sweet Apple Wine Help Please

Hello again. I am still trying to perfect my basic sweet apple wine recipe before I make it. With your help I have made some alterations to the original posted thread. Please keep in mind that I am an absolute beginner. I am not using a kit and I'm still learning how to use a hydrometer.

I have decided to go with a 13.4% alcohol content instead of the initial 17% I was going to go with because I was told that at 17% alcohol it would ruin the flavor of the wine.

I found a chart online and it says:

FOR FINAL SG READINGS
Dry wine between 0.990-0.996
Medium between 0.996-1.990
Sweet between 1.009-1.018

My recipe is:

SWEET APPLE WINE "Apfelwein" (4 British Gallons) @ 13.4% Alcohol Content
16 Litres of apple juice (juiced from fresh cooking apples)
Minced apple left from juicer
Water to top up if necessary for measuring purposes
High alcohol yeast
6 lbs. Sugar (approximately)
6 Cups chopped golden sultanas
The juice of 2 lemons (Divided; 1 used before fermentation and the second 1 used after fermentation)
1 Cup of black tea
4 Teaspoons of yeast nutrient
4 Vitamin B1 tablets
12 Campden tablets (4 in the must, 4 after fermentation and then 4 just before bottling)
4 Teaspoons Pectic Enzyme/Pectolase
2 Teaspoons Potassium Sorbate
2 Liters of a Pre-made and frozen apple concentrate (homemade from juiced cooking apples with a LOT of sugar) to be used optionally to back sweeten to taste (if necessary) after fermentation.

So in order for me to obtain a 13.4% (or thereabouts) alcohol content and have a sweet wine, my starting SG should be 1.100 and my ending SG should be between 1.009-1.018. I can always back sweeten if the wine is not sweet enough to my taste but it would be nice to not have to do that.

Is the SG chart that I found accurate? Do my recipe amounts and ingredients look okay for what I am wanting? I want the wine to be sweet and crisp and at around 13% alcohol. Should I add or subtract any ingredients to make it better?

Any help is very much appreciated.

Trying to stop a fermentation to maintain a certain sweet level and to get to a certain ABV is nothing but a gamble. Start your sg around 1.090, let it ferment to dry, than backsweeten to the sweetness you want, remember to add sorbate prior to backsweetening.

Okay, that is what I had planned on doing to begin with but then I found this chart. I figured there would be a catch lol. Thank you. I will do that. Anything else that should be altered? More lemons? No black tea etc? Cute doggy btw. <3

I agree with Julie but would also suggest not using a high alcohol yeast. Instead use a low alcohol yeast more designed for a fruit wine such as Wyeast's 4766 Cider yeast. Check out this list from Winemaker Mag. showing yeasts and their properties here . You will get a more complete fermentation while maintaining a lower alcohol level.

Also, if you are using nutrient there is no need for the vitamin tablets and as for lemon juice, I would hold off until you taste the wine. There may be enough acidity in cooking apples that there is no need for any additional acidic bite from the lemon juice. Not sure the purpose of the raisins in the recipe -are they to add tannin? but you are adding black tea AND you are using cookers (are they not higher in tannins than eating apples?). Are they to add nutrient? You are adding nutrients. Are they to add "body" (mouthfeel)? If you allow the wine to age it will develop good mouthfeel (it will coat your mouth and tongue as you drink it and "slide" down your throat rather than pour down like water). I guess my principle is "simple is best" - and less is always more and that includes the number of ingredients in a recipe. In short, unless you know why an ingredient is in a recipe you always need to ask why it is in there... and if the author of the recipe does not offer a reason (or has no idea...), then perhaps there really is no good reason to include it... If you wear a belt is there is really a good reason to wear braces too... ? Just sayin'...
And I agree with bchilders about using a more appropriate yeast. If you can get your hands on a yeast known as 71B ... that has special affinity for the acids in apples, makes few demands on nutrition and does not produce a great deal of sulfur... In short 71B is a great low maintenance yeast.. You provide the fruit, it does the work.

bchilders said:

I agree with Julie but would also suggest not using a high alcohol yeast. Instead use a low alcohol yeast more designed for a fruit wine such as Wyeast's 4766 Cider yeast. Check out this list from Winemaker Mag. showing yeasts and their properties here . You will get a more complete fermentation while maintaining a lower alcohol level.

Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your input. I really appreciate it. I have already bought the high alcohol wine yeast *smh*. I have some baker's yeast too. What if I mixed half of the high alcohol yeast and the bakers yeast together? Would that tone it down a bit? As suggested below, I am going to buy some 71B wine yeast.

