flavorings

[chuckb]

any body add flavorings to their fruit wines to add more fruit flavor

 

[Rice_Guy]

The synthetic flavors which are in the retail market aren’t balanced. The commercial natural flavors
(WONF, with other natural flavors) can be very good.

 

[winemaker81]

I agree, flavorings specifically formulated for wine and beer making will produce a better result. Before adding to your batch, take half a glass of wine and add a few drops of the flavoring, stir, and taste. Add more to make it stronger, if desired, and taste again. This is to ensure you want it added to the entire batch.

Everyone knows what I'm going to say next: it's easier to add more than to take some out!

 

[Hazelemere]

any body add flavorings to their fruit wines to add more fruit flavor

Chambord liqueur on raspberry wine. Cassis on blackberry/elderberry.

 

[BernardSmith]

Simplest approach is to reduce the amount of water you use to dilute the fruit juice and add more fruit to the must. Contrarian that I am, in my opinion, most people who make country wines are allergic to the idea that the flavor is in the fruit. They seem to imagine that the more water they use the richer the fruit flavor their wines will have.. How much juice can you express from 3 lbs of fruit- a pint? So you are adding 7 pints of water for every gallon? Would anyone drink fruit juice at that dilution, and yet for wine making it's supposed to make a rich flavored drink?

 

[Hazelemere]

Simplest approach is to reduce the amount of water you use to dilute the fruit juice and add more fruit to the must. Contrarian that I am, in my opinion, most people who make country wines are allergic to the idea that the flavor is in the fruit. They seem to imagine that the more water they use the richer the fruit flavor their wines will have.. How much juice can you express from 3 lbs of fruit- a pint? So you are adding 7 pints of water for every gallon? Would anyone drink fruit juice at that dilution, and yet for wine making it's supposed to make a rich flavored drink?

I always use 6 lbs of berries per Imperial gallon of water and never heat the fruit.

 

[BigDaveK]

Simplest approach is to reduce the amount of water you use to dilute the fruit juice and add more fruit to the must. Contrarian that I am, in my opinion, most people who make country wines are allergic to the idea that the flavor is in the fruit. They seem to imagine that the more water they use the richer the fruit flavor their wines will have.. How much juice can you express from 3 lbs of fruit- a pint? So you are adding 7 pints of water for every gallon? Would anyone drink fruit juice at that dilution, and yet for wine making it's supposed to make a rich flavored drink?

In defense of many people, novice wine makers follow recipes which usually call for 3-4 lbs of fruit AND they may get their fruit from the grocery store. Two strikes. I think those who are semi-serious about the hobby and willing to learn, quickly (or at least eventually) learn that there's a better way.

 

[vinny]

In defense of many people, novice wine makers follow recipes which usually call for 3-4 lbs of fruit AND they may get their fruit from the grocery store. Two strikes. I think those who are semi-serious about the hobby and willing to learn, quickly (or at least eventually) learn that there's a better way.

I agree, I did a few country wines and then started playing with kits. Off the hop I was just following directions. After coming back to the country wines with more confidence I found that depending on your goal ingredient ratios are a huge factor.

You can make a very good neutral wine with carrot or tomato. Adding 3 lbs of either will result in a very pleasant 'white' wine. The ingredients are imparting nutrient and a light flavor base. Perfectly acceptable if this is your goal. However, if you want a fruit forward wine you need substance. I can't believe how my banana went from the biggest banana flavor explosion I had ever tasted to a nice 'white' wine. I am eager to see what time and back sweetening will do, but in the future if I am aiming for a wine that tastes like the source ingredient, it's going to be pretty well straight fruit.

My kiwi rhubarb is strong, the two flavours mingle and it will take some back sweetening to get both flavours to pop. I literally just racked it to secondary, so it needs time, but there is no mistaking it for a grape or neutral wine with only 3 cups of water to a gallon and a half of must.

 

[winemaker81]

In defense of many people, novice wine makers follow recipes which usually call for 3-4 lbs of fruit AND they may get their fruit from the grocery store. Two strikes. I think those who are semi-serious about the hobby and willing to learn, quickly (or at least eventually) learn that there's a better way.

