Make a Peach F-Pac

[Swank]

I've been making wine for 15 years now, mostly from recipes and a little of my own experiments. Just discovered this forum and I've been like a sponge reading as many threads as possible. Nearly all my wines have been from grapes, the only fruit wine I do regularly is Cranberry. I never had much luck with fruits because it seemed the fruit flavor never comes through. I do use flavoring for my cranberry and just figured that you had to flavor any fruit. Through reading this forum I've seen my people talk about using F-pacs to their fruit wine to enhance the flavor, but I can't seem to find any threads that descibe exactly how to make it or when to add it. I am planning on making some peach wine next week and would appreciate any input on how and when to do this. I'm planning on making two 5 gallon batches and was going to just order a peach flavoring. I'd like to do one batch with the flavoring and one with a F-pak if someone would explain exactly what I need to do.

Thanks

 

[Arne]

Go to the main page, go down to special intrest wines and a few posts down by joeswines there is a thread about making f-pacs. Arne.

 

[bkisel]

Welcome to the forum!

15 years is a lot of experience. I hope you'll be sharing some of that experience with us.

I'm on my third peach wine. Found with the first two that the peach flavor and aroma did come through but was very subtle.

A peach f-pack is an interesting idea but I think, if there is such a thing and I could find it, I'd use a can or two of frozen peach concentrate. I've used apple juice concentrate to good effect in back sweetening apple wine.

Hey, maybe just a can or two of canned peaches would do the trick? [I use canned peaches to tweak my Rieslings but its used in the primary and the kit f-pack is used as per instructions for back sweetening.]

 

[Whitehrs]

Ok, so I think I have the best solution to the peach wine, weak flavor/ F-pac need. I bought the 96 OZ 3-5 gal Peach Wine base. This is actually very ripe canned Peaches with syrup. I figure that if I made a gallon, I could seal the other 2 thirds in mason jars. I could use on of those 3rds to make an F-pac, that will be plenty for flavor and back sweeten for the two one gallons batches of peach wine.
Making the f-pac:
squeeze the fruit and syrup of the 3rd quart of peaches and syrup (Wine Base), into a sterile mason par. use to back sweeten and flavor.. Simple simple simple... ideas: maybe heat some honey to top off the quart, and make a complex honey peach syrup for F-pac..

I could be compleately wrong. I'd be happy to know if I am though.

 

[joeswine]

Fpacs

Fpacs can be fun and are quite simple to do but not all the time are they successful with peaches what you want is very ripe ones, slice them into pieces or half's what ever you can handle and sauté them down (you can follow the process on making an fpac),if your going to make a 5 gallon batch of juice then add 6/8 peaches (sautéed),there is also a peach extract from OLIVE NATION which is also quite good to add in the end, ( 6/8 ozs.) expect more work in the process as far as the clearing process goes the rest is just a matter of time.

 

[Arne]

Thanks, Joe. Arne.

 

[Swank]

Thanks Joe. I guess I struggle with how 6 to 8 more peaches make that much of a difference when I'm starting with 30 lbs in the beginning. Is it the sauté process that enhances the flavor? Also, exactly when do I add the Fpac? While secondary is still working or after it is complete and racked off the sediment? Lastly, I typically fine with KC findings after racking off the sediment, is the KC acceptable and when do I add the Fpac?
Thanks

 

[bkisel]

Thanks Joe. I guess I struggle with how 6 to 8 more peaches make that much of a difference when I'm starting with 30 lbs in the beginning. Is it the sauté process that enhances the flavor? Also, exactly when do I add the Fpac? While secondary is still working or after it is complete and racked off the sediment? Lastly, I typically fine with KC findings after racking off the sediment, is the KC acceptable and when do I add the Fpac?
Thanks

I'm not Joe but for what it might be worth... All the kits I've done (both WE and RJS) that have come with f-packs have had me add them right after degassing and stabilization and before adding clearing agents.

e.g. from WE instructions...

1. Dissolve contents of package(s) #3 (metabisulphite) and package(s) #4 (sorbate) in 125 ml (½ cup) of cool water. Add to carboy and stir vigorously for 2 minutes to disperse the stabilisers and drive off CO2. Be sure to stir up yeast sediment from the bottom, and stir hard enough to agitate gas out of the wine.