BernardSmith said:

Also, if you are using nutrient there is no need for the vitamin tablets and as for lemon juice, I would hold off until you taste the wine. There may be enough acidity in cooking apples that there is no need for any additional acidic bite from the lemon juice. Not sure the purpose of the raisins in the recipe -are they to add tannin? but you are adding black tea AND you are using cookers (are they not higher in tannins than eating apples?). Are they to add nutrient? You are adding nutrients. Are they to add "body" (mouthfeel)? If you allow the wine to age it will develop good mouthfeel (it will coat your mouth and tongue as you drink it and "slide" down your throat rather than pour down like water). I guess my principle is "simple is best" - and less is always more and that includes the number of ingredients in a recipe. In short, unless you know why an ingredient is in a recipe you always need to ask why it is in there... and if the author of the recipe does not offer a reason (or has no idea...), then perhaps there really is no good reason to include it... If you wear a belt is there is really a good reason to wear braces too... ? Just sayin'...
And I agree with bchilders about using a more appropriate yeast. If you can get your hands on a yeast known as 71B ... that has special affinity for the acids in apples, makes few demands on nutrition and does not produce a great deal of sulfur... In short 71B is a great low maintenance yeast.. You provide the fruit, it does the work.

Click to expand...

Getting some wonderfully helpful answers today! Thank you! I was told that the B1 tablet helped to build a healthy yeast colony. The sultanas are for flavor and vinosity, the lemons to help balance alkaline/acid levels as well as for crispness in the flavor (I read that cooking apples do not contain the correct amount of lactic acid but plenty of malic acid so lemon juice is sometimes needed but not much) & the black tea for tannin.

There are just so many different ways of doing this and so many conflicting answers online. I agree with you, simplicity is definitely best. I think I will remove the black tea. I will also hold off on the lemon until it has finished fermenting and I have back sweetened it to see if it needs any lemon to my taste.

The vitamin B1 surely can't hurt anything, right? Perhaps I will cut the amount of the B1 vitamin in half.

As for the yeast, I will order some Lalvin 71B wine yeast. Thank you!!!

Anything else to add? I really appreciate all of your help.

This is my entire recipe for the sweet apple wine

Corrected Version: SWEET APPLE WINE "Apfelwein" (4 British Gallons) @ 13.4% Alcohol Content
16 litres of apple juice (juiced from fresh cooking apples) plus minced pulp of apple left from juicer
Water to top up if necessary for measuring purposes
71B Wine Yeast (as per instructions on packet)
6 lbs Sugar (approximately)
6 Cups chopped golden sultanas
The juice of 1-2 lemons (to be added for flavor after fermentation)
4 Teaspoons of yeast nutrient
2 Vitamin B1 tablets
12 Campden tablets
4 Teaspoons Pectic Enzyme/Pectolase
2 Teaspoons Potassium Sorbate
2 Liters of a Pre-made and frozen apple concentrate (homemade from juiced cooking apples with a LOT of sugar) to be used optionally to back sweeten to taste (if necessary) after fermentation.

Sterilize all equipment.

Use 2 separate large bins making 2 gallons of wine per bin.

In large pot on stove, measure 8 litres apple juice, mix in the minced apple pulp from juicer, 3 Cups of chopped golden sultanas, 1 Tsp. yeast nutrient, 1 vitamin B1 tablet, 2 Campden tablets & 1 kg of sugar. Gently warm on stove to dissolve sugar (do not boil as this depletes the flavor). Measure starting SG. Continue to add sugar until desired starting SG is achieved making sure sugar is completely dissolved before taking a hydrometer reading.

For 13.4% alcohol, the hydrometer should read near 1.090 this stage. Once the hydrometer reads near or on 1.090, pour into bin add 2 Tsp. Pectolase.

Repeat above for second bin.

Do not cover at this time (unless with just a thin towel or netting to keep dust and insects out) and allow to sit for 24 hours. The sulfur dioxide from the Campden tablets need the opportunity to dissipate into the air at this time.

Primary Fermentation: After 24 hours, stir it and then pitch the yeast in each bin and cover bin with plastic lid (do not seal so that it can breathe). Once it begins to ferment, do another hydrometer reading that should read near to 1.090. Take note of this specific reading as it can be used later to determine the precise alcohol percentage when it is finished fermenting by taking the difference between starting SG (1.090 for 13.4 % alcohol) and subtracting it from the ending SG (between 0.990-1.000) then dividing the difference by 7.362. This figure will give the percentage of alcohol.

Try to maintain the wine at 60 degrees Fahrenheit throughout primary and secondary fermentation.

*After day 24 hours of primary fermentation, add 1 Teaspoon of yeast nutrient per bin.

Allow to ferment in bins until the vigorous fermenting has stopped (usually 3-5 days) stirring gently with sanitized stirrer once a day.

