Bananas in strawberry must? And other queries

[jswordy]

Getting very close to my pickup date for 120 pounds of farm-fresh strawberries. They may actually be ready this weekend, the farmer says. This will be my first strawberry wine from juice, and I am shooting for 6 pounds per gallon and 15-20 gallons yield. I will freeze and press the berries and then ferment the juice, reserving some for back-flavoring.

I know there are experts here on achieving a deep red, complex strawberry wine with body, so here are some questions:

1.) I am thinking of using bananas in the must to add body rather than raisins. My theory is that bananas will not add flavor to the strawberry. Anybody have a guide as to how many bananas to use per 5 gallons?

2.) The yeast I plan to use is 71B-1122. If you have other suggestions, I'd love to hear them, since I am placing an order soon for more supplies (my nearest wine shop is presently 100 miles away).

3.) I have noted that various recipes call for use of white or brown sugar. Do you have a preference, and can you describe the variation in taste between the two?

Plus anything else you can tip me about that will ensure success. Thanks!

 

[winemaker_3352]

I use the same yeast - very good yeast for this.

I don't like the taste of brown sugar - white sugar turns out better - IMO.

I have never added bananas or raisins - not that it isn't a good idea - i have just never tried it. I blend mine with peach - makes a light sweet after dinner wine.

As far as the deep red goes - i have done this wine for a few years now - never get a deep red, but also never the orange color - somewhere in between.

Might try fermenting with berries longer with the aid of pectic to gain more color.

This is the first year i just fermented the juice - wanting to see how it turns out.

The other years fermenting with the berries turned out fine - but IMO and for my taste - it had too much of a strawberry core taste.

All this might be different from farm berries - i get mine from the store..

 

[photony]

I have a strawberry wine (my first) at the end of fermentation, and so far it's a bright red, as you can see in the photo (second from the left). I expect it to fade somewhat as it settles out. I get my berries from a local produce store that gives me the ones they cull out when they start to get too ripe for sale, so these are very ripe berries to start with (not spoiled), and I used 6 pounds per gallon - no other fruit or juices. I'll have to say that after tasting it last night it has a long way to go!
To the right of the strawberry is skeeter pee started with the slurry from the strawberry.
When I collect enough strawberries again I'm going to try a strawberry/banana mix.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Looks good - that is about the color of my strawberry after it clears..

 

[Luc]

There are several varieties of brown sugar.

The first one is white sugar mixed with caramellised sugar.
Basically it is sugar but caramellising adds flavor.

The second variety is brown sugar made from sugar and molasses.
You do not want that in a strawberrywine !!!!

Be aware that brown sugar also adds color to your wine.
Basically it is not a good idea.

You can read my story on brown sugar here:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2009/02/basterdsuiker-brown-sugar.html

Banana's add body and sugar. So when adding banana's ne sure to adjust sugar levels.
I am still going to do a story on banana's so I can not tell you the sugar ratio yet.

Banana's will give a wonderfull smell to your wine in the first weeks of fermentation. Then that banana smell drops.
Banana's adapt their flavor to other ingredients. Meaning that adding banana's is a good idea.
Oh and yeast really love banana's they add (like said) sugar but also nutrients.

Luc

 

[Arne]

I watched my first batch change from a nice red to the orange, and it happened in no time flat. When racking, I picked up some of the sediment, not a lot. It hit the racked bottle and immediently changed to orange. I make sure to leave the sediment now and it has been a red color the last couple of times. Course pour the leftover wine off the sediment, stick it in the refrigerator for a couple of days to settle out and you have a taste sample. Arne.

 

[jswordy]

Course pour the leftover wine off the sediment, stick it in the refrigerator for a couple of days to settle out and you have a taste sample. Arne.

Gotch ya there! Waste not, want not!

 

[seth8530]

I would consider using more strawberries per gallon. Perhaps 8 lbs per gallon or more.. But then again, I like my fruit wines to have a strong flavor.

 

[Sofavannah]

Strawberry wine

I have used k1-v1116 and red star red Pasteur and both turned out good. I would also recommend bentonite when you are getting close to bottling, about 3-4 weeks prior. The seeds on the outside of the strawberry cause a slight bitter taste in the wine. I have made strawberry in the past with and wo bentonite, it is much better with it. I would also agree with the white sugar. You can almost taste too much of the brown sugar in the strawberry wine.

 

[seth8530]

You think that any kind of fining agent would do the trick?