Got Strawberry started Yesterday

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I steamed out 4 gallons of pure steamed strawberry Juice from fresh strawberries. Just for the heck of it I checked the SG of the juice and came up with 1.02. I took a gallon of water and heated it and added 10 pounds of sugar stirring until it was 100% melted. When that cooled I added that to the must. Added Kmeta, pectin enzyme, acid blend and wine tannin. Today I put in the ICV-D47 yeast and yeast nutrient. I checked my SG and it looks like about 1.085-1.090. Probably closer to 1.090. I have my fermenter set in a room at 72 degrees. Any thing missing that you experienced makers would add? Thank you for any advice.
 
I would add non-sorbated raisins or bananas to impart body.

Jack Keller wrote at http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/ of an interesting method for bananas (though it's too late for you to do this now):

...the best way to do this is not to add bananas to the primary, but to slice 2 1/2 lbs of ripe (soft but not brown) bananas into thin discs for each gallon of fruit wine you intend to make, leaving skins on fruit. Put the slices into a nylon straining bag, tie the top closed, and place the bag in as much water as you need for your fruit wine in as large a pan or pot as required. For example, if you were making three gallons of wine that required 3 quarts of water per gallon, you would need a total of 9 quarts of water and 7 ½ lbs of bananas. You'll need a large pot, but could get away with using only half the amount her and adding the other half later. Just keep track of what you are doing.
Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer the bananas for 30 minutes. A grayish scum or foam will probably form on top and should be spooned away and discarded. Remove the bag to a bowl to catch the drippings.
While the bananas are simmering, chop or crush the fruit for your wine and place it in your primary with the required amount of sugar, acid blend, tannin, and yeast nutrient. Combine the drippings with the boiled banana water and pour the water over the fruit, sugar and additives. Stir this well to dissolve the sugar. If you only boiled half the required amount of water, add the other half now, cover the primary and allow the must to cool to room temperature before adding the required amount of potassium metabisulfite (or crushed and dissolved Campden tablets) to prevent the must from browning slightly during fermentation. Wait 10-12 hours and add the required amount of pectic enzyme. Wait an additional 10-12 hours and pitch an activated yeast starter.

If you add raw bananas now, they will form a soapy surface on the wine as it ferments. There are posts about this on this forum if you'd like to search for them. You can choose to either skim it off once it fully forms, or wait and rack off away from it at the end.

Good luck with your wine!
 
Testing for acid.....I did not test for acid but the recipe that I followed recommended 5 tsp for a 5 gallon recipe. Do you think I should still test? what should it be now ( has fermented for two days already)

Bananas and raisins... Would you recommend that I go ahead and add the bananas now? what about the raisins? How many would you recommend for 5 gal?
 
Testing for acid.....I did not test for acid but the recipe that I followed recommended 5 tsp for a 5 gallon recipe. Do you think I should still test? what should it be now ( has fermented for two days already)

Bananas and raisins... Would you recommend that I go ahead and add the bananas now? what about the raisins? How many would you recommend for 5 gal?

Never add acid or sugar blindly. You need readings to accurately add these in.

1 level tsp will increase TA .15% per gallon (I think).

I would check your acid - see where you are at.

I have never added bananas or raisins to my strawberry - i do blend with peach wine though.
 
I'd add 2 to 2-1/2 pounds (1/2 pound per gallon) of coarsely chopped unsulfated raisins (Kroger house brand is unsulfated, or organic ... check the labels). If you can get them, the golden raisins would be preferable, but black ones will work fine. Just rack off them or put them in a bag and add them. If you bag them, do not squeeze the bag much when you remove them. Allow to basically drip-drain.

2 tsp. citric acid per gallon is pretty much standard for strawberry wine recpes. I have never measured acid, I just add it by the recipe and then to taste later. It is advisable to measure sugar by SG, but to be honest I never even did that for a very long time and all was well by following the recipe recommendations. Even now, I start at higher SG than generally recommended cuz I loves me some alkyhaul.
 
for my first experience in my first strawberry wine going on right now, i can tell you that as they said before in this thread, add some raisins or banana to it, i experienced my first tasting after 35 days fermenting and i wish i could have more body..
but it is a very drinkable after i calculated to have a ~11 % abv
 
Strawberry turned out great. I have good flavor and very dry. Went from at 1.090 to a 1.000 in 8 days. We sampled it today before racking and for a new wine it was good. According to my calculations that give me about 13-14% alcohol. Thanks for all the tips. I am going to put it to bed for about a year (racking as needed) and see what it taste like then.
 
That is fantastic news, and good for you! Oh you might try a sample after 6 months, just to be sure it is on track for the year date, right??? :D

A really well-made strawberry wine is a delight.
 
Only one regret. When I racked into the carboy today I was about 1/2 gallon short of filling my 5 gal carboy up. I added about a quart of water and then I stopped. I am going to go to the wine store and buy me about 4 bottles of strawberry wine to top up the rest of the space in the carboy. I could kick my own tail for not using 5 gal of juice and 1 gal of water instead of 4 gal of juice and one gallon of water. Next time I will not let this happen to me again. I want the wine to be "high and dry" if you know what I mean. I hope the water does not diminish the quality of the wine very much :slp
 
If you keep stressing over it, it might could drive you to drink! :)

It'll be OK. I know there's lots of preaching about not adding water here, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Yep, starting with "extra" so you can leave some behind is a good thing to do. I think just about everyone learns it the same way you just did, too. ;)
 

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