How long do you leave the fruit in the primary?

[karrlot]

So when you're making fruit wine, how long do you leave the fruit in the primary? How do you know when to take it out?

 

[Deezil]

When making non-grape wines, i tend to leave the fruit in there for as long as i can (while in the primary fermenter) - when i rack my wine and put it under airlock, i also remove the removable fruit solids at this point

If you want a more delicate wine with lighter flavors, remove the fruit sooner
If you want as flavorful of a wine as you can make, leave the fruit in there as long as you can.. But be ready for the occasional need for extended aging or clearing

 

[spaniel]

IMHO you're going to get about all you will get out of the fruit in a week. You want to get the wine off the fruit and into an airlocked carbuoy before the fermentation really slows down.

 

[BobF]

I leave it until it looks like there's nothing good left in the pulp. I use strainer bags, so it's easy to lift it, let it drain, then discard.

This varies according to the fruit used and how small the chunks are. Mashed berries don't need nearly as long as chunks of peaches or apples. The timing also depends on how much skin extraction you want for color and tannins and the likelihood that seeds, if any, will add bitterness.

This is something you'll need to develop you're own preference for over time.

"To squeeze or not to squeeze" is another question. Some people really wring out the pulp bag, others gently squeeze and others don't squeeze at all, letting the bag drain on it's own. IMO, this all depends on the condition of the pulp and whether or not you feel like there is something left to squeeze out of it. Most times I just let it drain, but occasionally I can't help myself and give it a gentle squeeze to speed up the process.

 

[karrlot]

What are the drawbacks of leaving it in too long? Too much flavor?

 

[BobF]

Bitterness, off flavors, difficulty clearing ...

 

[winemaker_3352]

Bitterness, off flavors, difficulty clearing ...

I agree - this year i tried something new - i made my fruits w/o the pulp bag. I found it to leave a bitterness to the wine.

So far this year - the wine is a lot more mellow - looks like it will turn out very nice.

 

[BobF]

Jon - are you saying you just used juice, or you used the fruit without the bag?

 

[winemaker_3352]

Jon - are you saying you just used juice, or you used the fruit without the bag?

Just fermented the juice this year - I did leave the fruit in the juice with pectin at first - but pressed and fermented only the juice..

 

[BobF]

Good info. I want to try that with blackberries if I ever have any again.

 

[photony]

I usually leave it in until I rack to the secondary, at about 1.010.