General fruit wine question

[cybergirl5710]

I've seen a lot of different fruit wine recipes for 5 gallon wines using various amounts of fruit online. For example, on this forum, I've seen peach wine made with as little as 5 lbs of peaches to as much as 50 lbs of peaches. To a newbie, that's a big difference in the amount of fruit used. So, what do you get more of if you use 50 lbs of peaches as opposed to 5 lbs? I assume more taste and a heavy-bodied wine--but you know what they say about assuming. . .

 

[FTC Wines]

Cybergirl, I just racked & back sweetened my 2011 Peach wine last weekend. 10 gals. was 25 lbs. peaches, 4 lbs. strawberries, & 1 lb. bananas [ per 5 gal. batch]. I call it B S Peach Wine. I made a 5 gal. batch with the same bananas & strawberries but used 40 lbs. of peaches just to see what the difference would be. [ no flavor pacs]. It did have more body & peach flavor but I'm not sure it's a new favorite. I like my peach Wine at 18-24 mo. old, so will do another side by side taste at 18 mo. when I usually start drinking it. Any way IMHO don't use less than 5 lbs. peaches per gal. 6-8 would be optimum. Roy

 

[Noontime]

Everything will be concentrated the more fruit you use...higher sugar, higher acids, ect. It all depends on the fruit being used (my store bought peach may be quite different than the one you get off the tree in your yard) and the style you want. Going REALLY big probably won't be a balanced wine, but it might make something interesting and enjoyable. On the other hand using a lesser amount will most likely be lacking in many if not all the things that make a wine enjoyable.

 

[cybergirl5710]

Thanks for all the advice! I'm going this afternoon to purchase 30-40 lbs of peaches that are on sale for $.59 per lb. Will add strawberry and bananas or golden raisin and mangos--depending on what I find.

 

[jswordy]

You have to be very careful with general "more is better" fruit advice. It depends on what fruit you are using. Some fruits will be stubborn fermenters if they are used in too high a concentration. Others can stress the yeast.

For beginners, I think it's best to select a recipe that will provide the body of wine you want (light, medium, full) and follow it. As you become more confident, you can begin to alter ingredient levels to suit your tastes.

 

[cybergirl5710]

Thanks! I probably wasn't very clear. I'm going for about 6 lbs of fruit per gallon for a 5 gallon batch. 25 lbs of peaches and about 10 lbs of either strawberries/bananas or golden raisins/ mangos. The secondary fruits will depend of what I find. I thought that with peach wine you need something else to give the wine body. The remaining 10 lbs is just in case. I may make an f-pac just in case I need it.

 

[tonyandkory]

Just remember with peaches there is a big pit in the middle so after you pit them all you wont have 25lb any more.

I just added bananas to my strawberry wine for the first time and wow what a difference it made in the body and very little with the taste!

 

[Wiz]

What are your goals? Are you looking for a semi or sweet fruit wine? If so, then the more fruit the merrier. I prefer a semi-dry fruit wine. For example you mentioned strawberries and mangoes. My last batch of strawberry I used 28# and backsweetened somewhere between semi-dry and semi-sweet. It was perfect for my tastes. I also made several batches of mango wine and used 22 # of fruit. Since my wife likes sweet wines I backsweetened to her tastes. Both wines had the aroma and after-tastes of their fruits. If you like sweet wine then use the heavier amounts of fruit. If you want a more delicate wine use lesser amounts.

 

[Runningwolf]

Hey Wiz, do they grow grapes in Costa Rica? I'm guess, yes. What are the main fruits you have plentiful that you can make wine with?

 

[saramc]

cybergirl...you could bump up the volume by adding 1-2 cans of white grape peach concentrate per gallon. It would be a multi-purpose addition, providing some sugar (so you would likely have to add less to reach your target starting SG---what is your desired starting SG?) and would definitely provide some body.

Just make sure there are no bruises in any of the fruit that you plan to add as it will have a negative impact on your wine.

I agree with the recommendation(s) of a minimum of 5# prepared fruit/gallon. May want to consider prepping your peaches, trimming out any bruising, hit them with pectic enzyme and freeze them. You will release quite a bit more juice when working with frozen peaches.

Good luck with your peach wine adventure. I currently have a Mango Peach Mead aging. I am getting ready to bottle a few gallons of a 7-year old peach port that was gifted to me by a friend. He started 10 gallons of the port in 2005, when he was an amateur--he went commercial in 2007. Right before Christmas last year he told me to take one of the carboys of the port home with me and to take ownership of the port--with a promise to return some of the bottled port back to him for his private collection. I brought his carboy home with me a month ago, filtered it using my BuonVino MiniJet (went thru pads 1-3) and returned his empty carboy the next weekend. I am bottling tonight! I wish I could have read the notes on the carboy, but the masking tape was so old and faded. I will definitely be cherishing this port!! I do know it was made from canned peaches, fortified with brandy and schnapps. Is the most delicious thing I have tasted. [did not mean to hijack the thread, but you may want to consider doing a gallon of port when all is said and done]

 

[cybergirl5710]

Thank you Wiz! That's exactly what I wanted to know! How exactly do massive quantities of fruit affect the end taste.

My husband and I like a semi-sweet wine. I want the wine to have some body.

I ended up buying 34 lbs of peaches. They are $.58 per lb at my local Food Loin and I didn't want to miss the sale.

Thank you Saramc! I didn't know about the pectic enzyme trick. I have decided to freeze them--I will definitely add pectic enzyme. Does this help keep the peachy color? Does adding the pectic enzyme in the freezer bad mean adding less in the mush? The white grape peach concentrate is a excellent idea.

