Pomegranate / Blueberry Wine

[Pooshka4]

Well, I just bought 4 litres of 100% Pomegranate / Blueberry juice from the store and I had a few questions that I wanted to ask before I begin making the wine.

1) Based on the wine kits sold in stores, the specific gravity of the must should be between 1.07 - 1.08. Now, I was wondering if the same applies to wines made from other berriers/fruits other than grapes? I have measured the initial gravity of this juice and it came up to 1.06. So basically the main question is... should I add sugar to the must in order to bring up the specific gravity to the required 1.07 - 1.08?

2) Can I use the same type of yeast that is used in wine kits from store? That is: EC-1118. Or is there a better yeast for this job?

3) Do I need to add bentonite, kieselsol, potassium sorbate & metabisulphite just as they are added in the store wine kits? Or am I able to add nothing but yeast to get good results?

4) This wine I want to make will be made in a 4 liter jug. The wine kits in store are made for 20 litres. So, my questions is, do I also keep the wine fermenting for 4 weeks just as the store wine kits or do I keep it fermenting for a smaller amount of time since I have a smaller quantity? Is it alright if I just leave this wine fermenting until it stops bubbling?

5) Last question. If the wine is done properly, how long can I store this wine in bottles? I have read in several places that some wines are not meant to be held any longer than 2 years as they might ruin if held longer. Is this true or am I able to hold any bottled wine indefinitely?

Sorry for all the questions and for possibly asking questions that have already been asked before but I have done lots of research and different sites have different answers, so I am a bit confused. If you can help me clear this up, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you

 

[saramc]

Answers for you...

1) Based on the wine kits sold in stores, the specific gravity of the must should be between 1.07 - 1.08. Now, I was wondering if the same applies to wines made from other berriers/fruits other than grapes? I have measured the initial gravity of this juice and it came up to 1.06. So basically the main question is... should I add sugar to the must in order to bring up the specific gravity to the required 1.07 - 1.08?
A: completely up to you when making a non-kit wine as to what SG you desire. People even bump up the kits, but most fruit wines tend to not exceed 15% because you start to lose the fruit. 12% is nice.

2) Can I use the same type of yeast that is used in wine kits from store? That is: EC-1118. Or is there a better yeast for this job?
A:So many yeast varieties. Temp ranges, may do good in apple horrid with raspberry, I personally think EC1118 can be harsh and needs alot of aging. Here is chart to help... http://winemakermag.com/guide/yeast

3) Do I need to add bentonite, kieselsol, potassium sorbate & metabisulphite just as they are added in the store wine kits? Or am I able to add nothing but yeast to get good results?
A: First two are up to you. Sorbate and k-meta needed as stabilizers if you plan to backsweeten much later. If no plan to backsweeten you add k-meta before bottling. BUT you usually add k-meta to fruit/sugar, wait 12-24hrs, then add pectic enzyme, wait 12-24hrs then pitch yeast. You have nutrient, tannin and acid also to consider.

4) This wine I want to make will be made in a 4 liter jug. The wine kits in store are made for 20 litres. So, my questions is, do I also keep the wine fermenting for 4 weeks just as the store wine kits or do I keep it fermenting for a smaller amount of time since I have a smaller quantity?
A:Takes me just as long to make one gallon as it does six.

Is it alright if I just leave this wine fermenting until it stops bubbling?
A: Lack of bubbles is horrid indicator of finished fermenation, you must buy a hydrometer, triple scale is basic, about $5-8. Many YouTube videos on use if you do not understand the instructions which come with.

5) Last question. If the wine is done properly, how long can I store this wine in bottles? I have read in several places that some wines are not meant to be held any longer than 2 years as they might ruin if held longer. Is this true or am I able to hold any bottled wine indefinitely?
A: Most feel fruit wines max out around 2 yrs, but many variables on that. The higher the alc content the longer it can tend to age. But corks and storage are huge issues.

I highly recommend doing some reading and re-reading on Jack Keller's site. He does a good job. Scroll to bottom of his page, just below his donation button and you will see his page options... http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Recent thread on BluePom... http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f45/blueberry-pomegranite-16885/

I personally like BluePom with original gravity of 1.080-1.095 and have used Cotes de Blanc, Premier Cuvee and I cannot recall what other yeast.

Hope this helps.

 

[Pooshka4]

Thank you "saramc" for answering my questions! Its been 2 days since I've posted this thread and you're the only one to answer. I was about to give up on this site, haha.

I couldn't wait to get a reply so I basically decided to make my wine the ancient way. With a slight adjustment - I added the yeast (EC-1118) to get the wine fermenting rather than waiting for the wine to start fermenting on its own like they did in the old days

I also added some sugar to get the specific gravity up from 1.06 to 1.08. The juice became quite sweet but the sugar content should fall with every day that the yeast turns the sugar into alcohol and CO2. So, I'm guessing when fermentation is over, the sugar levels should be just right (semi-sweet wine - which is what I'm aiming for). Oh, and I added some yeast nutrient to the juice.

It's been over a day since I've mixed all this and now it seems like the yeast is doing its job. Doing great actually. The yeast is so active that I can almost see them floating around in there - eating the sugar

Anyway, I decided to let the wine stand completely on its own. I'll just rack the wine in a week and then once more a week after. I read that the the wine should clear and be ready for consumption after a year without adding all the k-meta and what not.

Again, thank you for answering my questions!

 

[saramc]

You are welcome, and welcome to the forum! Just so you know, your wine at the OG 1.080 (nice) and use of EC-1118 yeast should ferment to dry, 1.000 or less.
But it will be simple to stabilize and backsweeten. You may find you enjoy it dry, this one is easy to please.

 

[ffemt128]

1.080 for a starting sg for a fruit wine is very good. I like to use either 1116 or preferably 1122 for my fruit wines. You will enjoy this when it's complete. I would add the sorbate and kmeta to stabilize and then back sweeten to your taste. I usually go to around 1.008-1.012