Plum Wine with Bananas?

[pkcook]

I'm getting ready to put together a can plum recipe. I've got 4ea. 15 ounce cans of Oregon Whole Purple Plums and I bought 3 large ripe and juice red plums that I'm going to add to the mix. I've got three bananas that are past their eating prime. I'm planning on a gallon


Would the three bananas help or hinder this wine?

 

[paubin]

I'd say go for it! The bananas will add alot of mouth feel and richness just like golden raisins, but without changing the taste of plums much at all. I did the same thing on the 6 gal of apple that I have bulk ageing. The yeast will love the naners.


Pete

 

[pkcook]

Thanks Paubin,


Just added the bananas to the water and sugar. I've got the whole thing in the primary and waiting for it to cool a bit before taking an SG and adding all the other ingredients. The bananas smelled so good as they heated up. Still can't smell even a hint of plum. Hopefully, that will come later...

 

[paubin]

Plum is usually like that and the bananas will diminish and plums come forward as time does it's job. It should end up very nice. Sounds great to me anyway!










Pete

 

[pkcook]

The plum recipe used 3.5# of sugar. I used only 3 bananasand took the SG this morning. 1.110! Whoo that is high! I'm glad I didn't add the last .5# or I'd be off the scale. I don't have anymore plums so I'm not sure about diluting the mix to bring down the SG. Isit typical with a banana mixture for the SG to jump up. I don't think 3# of sugar on plums that don't have a lot of juice would run the SG that high and the taste did not seem overly sweet to me. I'm going to make a starter to hit it with to help start the fermentation.

 

[Cracked Cork]

PK, sounds like its going to be a nice rich wine, are you going to add amylase with the bannanas?



Crackedcork

 

[pkcook]

I don't have any onhand and none of the locals have it stocked.

 

[paubin]

If everything was well smashed when you added your water you could have pulp from the fruit in your must, that will cause your hydrometer the read a little higher. Yes the nanners have a good amount of sugar also. Just a question, did you remember to adjust your reading for must temps over 59 degrees? If your sg is truely that high then oh well, just use water to top up when the time comes to off-set the higher abv and let it age a little longer. Sweeten a little after stabilizing and you will have a nice rich plum wine.


Pete

 

[pkcook]

The temp was at 70 deg and no I didn't adjust. I'll have to check what that would actually be. I made the starter and poured it in this morning before I went to work and it is already fermenting away! That's a good thing. I used a package of Bourgovin RC212 that I had lying around. I found on the Lalvin web page that this yeast is good for 12-14%, which is about where I want this to end up with some residual sugar. I love all ranges of wines from dusty dry to very sweet, but I find I favor fruit wines on the sweet side. Should be a nice wine.