For a starting SG, I'm shooting for 1.080. Is that a good start point for a semi-sweet peach wine? I have about 17 lbs of sugar on hand. I will also have white grape peach concentrate of hand to make adjustments. I know the Jack Keller fruit wines have a lot more sugar, but personally I would rather add sugar from grape concentrate than white sugar.

 

[cybergirl5710]

The peach port wine is delicious! Do you have a recipe?

 

[Wiz]

No Dan, no grapes here except for some that are grown for raisins. I did find a source for Italian cabernet sauvigon and sauvignon blanc concentrate which makes a great wine. Other than this I am limited to fruit wines. I've made strawberry, blackberry, mango, pineapple, papaya and fruit mixtures using really bad plums and peaches, pineapple, strawberries and mango. We have other fruits that I may try soon such as starfruit and several other exotic fruits that I don't even know how to pronounce.

Mike

 

[roadwarriorsvt]

For a starting SG, I'm shooting for 1.080. Is that a good start point for a semi-sweet peach wine?

The amount of sugar you add in the beginning (primary fermentation) doesn't have as big of an effect on the end sweetness, but rather the alcohol content. The more sugar you add in the beginning will mean more sugar for the yeast to convert to alcohol. Once the fermentation is done, the wine will be dry. This is where you control how dry or sweet you will make your wine thru the amount of back sweetening.

 

[juventude]

The amount of sugar you add in the beginning (primary fermentation) doesn't have as big of an effect on the end sweetness, but rather the alcohol content. The more sugar you add in the beginning will mean more sugar for the yeast to convert to alcohol. Once the fermentation is done, the wine will be dry. This is where you control how dry or sweet you will make your wine thru the amount of back sweetening.

But ok the back sweetening is done after the campden tablets are added, but what do you use to do this, simple sugar or what and if so what should the hydrometer read at the end... And will this limit the shelflife of the wine... Also the last question, should I add the tablets again if process restarts...

 

[Julie]

But ok the back sweetening is done after the campden tablets are added, but what do you use to do this, simple sugar or what and if so what should the hydrometer read at the end... And will this limit the shelflife of the wine... Also the last question, should I add the tablets again if process restarts...

campden tablets or k-mata AND sorbate. campden tablets alone will not stop your wine from refermenting. I take some of the wine, warm that up, add sugar and put that back into the wine. Taste it to see if you like that sweetness, then take a reading so you know to be able to do this another time.

 

[juventude]

campden tablets or k-mata AND sorbate. campden tablets alone will not stop your wine from refermenting. I take some of the wine, warm that up, add sugar and put that back into the wine. Taste it to see if you like that sweetness, then take a reading so you know to be able to do this another time.

Thanks for the help...

 

[donjauntriumphant]

Thanks for the help...

Ok so hate to hijack a post but I am having the hardest time posting my own, I am just starting my first batch and was wondering what is a good. Resource to know what I'm doing if I am doing it right and how to know the difference

 

[saramc]

The peach port wine is delicious! Do you have a recipe?

Unfortunately the writing on the masking tape that was on the carboy was so old and faded that much was lost. I do know that the wine was made using a "canned peach" recipe and fortified with brandy and peach schnapps. That is all I know. Sorry.

 

[saramc]

pectic enzyme for peach wine

I will definitely add pectic enzyme. Does this help keep the peachy color? Does adding the pectic enzyme in the freezer bad mean adding less in the mush? The white grape peach concentrate is a excellent idea.

Cybergirl,
Pectic enzyme plays two very distinct and important roles in the wine making process. First and foremost, pectic enzymes helps to break down the fruit's fiber or pulp. This allows more flavor and color to be extracted from whatever fruit is being used during the fermentation. Secondly, it helps to make sure the wine has a clearer, more translucent, appearance after the fermentation has completed and the wine has had the appropriate amount of time to clear up.

Pectic enzyme accomplishes these 2 things by breaking down the pectin cells in the fruit. Pectin is the gelatinous material that, for example, holds together the strands of fiber found within a particular fruit. Pectin is also the "stuff" that makes apple sauce thick. Some fruits have more pectin than others (crabapples are super rich in pectin).

When pectic enzyme is used it starts to break down the pectin cells and the fruit's pulp becomes less thick. This allows more of the fruit's character to be released when being pressed and/or during fermentation. Because pectin is somewhat opaque, if it isn't sufficiently broken down during the fermentation, the resulting wine will have a pectin haze (cloudy appearance). This type of defect is not correctable once the fermentation is complete.

When using pectic enzyme on fruit: you CAN opt to sprinkle it on the fruit just before freezing BUT the simple act of freezing and thawing will start to break down the cellular walls, so (in my humble opinion) save the PE application for the fermentation bucket. Use the amount indicated on your container. You can also add one more dose of PE with the very first racking---transferring your must from the fermentation bucket to carboy/airlock. As long as your wine is actively fermenting (that SG is actually decreasing) you are safe to dose with pectic enzyme, though the sooner the better.

IMPORTANT: When making wine from a commercial wine kit that is 100% juice or made from concentrate, the flavor and color extraction has already been taken care of for you. No pulp is involved in this case, so PE would not be necessary. It's one more variable that these kits take out of the equation so that you can be a successful home wine maker. If PE is a necessary component in your kit, it will be provided and your instructions will tell you when to use it. If grape skins/pulp are part of your commercial kit, odds are your additive pak will include the PE--if in doubt you can always contact the manufacturer.

Hope that helped.