Fresh Apricot Wine

[beardy]

So just a couple weeks after I started my very first wine, I wanted to do another... Just couldn't help muhself. I had about 11lbs of apricots from the tree in the back yard that we couldn't eat fast enough before they went too bad so all the ripe ones went into the freezer in a vacuum bag (no air for the fruities) and we ate on the up-and-coming ones.

I tripled a 1 gal recipe from 'The Joy of Home Winemaking' by Terry Garey as follows:

July 6 2013

6lb 12oz Sugar
1lb Raisins (I added this because I read here that apricot wine lacks body and this could help)
11lbs Apricots (frozen then thawed, very goopy!)
1 Campden tablet
4 1/2 tsp Tartaric Acid (local homebrew store out of acid blend and on here most people refer to Acid blend or Tartaric Acid so I used that)
3/4 tsp tannin (I only used 1/4 though because of the raisins)
3 tsp yeast nutrient (I used DAP)
1 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
3 gallons spring water (I like our local Arrowhead best)

I put 2 gallons in the fridge to cool
1 gal on the stove to boil with the sugar and the raisins.
Put the apricots in a straining bag.
Added the hot sugar/raisin water to the straining bag to catch raisins and get those gloopy apricots runnin free with the JUICE!
I added the Acid, tannin, nutrient.
I added the 2 gallons cooled water

This is where I got a little ahead of myself. I thought the pectic went in first then the campden tablet 12 hours later. I forgot that the must had to be cooled to 70-75F before EITHER went in. So what I did was add the Pectic when the must was about 90F. I know that the campden should have gone in first AFTER it cooled THEN 12 hours the pectic THEN 24 hours the yeast.

Initial SG: 1.106

July 7 2013

Made starter with Lavin 71B
2 oz spring water
1/2 tsp sugar
heated to 100F
sat 13 mins until holymoley frothy

Added spring water to bring SG to 1.084 (about 2 liters)
added starter to must (72F)



So I don't know if the heat killed off the pectic and if I should add more now that the temp is down? I have learned my lesson and won't be adding a late campden tablet. that can wait for stabilizing. But another question there would be 1 tablet for each gallon or 1 tablet up to 5 gallons?


Thanks for all the great posts, I feel like I know almost everyone now! I've been spending about 2-3 hours a day on the android app reading past and present threads, and doing a million searches! I'm really happy I found this place so early in my winemaking. Half the answers are all right here and I get to smack my head in private (unlike now).

I promised the Lady that I would start something that would be a faster drinking time the next batch (for putting up with me destroying the kitchen every few days!) So Dragon Blood will probably be the one!

Thanks again!

 

[Arne]

If it has trouble clearing, you can add more pectic post ferment. I have been told on here that it doesn't work during ferment, so before ferment or after will work. If you added it at 90 degrees, you should be ok with it. So, I think you will be just fine with what you did. Good luck and have fun with it, Arne.

 

[saramc]

You can add the pectic enzyme at any time, it still does its job. Any unused portion simply falls out in the lees.

You should also consider adding a bentonite slurry on/around Day 3, this will help significantly with clearing later down the road. For 5 gallons you use 3 tablespoons bentonite dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water. I like to sprinkle the bentonite on top of the water, allow it to rest, covered for about 12 hours so it starts to dissolve & expand and then stir well. I then transfer liquid must a cup at a time into the bentonite slurry until everything is incorporated. Typically this is a transfer from one bucket to another for me. The ferment action carries the bentonite into the must allowing it to do its thing. Your must looks quite opaque, (you just added clay!) but have no fear because you end up with crystal clear wine later on.

Any time you use fresh/frozen fruit you need Campden on board usually preferment and once every three months until ready to bottle, remember it is an antibacterial/antioxidant. Some do not add it to concentrate/shelf stable juices but I do simply because of the purpose it serves. Read the label on your packaging for dosing, though the most common campden tab is formulated for 1 tab/gallon when used for winemaking, a higher # of tabs when making a sanitizing solution.

 

[beardy]

You can add the pectic enzyme at any time, it still does its job. Any unused portion simply falls out in the lees.

You should also consider adding a bentonite slurry on/around Day 3, this will help significantly with clearing later down the road. For 5 gallons you use 3 tablespoons bentonite disdolved in 1/2 cup warm water. I like to sprinkle the bentonite on top of the water, allow it to rest, covered for about 12 hours so it starts to dissolve & expand and then stir well. I then transfer liquid must a cup at a time into the bentonite slurry until everything is incorporated. Typically this is a transfer from one bucket to another for me. The ferment action carries the bentonite into the must allowing it to do its thing. Your must looks quite opaque, (you just added clay!) but have no fear because you end up with crystal clear wine later on.

Thats really good to know. Its only Day 2 so I can still do that. I dont have a second 6.5gal fermenter (YET!) so ill have to add it directly (I will add it to some water and let it settle a bit before I add though)

Any time you use fresh/frozen fruit you need Campden on board usually preferment and once every three months until ready to bottle, remember it is an antibacterial/antioxidant. Some do not add it to concentrate/shelf stable juices but I do simply because of the purpose it serves. Read the label on your packaging for dosing, though the most common campden tab is formulated for 1 tab/gallon when used for winemaking, a higher # of tabs when making a sanitizing solution.