After 3-5 days (or when the vigorous fermentation has stopped), do not shake or stir anymore from this point onward. Siphon the liquid into demijohn for secondary fermentation.

Once secondary fermentation has completed/bubbling has stopped, Test with hydrometer once more and the ending/final SG reading should be between 0.990-1.000. Make a note of this reading as it can be used to determine alcohol content. Siphon into a large bin. Then dissolve 4 Campden tablets and 2 teaspoons of potassium sorbate into it.

If it is not sweet enough to taste at this stage, Use a pre-made, defrosted super sweetened apple juice concentrate to back sweeten the wine for a sweeter flavor to taste. Alternatively add a sugar syrup (sugar dissolved in boiled water then cooled to room temp.) However, the frozen apple concentrate mentioned firstly will give a better flavor. The juice of 1-2 lemons can be added at this time for flavor if needed.

If higher alcohol content is desired, the wine can be fortified with alcohol at this stage. Brandy makes it taste like a sherry. It can be fortified with rum, frozen wine alcohol etc.

Now it is time to begin racking it. Usually racking is not needed more than 3-4 times unless absolutely necessary. Avoid over racking because exposing the wine to oxygen too much can cause bacteria in the wine. When the sediment is about 1/2-1 inch at the bottom, siphon into clean demijohn. Generally there are 2-3 months between rackings but use your best judgement.

When the alcohol has become clear of any sediment, it is time to bottle. Just before bottling, add 4 more Campden tablets.

Once bottled, leave to age for 3 months before drinking.

AspiringDakini said:

Getting some wonderfully helpful answers today! Thank you! I was told that the B1 tablet helped to build a healthy yeast colony. The sultanas are for flavor and vinosity, the lemons to help balance alkaline/acid levels as well as for crispness in the flavor (I read that cooking apples do not contain the correct amount of lactic acid but plenty of malic acid so lemon juice is sometimes needed but not much) & the black tea for tannin.

There are just so many different ways of doing this and so many conflicting answers online. I agree with you, simplicity is definitely best. I think I will remove the black tea. I will also hold off on the lemon until it has finished fermenting and I have back sweetened it to see if it needs any lemon to my taste.

The vitamin B1 surely can't hurt anything, right? Perhaps I will cut the amount of the B1 vitamin in half.

As for the yeast, I will order some Lalvin 71B wine yeast. Thank you!!!

Anything else to add? I really appreciate all of your help.

Click to expand...

See if you can buy tannin (much commercially available tannin comes from chestnuts which is fine but it is possible you can get grape tannin... then you would not need the black tea but I think that even cooking apples need tannin (crab apples are tannin rich)

Not sure that you need lactic acid. Do you mean citric acid? But no matter. Yeast prefer a more acidic rather than a less acidic environment but they will work to produce this. Your concern about acid levels before you pitch the yeast is whether the acidity will be too much to support the yeast (you don't want the pH to be so low that it will strip paint nor do you want the pH so high either. But apples (I think) are generally in the right ball park for the yeast.
Now AFTER the fermentation is over you want to see how the wine tastes. Too little acidity and the wine will be bland. Too much and it will be bitter. So you don't simply dump lemon juice into the wine you taste the wine and decide how much it MAY (or may not) need.

AspiringDakini said:

Corrected Version: SWEET APPLE WINE "Apfelwein" (4 British Gallons) @ 13.4% Alcohol Content
16 litres of apple juice (juiced from fresh cooking apples) plus minced pulp of apple left from juicer
Water to top up if necessary for measuring purposes
71B Wine Yeast (as per instructions on packet)
6 lbs Sugar (approximately)
6 Cups chopped golden sultanas
The juice of 1-2 lemons (to be added for flavor after fermentation)
4 Teaspoons of yeast nutrient
2 Vitamin B1 tablets
12 Campden tablets
4 Teaspoons Pectic Enzyme/Pectolase
2 Teaspoons Potassium Sorbate
2 Liters of a Pre-made and frozen apple concentrate (homemade from juiced cooking apples with a LOT of sugar) to be used optionally to back sweeten to taste (if necessary) after fermentation.
...

Click to expand...

I think you have a good recipe to start with. Not sure about the B1 but like you say it probably will not hurt. I have never used it. If you choose to back sweeten with apple juice expect your wine to become cloudy. Better to back sweeten with simple syrup. I always recommend testing for SG and Acid before fermenting but if you can't then following a tested recipe is a good way to get a drinkable wine. Keep good notes and let us know how it turns out.

The recipe sounds ok. How did it turn out?
Would you do anything different?
____________________________________
Marius
Canard Duchene demi sec