Making Strawberry Wine from fruit

I've been making wine from kits for a year now with good results but only done it this way to learn and perfect winemaking before moving on to fresh fruit.

I live in ireland and it is strawberry season now with stalls of fresh strawberries everywhere to be seen on the sides of roads.

What would i need after buying strawberries and the process to break them down into a juice to ferment with?

also what yeast would i need?

Freeze them, then put them into your fermenter with pectic enzyme. Also a small amount of kmeta will help the fruit to not brown while breaking down.

Hi! Strawberry wine sounds glorious! You only need a few essentials for making your own wine. 1. 1-2 gallon glass jar, 2. a 1 gallon carboy (skinny-necked glass bottle) 3. a siphon 4. airlocks 5. bottles….I think that's it, oh and your berries of course! Did you know that you don't even need to add yeast? Yeast is already present on the berries and in the air! I've posted a step-by-step guide to making your own wine here: http://www.thevintnerscellar.com/diy-wine-making/ I hope your wine turns out beautifully!

Sorry, my link didn't work. Go to www.thevintnerscellar.com to find the article!
Happy wine-making!

do what darlarms said, I've never made a kit, only fresh fruit that has been frozen after thawing in your fermenter add your pectic enzymes run up your SG depending on how sweet or dry you like it, something like a 71B yeast to bring out you fruity taste, yeast nutrient , add some sorbet to kill your wild yeast, 24 hours later pitch your yeast, I stir daily with a drill for 7 to 10 days then filter with a straining bag put your must into carboy and airlock, since your using fresh fruit make enough to fill a couple gallon jugs, airlock them they will be what you top of with each time you rack your carboy,,
good luck
dawg::

murphyaii said:

I've been m aking wine from kits for a year now with good results but only done it this way to learn and perfect winemaking before moving on to fresh fruit.

I live in ireland and it is strawberry season now with stalls of fresh strawberries everywhere to be seen on the sides of roads.

What would i need after buying strawberries and the process to break them down into a juice to ferment with?

also what yeast would i need?

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Dawg hit it right on except he ment sulfite (k-meta or camden tablets) instead of sorbate. The sorbate is for after ferment so you can add sweetener without getting a referment. Arne.

vintnerd said:

Hi! Strawberry wine sounds glorious! You only need a few essentials for making your own wine. 1. 1-2 gallon glass jar, 2. a 1 gallon carboy (skinny-necked glass bottle) 3. a siphon 4. airlocks 5. bottles….I think that's it, oh and your berries of course! Did you know that you don't even need to add yeast? Yeast is already present on the berries and in the air! I've posted a step-by-step guide to making your own wine here: http://www.thevintnerscellar.com/diy-wine-making/ I hope your wine turns out beautifully!

Click to expand...

Yea but taking the chance of using a wild yeast isn't worth the cost of a yeast packet when ya know that your wine will be drinkable. I would recommend lalvin71b. @vintnerd Why would you want a newbie to fresh fruit wine take a chance on wild yeast when we all know it can produce off flavores or other problems.?

This is true, barbie. When in doubt, go for the yeast packet. I do enjoy a good experiment though, that's why I would suggest letting the wild yeast do its thing. A newbie to wine-making might appreciate the experiment of it too.

I sure did miss I meant k-meta, I was working on some of mine and added my problem into you, as far as ARNE goes I could not make it if it wasn't for him above all, don't get me wrong most all on here have help me tons upon tons, but It sure seems to me ARNE has taken me under his wing and I am worlds better for it, besides ARNE'S knowledge is a very kind and help full heart, just my opinion but I believe all that know him is far better off for it, he is a rare bird, between ARNE, JOHNT, AND VACUUMPUMPMAN I HAVE IT NOT ONLY MADE,, but they make me feel like I belong here, and to this ole country hillbilly that means the world to me....
dawg::




I

Arne said:

Dawg hit it right on except he ment sulfite (k-meta or camden tablets) instead of sorbate. The sorbate is for after ferment so you can add sweetener without getting a referment. Arne.

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thanks everyone for the tips

so i'll need to source pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient, a bag for the fruit and i have the rest.

coolabula

to make say 30 bottles of strawberry wine which is about 23 litres in europe, how many strawberries would i need in weight?

I did a pure strawberry one year ago this month with 27 lbs for 3 gallons. There may have been a quart of water added but I'm about ready to bottle and it tastes and smells really rich. Might need one more cup of sugar but I've made 2 other versions in the past with half the berries and they had half the flavor, color and were "thin" compared to this batch.
Hope that helps some,
Mike

as krafty said, he used 27 lbs for 3 gallons, so for your 23ltr gallon batch I would use at least 55lbs to 60 lbs you should make at least an extra gallon or two of must, the extra you put in extra clear wine bottles air locked along with you big batch all air locked, each. that way each time you rack you can top off with some of your extra must that keeps your country wine pure, since I've never used a kit. which allows me to top off with your pure wine,
since I live back up in the foothills of the Ozark mountains of Arkansas, U.S.A.,, I want my wines made only with my pure product, a lot on here use kits so they top off wine a like store bought wine or they add marbles to eliminate head space which is right for them, me I just ferment extra all in one big ferment barrel, then fill my carboy, and a bunch of smaller jugs, from gallon jugs with small necks same for 1/2 gallon jugs, I even use soda pop bottles and/or extra wine bottles, make sure every extra bottles an jugs are all clear glass , I keep extra stoppers from small to enough all the way up to 11 that fit bottles bigger then you carboys, as for my carboys I like the small universal stoppers for my carboys they have a lip on top that way I can push them all the way down with out fear of a 6 an 1/2 stopper falling in two my carboys, the rest of the people that has posted on your thread have way more knowledge then I do, so as you read yo'll find a hundred ways to make one wine you just do what fits ou and since taste is subjective all that matters is as long as you and you better half are happy with the taste then you have succeeded,,,
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU.
Dawg::

murphyaii said:

so i'll need to source pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient, a bag for the fruit and i have the rest.

coolabula

to make say 30 bottles of strawberry wine which is about 23 litres in europe, how many strawberries would i need in weight?

Click to expand...

do not forget to freeze your strawberries, once you thaw them out you have a mush,meaning more juice from you berries, I just fremmed out 8 gallon of apples and pears, 80% of my fruit had turned to liquid . I use a sheet rock mixer in my drill an mix the hech out of it for 7 to ten das, I've ordered a 2 foot 1/2 inch hex bar 24 inches long and 4#,,, 1/4 inch round bars that are 12 inches long when they arrive i'll take my mixer and my stainless materal down to a machine shop and have them make me a mixer lihe my joint compound mixer, but built out of 304 stainless steel then i'll retire the mud mixer ans start using my custom built one made from all stainless steel,
Dawg::