Cranberry wine recipe wanted.

Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum

Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Vinegar

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2023
Messages
36
Reaction score
4
I gave 50 lbs lol looking for a recipe for 1 gallon and 5 gallon. I'm Pretty newbie so knowing all the additives required would help.
 
I freeze and thaw them. use about 15 to 20 pounds the add water up to 5 gallons. double amount of pectin enzymes, can add tannins but not necessary, real cranberries have a nice dry feel already. approximately, 6 to 7kg of sugar use hydrometer for precision. don't usually need any acid, ph is low usually. I crush using blender,
 
I added some apples with mine. About 15 or 20 percent apples I recall. And a half stick of cinnamon to make a 4 gallon batch.
 
I add orange zest! It goes great with cranberries.

If the pH is too low, you might need to add a little bit of Potassium Carbonate or Calcium Carbonate to raise the pH. I only do that if the pH is below 3.0.
 
I freeze and thaw them. use about 15 to 20 pounds the add water up to 5 gallons. double amount of pectin enzymes, can add tannins but not necessary, real cranberries have a nice dry feel already. approximately, 6 to 7kg of sugar use hydrometer for precision. don't usually need any acid, ph is low usually. I crush using blender,
I don't know what add and double means, there's no amounts listed
 
Is there a fruit on this list that cranberries would be the same receipe?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20231213_201619032.jpg
    IMG_20231213_201619032.jpg
    3.8 MB · Views: 0
I don't know what add and double means, there's no amounts listed
The bottle says 1/2 tsp per gallon or 1/10 tsp per pound of fruit. One can add ten times that without fermentation issues. Next the reaction is slower in alcohol so the sooner the better.

Comparison: pH (how happy the yeast are vs spoilage bacteria) cranberry 2.5 - 2.7; lemon 2.4 - 2.6; rhubarb 3.0 - 3.3; currant 2.9 - 3.2; wild grape 2.5 - 2.7. Making wine is cooking, ie blending flavors. I frequently blend low pH with high pH fruit to get to a zone where the yeast are happy. One of my favorites is apple juice with cranberry.
 
The bottle says 1/2 tsp per gallon or 1/10 tsp per pound of fruit. One can add ten times that without fermentation issues. Next the reaction is slower in alcohol so the sooner the better.

Comparison: pH (how happy the yeast are vs spoilage bacteria) cranberry 2.5 - 2.7; lemon 2.4 - 2.6; rhubarb 3.0 - 3.3; currant 2.9 - 3.2; wild grape 2.5 - 2.7. Making wine is cooking, ie blending flavors. I frequently blend low pH with high pH fruit to get to a zone where the yeast are happy. One of my favorites is apple juice with cranberry.
I'm sorry I'm a beginner I don't understand a single word of what you just said I only know how to follow recipes and directions at this point. You're telling me the bottle says I don't even know what bottle you're talking about I'm looking for a recipe and directions. Everything you just typed is way over my head ☹️
 
I'm sorry I'm a beginner I don't understand a single word of what you just said I only know how to follow recipes and directions at this point. You're telling me the bottle says I don't even know what bottle you're talking about I'm looking for a recipe and directions. Everything you just typed is way over my head ☹️
Welcome: you will learn. Give the experts a few days. Remember that GOOGLE and YouTube can be your friend, or it can give terrible advice. But I learn a lot from many sites.
Homemade Cranberry Wine
 
Last edited:
I'm sorry I'm a beginner I don't understand a single word of what you just said I only know how to follow recipes and directions at this point. You're telling me the bottle says I don't even know what bottle you're talking about I'm looking for a recipe and directions. Everything you just typed is way over my head ☹️
Don't worry about it. No one here was born knowing how to make wine.
 
Welcome: you will learn. Give the experts a few days. Remember that GOOGLE and YouTube can be your friend, or it can give terrible advice. But I learn a lot from many sites.
Homemade Cranberry Wine

I know how to follow these directions so far. But no idea which one cranberries would closest relate to for the recipe. I have 50 lbs to use before they go bad.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20231213_201619032.jpg
    IMG_20231213_201619032.jpg
    3.8 MB · Views: 0
I don't know what add and double means, there's no amounts listed
after fruit and sugar add enough water to bring up to be 5 gallons. I can't tell you exactly how much as it depends on volume of fruit.

pectin enzymes I usually use double what they recommend on the package. because the fruit doesn't break down as easy as some other fruit. about 1/2 teaspoon per gallon, I use about 2 tablespoons

wine needs sugar. for fermentation. use a hydrometer to calculate the abv you want. I add about 12 to 15 pounds per 5 gallons, I make 1000 liter batches so this is estimate and I use metric.

