Newbie needs help AGAIN!

[goldnut]

I have made a few kits and have turned out some decent wine. With that said, every time I try to make wine from scratch it seems to have a very heavy alcohol taste. I am following directions according to the recipes that I get online from reputable sites. Is this because it just needs to bulk age more or should I not let it ferment until it is dry? The strawberry was started in January and the pineapple/mango was started in February. Thanks for all your patience. Ken

 

[GreginND]

Hi Ken,

I'm sure we can provide some good advice for you. Can you tell me a bit more about you process? How much fruit, how much water and what is your starting sugar level (SG)? Are you back sweetening it after it is done? That is usual for fruit wines. You will have to stabilize with potassium sorbate and sulfites when back sweetening.

I tend to start my fruit wines with anywhere from 3-6 pounds of fruit per gallon, depending on the fruit. I start with a SG of 1.085-1.090 giving 12.5-13.5 alcohol. I let it age for at least a 6 months with a couple of rackings as needed to get it clear. Then I sweeten just a little until it tastes balanced.

 

[goldnut]

Ok. The strawberry was started from a can of Vinters harvert. It was 96 oz of fruit and I added 2 quarts of fresh berries. Starting SG was at 1.099

The P/M was started with 9# each of mango and pineapple. I used 18 quarts of water and added 10# of sugar. The SG on this was at 1.120

I am back sweetening also. I used wine conditioned for the P/M and I used frozen strawberry juice for the other. I also added sorbate when I back sweetened.

 

[sour_grapes]

The P/M was started with 9# each of mango and pineapple. I used 18 quarts of water and added 10# of sugar. The SG on this was at 1.120

That is a high starting SG. That would translate to a ABV north of 16% if fermented dry. The other one would come out to about 13.5%. So, yeah, that is a lot of alcohol.

If I may have the temerity to suggest so, don't just follow a recipe. Rather, follow the basic principles: add sufficient sugar to get you to the desired starting SG, rather than blindly following someone's recipe.

 

[goldnut]

Thank you. I will try again and adjust accordingly. Umm..did I mention that I am a newbie! LOL

 

[vacuumpumpman]

@ Goldnut


My suggestion is the lighter the wine = the lighter of ABV
unless you want to add ice for dilution and chilling purposes.

Just my personal input

 

[JohnT]

Agree with all the above. It is all about managing your sugar.

 

[Rodnboro]

I start all of my fruit wines no higher than 1.085. In my opinion, any higher ABV hides the fruit taste.