Vintage Raelity method for Skittles Wine (1 gallon):
{Vintner's Note: Remember, no recipe can ever outproduce good sense. Use this as a guideline, but remember your training. If something sounds implausible, there may be a reason for that. Follow blindly at your own risk. [that's just good life advice...]}
I approached this wine as one would a white. The intention is to preserve as much fruity flavors as possible, which means a slow and cold fermentation. I was seeking an alcohol content between 11.5-12% vol. Furthermore, prior to beginning, I expected to ferment this to dry, and simply make a dry wine, in opposition to most people's approach on this thread. However, in the midst of making the wine, the sweetness prior to completing the fermentation was delectable. I ended up still fermenting to dry, and backsweetened part of my batch so to make the end result of both ways.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 lb Skittles
- 8.4 oz Welch's 100% white grape juice concentrate (not diluted)
- 1 gallon drinking water
- 1 tsp pectic enzyme (powder)
- 1/4 tsp wine tannin
- 1 tsp yeast nutrient
- 1 tsp acid blend
- 1 packet yeast, EC-1118 (though, I suggest a slower yeast strain, such as Cote Des Blancs or Montrachet)
- 2 2/3 cups granulated sugar (add incrementally until your own readings hit your desired brix levels)
- 1/4 tsp amylase enzyme
- 1/4 tsp potassium sorbate
- 1 package Super-Kleer
- 2 Campden Tablets
Boil 32oz of the drinking water in a large enough pot to incorporate all skittles and grape juice concentrate, and still be able to stir without concern of spilling. Once water comes to a boil, remove from heat, add skittles and stir constantly till fully dissolved. Let cool slightly, then add grape juice concentrate without diluting with water as its directions dictate.
Let mixture cool to room temperature, then store in refrigerator overnight (at least six hours) to harden top wax layer.
Skim wax layer off top of liquid. Pour mixture into primary fermentor. Add pectic enzyme, wine tannin, yeast nutrient, and acid blend. Mix well.
Take hydrometer reading. Based on your desired alcohol content, determine whether or not you will need to utilize chaptalization (adding sugar to must). You almost undoubtedly will need to add sugar. Add sugar incrementally, by small portions, stirring until dissolved, then take hydrometer readings after additions until you've reached your desired brix level.
My recipe ended up using 2.66 cups of granulated sugar resulting in a specific gravity of 1.090 (11.7% Alc/Vol), whereas the original recipe called for 4.33 cups of sugar. That's nearly doubling the amount, which quite accounts for the several stuck fermentations written of in this thread.
At this point, it is prudent to note that I have mixed the preparation of red and white wines together. Rather than immediately going into a carboy for fermentation, as one usually does with a white, I left it covered in the primary fermentor for the first four days. This was a personal decision, and needn't necessarily be followed. I did, however, have access to remove some of the thickening buildup on the top of the must once fermentation began by doing this.
Next, I added the yeast directly to the must. Though I suggest priming the yeast in 2oz of warm water for fifteen minutes prior to pitching. You may simply add to the top of the must, no need to stir.
After full fermentation begins, rack to a sanitized carboy, leaving enough room for fermentation to continue. (Do not add SO2/Campden Tablets at this point) Subject to cold bath by placing carboy in larger vessel filled with enough water to come up less than the shoulders of the carboy. Add ice to the bath; the best method is to use several plastic water bottles that can be placed in the water bath, then switched out with other bottles, and refreezed in a constant rotation.
Check hydrometer readings every few days, as well as slight taste tests of must as it's fermenting to get an idea of where it's going. At any time, you may decide the sweetness is at a point you'd rather stop and preserve rather than continuing to ferment. If so, simply add 1/4 tsp of potassium sorbate, stir to mix.
Once hydrometer readings get close to 1.000 SG, stir in amylase enzyme. (I hit 1.011 SG on my eighteenth day)
Once 1.000 SG is reached (my twentieth day), add potassium sorbate and stir to mix. You may allow must to continue fermentation until it stops. I was pleased with my tastings when I hit 1.000, so I added the potassium sorbate.
The following day, add Super-Kleer as per its directions.
If you intend to backsweeten your wine, wait to add Super-Kleer until after you've added your sweetening liquid to your taste, making sure your fermentation has been halted by the potassium sorbate. Mix 8 parts drinking water to 3 parts skittles to 2 parts grape juice concentrate, using the same method of boiling as your initial must required. Begin taste tests to see how much backsweetening liquid you need to add to your wine. I found 5oz of backsweetening liquid for each 750ml bottle was perfect.
Once wine has cleared and lees have settled, rack into sanitized carboy adding one crushed campden tablet. (two days for me)
Let sit for five weeks, submitting to cold stabilization if you have room in your refrigerator for the third and fourth weeks. Remove from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature (70*F or less, but no more than 75*F) for one week.
Unlike my directions state, I added the backsweetening liquid at this point. Obviously not the best idea if you're looking for a clear wine, as it will make it as cloudy as it was before the Super-Kleer. But, as one never quite knows what to expect when trying a wine for the first time, you may change your mind as to whether you want sweet or dry wine in the midst of the entire affair.
When the five weeks are complete, sanitize your bottles. The cold stabilization should have helped eliminate tartrate crystals from forming in your bottles, as they will now have formed in your carboy and fallen with the lees. Rack wine to sanitized carboy, adding one crushed campden tablet.
Siphon wine into bottles, then cork.
Let the bottles stand upright for three days before placing on their side or upside down to age.
Bottle age for three to six months.
That brings us about as far as I am. So, unfortunately, I have yet to give results on whether I'd prefer and/or suggest it dry or sweet. But hopefully this has been helpful and will guide some people along the right path to how they want
their wine to turn out.
Again, remember that there is no replacement for your own judgement, experience, and taste.