So I'm thinking on my first rack maybe add a little bit, maybe half the dose? I dont want to discourage fermentation but I would like the sanitary aspect since this is fresh fruit. I keep it around 64degF in a evap bucket cooler. So that should help.

 

[beardy]

Added 1/2 tsp/gallon of bentonite to 1c hot water. Letting sit til tomorrows squeeze and SG test. Also picked up K-sorbate to add at the first racking. SG today down to 1.055 at 70°
Really excited for the future!!

 

[saramc]

Do NOT add sorbate that soon. For it to work properly the must has to be clear, and free of at least 90% of the yeast cells. This will be added ONLY if you plan to sweeten it up before bottling, is actually one of the last things most do. Also, sorbate and k-meta/campden need to be added together, as the sorbate works best with proper SO2 management.

Now tell me about your evap bucket cooler. Very cool indeed!

 

[beardy]

Do NOT add sorbate that soon. For it to work properly the must has to be clear, and free of at least 90% of the yeast cells. This will be added ONLY if you plan to sweeten it up before bottling, is actually one of the last things most do. Also, sorbate and k-meta/campden need to be added together, as the sorbate works best with proper SO2 management.

Now tell me about your evap bucket cooler. Very cool indeed!

I just picked it up. I'm adding bentonite tomorrow so I can get the clearing under way. I will wait until its at/below 1.000. At the rate its going it might be sooner than later. I do plan on sweetening a bit as myself and the Lady like the sweeter wines. I'll be adding a thread for the evap cooler. But its fairly simple. Bin for water, the small water pump from petco or other pet store, some tubing from home improvement store (has to fit the output of the pump), a towel you don't mind getting wet (possibly rust stained from the wire to hold up the towel), full fermenting bucket.
Make the tubing long enough to wrap around the bucket ribs, drill holes (9/64 works great) along one half of the tubing (the end wrapping around the bucket), fold over one end and secure with wire. Attach to pump. Put bucket in bin. Wrap towel around so that the bottom of the towel just touches the bottom outside the bucket. Cut it if necessary but I just wrapped it and wired it around the ribs and folded it over. Wrap the tube around the outside of the towel and secure the bent end to the middle good and tight (it gets heavy with water). Fill the bin and place in an area with decent air movement. I put a little table fan near the bucket to keep the air moving. Room is about 78°. Must stays at 70°. Gotten it down to 62° with the fan close and blowing directly on the towel.


Close up of the tubing wrapped



the whole set up. Sorry its sideways.

 

[vernsgal]

now that is a great set up! I'm having a hard time keeping mine cool. I have them all sitting in bins filled with cold water that I pump out and change every few days.

 

[beardy]

Ok so my wine is doing good. It's been in secondary (3gal glass and 1gal jug) for about 4 days. There's about 3 inches of sediment and it seems to get clearer every day. SG today was at 1.000. I tasted it and its Very tart tasting. It only lasts a second maybe 2 then its gone. I have a 750ml bottle of unfermented must in a refrigerator that I want to use to back sweeten. So should I just let this sit another coupke weeks, rack off the sediment (I also kept 2 bottles of left over in the fridge to separate and make up racking loss) sorbate, sweeten and let sit more?

 

[vernsgal]

I wouldn't sorbate or sweeten until closer to bottling date.

 

[saramc]

Beardy...Since you have hit 1.000 now is ideal time to get that k-meta/Campden on board and that 3" of sediment is considered gross lees I would consider racking off that sediment sooner rather than later. The yeast cells and pulpy sediment can allow the must to develop off flavors as it progresses. A good rule on gross lees is if you have 1/4" or more of sediment (per gallon) then it is usually a good idea to rack. If it means you rack 5 days apart due to massive fallout that is okay, sometimes it takes 2-3 rackings to grab all the gross lees.
---After dealing with all the gross lees wait a month and then rack, then go to an every 60 day timeframe. Add campden/k-meta on quarterly basis from here on out. And in 4-6 months you should have a nice, clear wine!!
---the unfermented must you are saving for backsweetening is this all liquid, no fruit? Regardless, freeze it because it will be a many months before you will need it.

 

[beardy]

Beardy...Since you have hit 1.000 now is ideal time to get that k-meta/Campden on board and that 3" of sediment is considered gross lees I would consider racking off that sediment sooner rather than later. The yeast cells and pulpy sediment can allow the must to develop off flavors as it progresses. A good rule on gross lees is if you have 1/4" or more of sediment (per gallon) then it is usually a good idea to rack. If it means you rack 5 days apart due to massive fallout that is okay, sometimes it takes 2-3 rackings to grab all the gross lees.
---After dealing with all the gross lees wait a month and then rack, then go to an every 60 day timeframe. Add campden/k-meta on quarterly basis from here on out. And in 4-6 months you should have a nice, clear wine!!
---the unfermented must you are saving for backsweetening is this all liquid, no fruit? Regardless, freeze it because it will be a many months before you will need it.

Excellent thank you!! And the backsweetening must is not pure liquid. It has settled and there's a bit of "fruit" in it.