Strawberries after primary

[Sammyk]

I picked up 18 pounds of SC strawberries at the farmers market today. I plan to buy more next week and make another batch of just strawberry wine. I want to add them to some secondary carboys. My concern is wild yeast.

Do I need to do anything to them, either kmeta or campden tablets?

Would it be feasible to wash them treat them an use pectic enzyme and just squeeze out the juice and use that? These have not been frozen, should I freeze them first?

Or could I just treat to prevent the wild yeast, add the pectic enzyme and keep in the fridge for a few days?

 

[Julie]

You want to use these as an f-pack? then freeze them first

 

[Sammyk]

I could do that. I did put pectic enzyme on them and put them in the freezer. I thought I read that some put fresh fruit in the carboy once the fermentation is complete. But an f-pack will work too. I have a couple of wines that will be ready to bottle and since I got the fresh strawberries dirt cheap, I thought I would do some experimenting with putting strawberries in wine that has had campden and sorbate added. I pretty much have an unlimited supply of strawberries that are too ripe to sell from a farmer at the market where I also sell.

 

[Julie]

Sammy, the problem with adding fruit to a wine that is done fermenting is it will restart fermenting from the sugars in the fruit. You will have a better wine by adding the strawberries as an f PAC.

And post up what wines you will be adding strawberries to and how it turned out. I am interested and I know others would be as well.

 

[Sammyk]

I was thinking about many years ago when we added fresh fruit to Vodka but I suppose wine is a lot different. I will just make an f-pack and that will accomplish about the same thing. My first plan is to add to some wine I made from apple juice.

I make a bunch of one gallon assorted batches from juices to use for topping off so I was going to use the strawberries in some of them. I then moving the left over one gallon batches to smaller bottles with air locks. We sometime just drink them or mix them together to fill a odd bottle or a one gallon carboy again. I ONLY make fruit wine and most fruits are compatible.

 

[Sammyk]

I did add the strawberries to some different wines that were done fermenting. Fermentation did not restart. NOW, I am wondering how long to leave the berries in the wine. They have lost most of their red color.