My first wine was rhubarb made from a recipe in the local newspaper, using bread yeast. It was definitely a country recipe developed by folks that had no test equipment; they just experimented until it worked. If there are people 1,000 years from now, wine will continue to be made in this fashion.

 

[vinny]

If there are people 1,000 years from now, wine will continue to be made in this fashion

What do you mean if? Where would we go?

OK, I admit I'm iffy on 100 years from now.

 

[BernardSmith]

Like I suggest, many people who publish recipes for country wines were /are allergic to fruit in fruit wines. No one adds a drop of water to grapes when they crush and press that fruit but they don't hesitate to drown most other fruits in water. It's as if they are looking for a miracle that will turn their water into wine. Grape wines ain't cheap to make but country wines ought to be? I guess they can be if instead of fruit juice you use table sugar... (you WILL still need to use table sugar with country wines because most eating fruit has about 1 lb of fermentable sugar per gallon of juice (and wine grapes will have double that) . And sure , there are some fruits (oranges, for example) that are too acidic (TA) to ferment without SIGNIFICANT dilution, but does that apply to strawberries? to mulberries?

 

[winemaker81]

What do you mean if? Where would we go?

I read about "challenges" on various social platforms, and expect humans will exterminate themselves. In many cases the question, "how dumb do you have to be?" appears to be a challenge in itself, not a question. Either that, or Darwinism will win out and we'll be smarter 1,000 years from now. [I'm not exactly expecting to be an eye witness .....]

We successfully tangented this thread in less than 10 posts!!!

 

[vinny]

I read about "challenges" on various social platforms, and expect humans will exterminate themselves. In many cases the question, "how dumb do you have to be?" appears to be a challenge in itself, not a question. Either that, or Darwinism will win out and we'll be smarter 1,000 years from now. [I'm not exactly expecting to be an eye witness .....]

We successfully tangented this thread in less than 10 posts!!!

The other day @hounddawg brought a topic back on track that I had derailed...

THAT was an eye opener.

 

[cmason1957]

The other day @DAWG brought a topic back on track that I had derailed...

THAT was an eye opener.

Somebody must have hacked his account.

 

[BigDaveK]

OK, I admit I'm iffy on 100 years from now.

Most difficult jobs are easier when broken down into baby steps. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for 1 year. If that's successful, maybe we can do 2 more years, and so on...

 

[BigDaveK]

We successfully tangented this thread in less than 10 posts!!!

Just thinking out loud - I wonder how many tangents can be had in a single thread?

 

[winemaker81]

Just thinking out loud - I wonder how many tangents can be had in a single thread?

THAT sounds like a challenge!


@chuckb, did you get sufficient answers to your question before we went off the rails?

 

[Rojoguio]

Good read here posters. I ran into a problem yesterday. A friend gave me a 5 gallon bucket of Satsumas to make wine with and ask how much will it make? I responded maybe 5-6 gallons but after running the peeled fruit (Peelings made up a lot of volume) thru my 15# sausage caser I had a gallon of juice and a gallon of crushed pulp. I called and told him we would be better to hit a 3 gallon batch. Well I could tell on the phone he was real disappointed. So I made a 6 gallon batch, will top off each rackings with syrup to maintain the 6 gallons, give him half, then never take fruit when the gifter is expecting a return on their fruit. Quality takes more fruit than expected.

 

[winemaker81]

Well I could tell on the phone he was real disappointed.

Many moons ago a friend gave me 5 lbs of mangoes from his parents' yard, with the expectation I'd make 5 gallons of wine and he'd get half. I solved the problem by making jam and giving him half. Oddly enough, he had never heard of anyone making mango jam.

Is your friend going to be disappointed with the quality of the wine?

 

[tamara maillot delong]

My first wine was rhubarb made from a recipe in the local newspaper, using bread yeast. It was definitely a country recipe developed by folks that had no test equipment; they just experimented until it worked. If there are people 1,000 years from now, wine will continue to be made in this fashion.

Please do you still have this old rhubarb wine recipe? I would love to try it. I have soooooo much rhubarb and would like a really really tried and trusted recipe! Thank you