Help with Fruit Wine

[Newbee]

Hey all, new to the forum...I need some advice with a batch of strawberry wine. A neighbor had an old Indian reciepe. The blackberry he made was awesome. The reciepe seemed a little odd as I've made wine before but I was trying something new and besides his was good....

Basic reciepe:
4 Qts of mashed fruit
Warm water until 3 gals
10lbs sugar
3 lemons cut into slices
Mix bakers yeast with warm water and put in same day
Stir with wooden spoon for 7 days
7th day later add 3 boxes (small) raisins
Sit for 30 more days and then ready

I'm at day 32 and I racked it to get better clarity but I took some out to check alcohol content with Hydrometer and it comes up ZERO....I would like to save the batch and was wondering if I could add sugar or more yeast or both and get this started again so I don't lose the batch and time. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Wade E]

Are you using a triple scale hydrometer? Im guesing youre using the Balling Scale which would be right about 1.000 for an Sg but you could be reading the Potential Alc, scale which would be around 1.002, not much difference. Did you by anychance take a reading when you first mixe it all up as that will tell you what abv or proof your wine is.

 

[Newbee]

Your correct, I'm using the triple scale beer & wine hydrometer. And, I was looking at the potential alcohol by volume. I wan't thinking and didn't get the sg before at the beginning. Should I worry or do you think it's ok? Is there anyway at this point to check alcohol content? Sorry for my brain lapse, it's been 5-6 years since I've made a batch....

 

[cpfan]

Newbee:

32 days into a batch of wine, your POTENTIAL alcohol (ie the amount of sugar not yet fermented) should be ZERO. IE, everything is good with your wine.

Heck, often when I make a wine, the potential alcohol has dropped to ZERO in 7-10 days.

Steve

 

[Newbee]

Thanks for all the info guys, I really appreciate it. I will let it clear up and then bottle it.

On another note, is the bakers yeast Ok or should I get some real wine making yeast? Since fruit is in season, I'm going to make a batch of blackberry too.

 

[Wade E]

I agree your fine and right around where you should be for a fermented wine.

 

[Sacalait]

Thanks for all the info guys, I really appreciate it. I will let it clear up and then bottle it.

On another note, is the bakers yeast Ok or should I get some real wine making yeast? Since fruit is in season, I'm going to make a batch of blackberry too.

Absolutely, get some wine yeast. Bakers yeast is not as alcohol tollerent as wine yeast so it will give up the fermentation before the sugar has been consumed. A wine yeast will also impart a different and more favorable flavor profile.