First Strawberry wine batch.

[winemaker_3352]

I have just started my first strawberrry wine batch - starting SG was 1.085 - i racked yesterday (SG at 1.002) into secondary to finish the fermentation.

My question is this - i am only making a gallon - and when fermentation is complete - i need to top off - but i am about 1-2 cups low. If i backsweeten should i just top up with water/sugar mixture or would someone recommend a strawberry juice of some sort to top off and backsweeten?

 

[Tom]

rack and let it finish. Give it another 7-10 days. Then add meta a and sorbate. let it sit another week or so.. Rack and add f-pac and back sweeten and add clearing agent. This should be more than enough to fill the head space. Remember there will be more settling

 

[winemaker_3352]

Sorry for my ignorance - but what exactly is an f-pac?

 

[Tom]

F-PAC

How to make a F-PAC = Flavor Pac


Add 20-30% of #’s of fruit what was used in the primary (if you used 30# in recipe then you will need 6-9# more for the f-pac) in a large frying pan or pot. Simmer to extract all "flavor" and reduce the water from the fruit. Strain thru a kitchen strainer and add AFTER you rack and after the wine is DRY ( .990) You MUST have added k-meta and Sorbate before adding the f-pac. Once adding the f-pac you can add clearing agent. You will have to rack at least 2+ more times. Then
back sweeten to YOUR taste using simple syrup.

Tom

Home of the
MOON RIVER BREWERY
and
DELANCO VINEYARDS

 

[winemaker_3352]

Perfect!! Thank you very much!!

 

[winemaker_3352]

When i make the f-pac - do i need to adjust the acidity or SG at all? Or just extract the juice out and add it to my batch?

 

[Tom]

No, It shouldnt make much of a difference. Make sure you added k-meta AND sorbate before adding the f-pac.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Is there any reason to do cold stabilization on this?

The tartaric acid reading was .60 - i just want to make sure that i won't have ice crystals after bottling.

 

[winemaker_3352]

So i added in sorbate and k-meta - about a week later i racked my strawberry wine - SG was at 0.999 for 3 days in a row - added f-pac, back sweetened to 1.016, and adding clearing agent.

Before adding my clearing agent i sampled the wine - it smells fine, but it tasted like a not so sweet strawberry.

Is this normal? I am hoping that it tasted this because the wine is young - about 3 weeks.

 

[Tom]

The taste is all about how many #'s per gallon and how strong your f-pac is. I make a strong f-pac. I just bottled 6 gallons of Strawberry yesterday and tasted like liquid strawberry.

 

[winemaker_3352]

For 1 gallon i used 8# strawberries and 4# for the f-pac - to back sweeten to 1.016 i used 1 cup of sugar.

Will time make the taste a little more pleasant? Or is there something i need to correct?

 

[Tom]

Looks good. Fruit wines will get a little sweeter over time. Give it at least a month in bottle before opening one.
rather than add sugar to the wine make simple syrup. Adding sugar directly to the wine is harder to dissolve.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Yeah - that is what i did - i made a simple syrup. I read a thread on here the other day about that.

 

[Maestro]

I really want to do a true strawberry wine myself, but I am seeing that this padawan has much to learn still. Research more I must.

 

[marly]

The taste is all about how many #'s per gallon and how strong your f-pac is. I make a strong f-pac. I just bottled 6 gallons of Strawberry yesterday and tasted like liquid strawberry.

hi tom care to share your recipe you used for strawberry wine.it sounds delicious marly

 

[Tom]

6 GAllons of Strawberry Wine

36# of strawberries. I used my Steam juicer and did this last June and started it in October. I just bottled yesterday.
Water to 6 gallons
Pectic enzyme
acid blend
Sugar to 1.085 usinb WineCalc to find right amount
yeast = Cote des Blancs
yeast nutrient
1/4tsp tannin
ferment as normal.
Once dry rack and add meta and sorbate. 1 week later added f-pac of 12# of strawberries (3+ qts of steamed strawberry reduced over 1/2) and backsweeten
Wait a week add clearing agent.
Rack as needed age
filtered before bottling

 

[marly]

thanks tom will try this in july when berries are ripe here

 

[Tom]

Why Wait? Get 6 bags of Strawberries from Sams Club

 

[marly]

i live on pei . no sams no costico just asuper store and the berries there have no taste. i'll have to wait

 

[Midwest Vintner]

freezing the berries will help to release more flavor. although, the yeasties love the strawberries and there isn't much left after fermentation.

you can use some banana's or raisens (i prefer raisens) to add more body.

it's good to experiment a little. maybe not on first batches, but find what it lacks and search for how to add. if you keep notes, it helps too.