• If your wine kit came with an F-Pack, follow the special instructions below. If it does not have an F-Pack, proceed to Step 2.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR F-PACK KITS ONLY
Remove 500 ml (2 cups) of wine from the carboy to make room for the contents of the pack. Reserve this wine for topping up the carboy (Step 3). Shake the F–pack bag, carefully remove the cap, and gently pour contents into the carboy. Stir vigorously for 60 seconds. Your gravity will now read between 0.998 and 1.007 depending on the style of kit. Proceed to Step 2.

2. Shake contents of package(s) #5 (Chitosan or isinglass clarifier). Carefully cut open the corner of the pouch(es) and pour contents into carboy. Stir vigorously for another 2 minutes to degas the wine. If you do not degas the wine completely, it will not clear.

 

[Swank]

My peach wine is completely done fermenting through the secondary phase. I have never used sorbate before, I simply sulfite and let it bulk age for a year before fining and bottling. I have two questions:
First: Is it necessary to sorbate and let it sit for a period of time before adding the flavor pack or just do both at the same time?
Second: How long should I leave the flavor pack in before racking off the sediment it will produce?

Thanks

 

[drainsurgeon]

Evidently you like dry wines, if you've never used sorbate before. Adding an f-pack without sorbate risks a re-ferment unless your ABV is high enough that the yeast is toast. Like bkisel said kits will have you add k-meta, sorbate, degass, f-pack and chitosan all in the same step. Others here suggest back sweetening at the very end after clearing and aging is complete. Then adding sorbate and waiting a few days or even a week, adding f-pack, waiting a week and if clear and no signs of re-ferment, bottle. I've done it both ways with equal success.

 

[Swank]

No actually I like it sweet. I didn't list all my steps but after aging a year I chill proof, then back sweeten and bottle. Between the sulfites and the year aging I believe all active yeast have died, never had one start working again. I just didn't know if it would be better to sorbate now and add the f-pack or wait the year and then add the f-pack before bottling. Sounds like it can be done either way, I just wanted some opinions which was best.

 

[bkisel]

Believe I'd add the fpac sooner then later. My thinking is that there would then be a longer blend time.

 

[drainsurgeon]

No actually I like it sweet. I didn't list all my steps but after aging a year I chill proof, then back sweeten and bottle. Between the sulfites and the year aging I believe all active yeast have died, never had one start working again. I just didn't know if it would be better to sorbate now and add the f-pack or wait the year and then add the f-pack before bottling. Sounds like it can be done either way, I just wanted some opinions which was best.

I didn't know you could do that. Still learning. If you've been doing this for 15 years and never had bottle bombs it must work. When you say chill proof, do you take the must temperature below the yeast temp range for a period of time or what does that mean exactly?

 

[Swank]

Typically I fine after secondary is complete and rack it off the findings sediment after three weeks. Then sulfite and let it bulk age for a year. At the end of the year I put the entire 5 gallon carboy in a spare refrigerator for three weeks, this is the chill proofing. This helps precipitate the lactic acids to the bottom to smoothen the wine before bottling. At this point I rack it off and back sweeten, then bottle.

 

[Swank]

Sorry, I forgot to say that I have the fridge temp set to about 35 degrees.

 

[drainsurgeon]

I've read about cold stabilization here. I think this is what they are talking about. I'm going to have to look for an old fridge to try this with. Do you do this with all of your wines before bottling? This could also be why the yeast doesn't give you trouble when back sweetening. You are taking the wine temp well below their tolerance range for three weeks. Good bye yeast. Thanks!

 

[Swank]

I took all the shelves out and cut a piece of 3/4" plywood to fit the bottom. I can fit 2 five gallon and 1 three gallon carboys in it.

 

[Swank]

I've heard some say they only do it with reds but I do it on all mine.

 

[Whitehrs]

I may have to do that as well. and since I do not do large batches, I could make the fridge a Kegorator also..

 

[cintipam]

Some folks freeze yeast slurrys and use them later for skeeter pee. The yeast bounce back just fine and ferment with no problem. So I don't believe 3 weeks of cool weather will kill yeast. I'd say Swank has just been very lucky. Probably a combo of the longer than most folks could stand carboy aging time and possibly a wine storage area temp that discourages any refermentation.

Cold stabilization is to help the excess tartaric acid drop out in crystal form. Otherwise it could happen later while in the bottle. Dropping excess acid also smooths out the wine, tho dropping too much can affect the long term storage ability of the wine.

MLF is also done to smooth out wine. It converts harsh malic acid to more gentle tasting lactic acids.

Pam in cinti