fruit needs pectin enzyme to break it down, clarify and extract sugars. id use about 2 tablespoons per 5 gallons.

most recipes add powdered tannins, id use minimum. amount as cranberries. already have a dry mouth feel. not needed. id wait and add after fermentation and aging to test. but less than 1 tsp might be ok.

ph meter is essential. any recipe that recommend acid blend and a specific amount will be false. depending on type location and season cranberries acidity fluctuates greatly. personally never needed to add acid.

add 1 spoon of yeast nutrients, before adding yeast. yeast about 1 tablespoon use whatever you use for other fruits. l71,

as said by others can add zest, or there flavors, I add mint leaves briefly to give a little zing,











add yeast nutrients.
 
after fruit and sugar add enough water to bring up to be 5 gallons. I can't tell you exactly how much as it depends on volume of fruit.

pectin enzymes I usually use double what they recommend on the package. because the fruit doesn't break down as easy as some other fruit. about 1/2 teaspoon per gallon, I use about 2 tablespoons

wine needs sugar. for fermentation. use a hydrometer to calculate the abv you want. I add about 12 to 15 pounds per 5 gallons, I make 1000 liter batches so this is estimate and I use metric.

fruit needs pectin enzyme to break it down, clarify and extract sugars. id use about 2 tablespoons per 5 gallons.

most recipes add powdered tannins, id use minimum. amount as cranberries. already have a dry mouth feel. not needed. id wait and add after fermentation and aging to test. but less than 1 tsp might be ok.

ph meter is essential. any recipe that recommend acid blend and a specific amount will be false. depending on type location and season cranberries acidity fluctuates greatly. personally never needed to add acid.

add 1 spoon of yeast nutrients, before adding yeast. yeast about 1 tablespoon use whatever you use for other fruits. l71,

as said by others can add zest, or there flavors, I add mint leaves briefly to give a little zing,











add yeast nutrients.
Just in time! Thank you so much!! That's exactly what I was looking for
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20231214_161457644_HDR.jpg
    IMG_20231214_161457644_HDR.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 0
@winechef gave a good answer.
The sheet of recipes lists things to add. If I was tailoring a cranberry recipe I would have to pick and choose. Cranberry has enough tannin that it doesn’t need more. Cranberry has as much acid as rhubarb so that is a good. The sugar is lower than apple but fairly close so that is useful, ,,

I use the same recipe enough sugar to reach 12%alcohol , ,, 1.090. pH to keep the yeast, nitrogen (but I like Fermaid O organic nitrogen) ,,, the acid is a bear with cranberry, high acid can
 
Thank you all for your help!! After a brain injury I have trouble with complicated things. Trying to get back to my pre broken hobby after 10 years away
 
Good luck, you can get all the chemicals you need from online wine supply stores. I highly recommend using potassium bicarbonate to reduce the acid. I recently posted my cranberry recipe in the country wine making forum. Cranberries have a lot of pectin, even after straining out a couple quarts of slimy pectin my wine has about an inch of pectin floating around the bottom of the carboy.
 
don't add anything to adjust Ph, unless you have accurate Ph meter. every batch of fruit different b sources etc will have different acidity. you might need to balance it, but after adding water could be ok.
 

Attachments

  • mmexport1702181313588.jpg
    mmexport1702181313588.jpg
    5.3 MB · Views: 0
These are great comments and understated actually. It’s best to get a hydrometer to measure specific gravity (SG) and a pH meter to know what the actual pH is. Then, you’re not guessing.

You can know for sure the actual starting point (SG) and end point (FG) or final gravity. You can estimate the potential alcohol content from the SG if it ferments dry, and also calculate the actual alcohol content between SG and FG even if it doesn’t ferment all the way.

It is also important to know the pH so that you can make adjustments ahead of time (the best time to do so) or afterward if necessary. There’s no guess work, it’s all pretty factual.

RiceGuy indicated a starting point of 1.090, which brings you to an ABV of 12%. Great place to be. The amount of sugar you add will be different from year to year, season to season, crop to crop. But, 1.090 will always be the same. If you want a higher ABV, add more sugar to get to where you want to be.

The same goes for pH. Each ferment may be different because of varying influences in what you add to the bucket. If you keep the pH within a range, you will be happy, as will the yeast and the must. Some yeast prefer a specific range, and some yeast will actually raise pH a smidge.

If you target a specific gravity and a specific pH, you will be well on your way without any guesswork, even if there are variations year to year in the fruit you use.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top