Pineapple wine

[Tinwakr]

I started a gallon batch of pineapple wine today using juice. Just wondering about the solids in the juice as they seem to have settled to about one third of the gallon jug. Will these remain after fermentation?

 

[BernardSmith]

Some fruit leave behind a great deal of sediment and lees. That's the cost of fermenting those fruits. One thing you can do when you rack off the sediment is collect the lees and pour them into a sanitized mason jar and place that jar in your fridge. After 24- 48 hours you will see that the sediment and wine will separate and you can pour off another pint or so of the wine back into the secondary or you can drink this or use it for whatever you want.

 

[Scooter68]

In similar situations I've used a stainless steel fine mesh strainer to capture the course solids then followed exactly as BernardSmith suggests, Done quickly and cleanly you can recover a lot of that liquid.

One key point to make this possible is to collect a wide variety of glass containers you can fit airlocks on or use a solid bung and put in the fridge to chill and drop out those solids. That way you don't have to risk putting your wine into container and leaving a lot of headspace.
I have 1/2 gallon, 1.5 liter, 1 quart, 20 oz and 16 oz containers that I can fit airlocks on or solid bungs (To put in the fridge)

For short term fridge storage like BernardSmith suggests, you shouldn't need an airlock the chilling down will stop any fermentation and expansion.

If you start with a 3 gallon or 5 gallon batch and find yourself a quart or so low for filling the carboy downsize to 1 gallon and smaller containers.

 

[G259]

Yes, I just did that with a peach wine. 3 gallons turned into 2-4L jugs, and a 500ml Grolsh bottle. The Grolsh bottle will probably end up being for needed sampling during the aging process!

 

[Noontime]

The yeast might eat through some of it, but probably not a whole lot. Like G259 said about peach, and what we've had with our mango wines, it you loose some volume due to the heavy lees. We use a nylon painters mesh bag for the fruit, and then squeeze out as much as we can (which will leave still a lot of much finer particles to rack again).

 

[Scooter68]

The yeast might eat through some of it, but probably not a whole lot. Like G259 said about peach, and what we've had with our mango wines, it you loose some volume due to the heavy lees. We use a nylon painters mesh bag for the fruit, and then squeeze out as much as we can (which will leave still a lot of much finer particles to rack again).

Yeah, went through that a couple of months ago with a one gallon batch of Mango/Pineapple. Right now it's getting pretty doggone clear and looks to be a real treat come spring.
(Patience, you say patience.....)

I did save course lees and while they are pretty yeasty, I keep them in a quart jar in the fridge. Need to check them out and perhaps try over some vanilla ice cream.

 

[Tinwakr]

I didn’t add any acid blend or tannins, are these required and at what time during the process can they be added?

 

[Scooter68]

You only add acid (Blend or Citric for pineapple) IF you need to increase the acidity.
Tannins are not required - a matter of taste.

 

[Tinwakr]

Well, got home to this, airlock blew off and foaming like crazy, should I get rid of this or wait till the foam is manageable and reintroduce the airlock? Ugh!

 

[sour_grapes]

Well, got home to this, airlock blew off and foaming like crazy, should I get rid of this or wait till the foam is manageable and reintroduce the airlock? Ugh!

You could either transfer it to a bucket, or else put a pan under it and wait for it to slow down.

There was no need to ferment this in a carboy under an airlock.

 

[Tinwakr]

I get that now. From now on I will do my fermentation in a bucket. Live and learn. [emoji6]

 

[wrongway]

I just sit mine in the sink and let it go. It comes out fine in the end.

 

[Tinwakr]

That’s what I’ve done wrongway. Airlock is full of foam and solids, is that alright? Not much solids anymore as they have been expelled, lol.

 

[wrongway]

Tinwakr I am not an experienced winemaker so maybe I should not comment, but I have never used a bucket. Always a carboy and airlock. The object of the airlock is to keep air and debris out.
The foam would do about the same so I dont see a problem with it as long as your not loosing all your fruit flavor in the solids. I made Pineapple-Orange a couple months ago and I think I used Lalvin 1118.
I got lots of foam too, more than anything else ive ever made, but in the end it is quit good so far. I used Dole juice in the can.

 

[Arne]

I get that now. From now on I will do my fermentation in a bucket. Live and learn. [emoji6]

If you ferment in a bucket, make sure you leave some headspace or you will still have a mess on whatever you are fermenting on. Bet you can't guess who has learned this the hard way. LOL, Arne.

 

[Tinwakr]

I guess If I use a 6 gallon bucket for a 1 gallon batch, I will be safe, lol.

 

[Arne]

Usually 4 or 5 inches of room is plenty. But if I say for sure that is enough, something will come along and prove me wrong. Arne.

 

[Tinwakr]

Racked pineapple wine into a clean and sanitized one gallon carboy, initial SG was 1.072 and it’s now at 1.002. If I’ve calculate this correctly, I have 9.17% ABV. Is this right? (1.072-1.002)x131=9.17%ABV

Also, I topped up with the same juice I started with to within 2” of the stopper and expect more fermentation. When the fermentation is finished, do I then rack into another carboy, add Potassium Metabisulfate, Potassium Sorbate then allow to sit/clear?

 

[sour_grapes]

Racked pineapple wine into a clean and sanitized one gallon carboy, initial SG was 1.072 and it’s now at 1.002. If I’ve calculate this correctly, I have 9.17% ABV. Is this right? (1.072-1.002)x131=9.17%ABV

Yup, sounds right!

Also, I topped up with the same juice I started with to within 2” of the stopper and expect more fermentation. When the fermentation is finished, do I then rack into another carboy, add Potassium Metabisulfate, Potassium Sorbate then allow to sit/clear?

Yes, although you do not need the potassium sorbate unless you are planning to backsweeten this wine.

 

[Tinwakr]

Thanks. I am planning to back sweeten, with what, not sure.