fresh fruit

[outdrsman]

I have tried twice to make wine from fresh fruit that start off very well in the primary but seem to go bad before I rack into the secondary.(5 days in pimary) All the equipment has been cleaned and sterilised. I also used 1 campten tablet to 1 gallon. Will boiling the fruit such as strawberrys ar blackberrys help?
I have made several batches of wine with frozen juice from the grocery store that have turned out very good. But that juice has been pasturized. Any suggestions?

 

[St Allie]

I have tried twice to make wine from fresh fruit that start off very well in the primary but seem to go bad before I rack into the secondary.(5 days in pimary) All the equipment has been cleaned and sterilised. I also used 1 campten tablet to 1 gallon. Will boiling the fruit such as strawberrys ar blackberrys help?
I have made several batches of wine with frozen juice from the grocery store that have turned out very good. But that juice has been pasturized. Any suggestions?

When you say it goes bad.. can you describe it?.. Does it smell?....mold forming?

please list your recipe and your winemaking steps, so we can help.

Allie

 

[Luc]

Allie is right, we need some more info.

Is it already fermenting in the primary or are you just 'cold soaking' the must.
So how do you know it turns bad ? Do you taste it or what ???

What kind of primary are you using ???
Maybe it is something in the plastic or wood that turns the wine bad ???

Luc

 

[outdrsman]

It smells like a mild vinegar and has some sediment floating at the top. It will bubble good at first but kinda fizzles out at day 4. I use a glass primary same as always with a clean cloth and a rubber band.

 

[St Allie]

It smells like a mild vinegar and has some sediment floating at the top. It will bubble good at first but kinda fizzles out at day 4. I use a glass primary same as always with a clean cloth and a rubber band.

we need your recipe to try and assess what the problem is... it could be anything from using bread yeast .. to not enough fruit or sugars.. or the yeast may have already converted the sugars and the wine is finished perhaps?..

we really can't help you, without more information.


Allie

 

[smurfe]

Sounds like wine to me. Did you taste it? What type of fruit? Did you freeze the fruit first and then thaw it prior to making the wine? Give us some step by step details of your process and I am sure we can help you out. Many wines when fermenting or just done will have a very mild vinegar aroma to it. That is just an aroma of fermentation. Many wines don't smell real good during fermentation to some. It is an aroma you learn to love real quick though.

 

[Wade E]

Every wine made will make a certain amount of acetic acid which will smell and taste like vinegar to a certain extent at some time during fermentation and stuff floating, what exactly do you mean by this as not all the fruit will settle to the bottom. Its very hard to believe that 2 out of 2 batches went bad unless there is a very unsanitary part of your wine making.

 

[Luc]

The sediment floating at the top is called: the cap.
You will have to push it down at least two times a day.

CO2 forming from fermentation will start somewhere in the wine and will submerge. In the way up it will take all kinds of solids with it. That is what you are experiencing.
To prevent it from spoiling and to make sure all goodies are always in contact with the juice to extract the flavor, sugar, acid tannin etc etc etc you push it down regularly.

Next a fermentation can be very fast. So indeed after a few days it may slow down.

I just made a wine from apple juice. My intention was to do a test for my web-log. So I measured SG every day. It went like this:

Start 1080
Day 1 SG 1050
Day 2 SG 1010
Day 3 SG 1002
Day 4 SG 996

So that one finished in about 4 days.

A second apple wine even went faster:

Start 1080
Day 1 SG 1050
Day 2 SG 1010
Day 3 SG 998
Day 4 SG 996

So it is possible in good circumstances for a wine to finish in just a few days.

We still need more info from you like what fruit the wine was made.
Did you measure SG and acidity. What is the procedure etc etc etc.

Luc

 

[BettyJ]

I agree - I am using fresh fruit and have had a couple of batches that I thought were bad - taste and smell (yuk!). But these fine people told me to be patient, that this sometimes happens. And now? All is good with my wine.

Last year I had this happen with Mango wine and actually tossed a couple of batches last year (saved a little for cooking - and guess what? It is actually good). Morale - don't toss until you age.

For me it seems that the faster the fermentation, the greater risk of problems, so I try to keep my must cooler (for me that's 70 degrees or do) and push the fruit down at least 2 times a day. Also some yeast seems much faster.

 

[Madriver Wines]

I ,like Luc have had a few ferment like mad and be done in 4-5 days. I mean SG of .990 in 5 days. If I remember it too was an apple wine. Dont worry Outdrsman these folks will keep ya on the right path. One to drunken wine sampling parties lol.
Steve

 

[outdrsman]

I took a sg reading it is 998. I also sampled it smells and tastes much better
it has been two weeks know the fermentation has stoped. It is strawberry wine and I use redstar wine yeast. The recipe came out of a book that came with the kit I bought. I don't have it with me but I will post it when I get home next week. Sounds like I need to just let it be and just let it age awhile. Iwill keep you all posted. thanks.

 

[Wade E]

Yup, time is all it needs now!