Waldo's Apple Wine

[Waldo]

Well, today was going to be the day I started my Apple wine. Now Apple is one wine I have never made except from the Island Mist kits so I started my search for a good recipe. Beginning, as I normally do, on Jack Kellers homepage I immediately ran into a brick wall as I read this:
"Sour apples, like sour cherries, make the best pies and wines. Jonathan, Winesap, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Gravenstein, and McIntosh are but a few favored for wine. Better than any of these six, however, for winemaking, is a mixture of all. Simply avoid Delicious, Gala, Fuji, and similar sweet apple varieties."

There ya have it....I have 3-1/2 gallons of juice and about 25lbs of steamed pulp from apples that Jack say's to avoid making wine from

Any thoughts, Ideas on this...has anyone ever made a wine from Golden Delicious apples and if so..what was the outcome?

 

[Wade E]

I dont know about these wines but my mom used to make apple pie from
yellow delicious that grew in our yard and they were yellow delicious!
Its probably just a matter of others tastes. Besides I bet your going
to add something else like raisins or spices like did that will
probably make up for the (maybe lacking) taste that he's talking about.
My mulled-spiced apple wine in the prim. smells so darn good I'm having
a hard time walking by it without walking over to it a taking a whiff
of it.

 

[pkcook]

Waldo,


I say go for it. People make good wine from apple concentrate and I'm not sure the apples used in it are on the "good" list. You may have to add some acid.

 

[jobe05]

Waldo: I say freeze half the juice and make it up by juicing granny smiths. If apple is anything like cherry, My best batch came out mixing half sweet cherries and half dark, tart cherries.


DUH!!!!!!! What am I talking about ....... freeze half.............


Double your batch........ Now all you need is 3 1/2 gallons of granny smith apple juice.

 

[Waldo]

I am thinkng about maybe a Cranberry/Apple and having learned patience I shall get onlyenough fresh cranberries to doa, Hmmmmmmm lets see now........
pie are square, apples and cranberries are round so the number I use must equally be sound..Can't be one...and no 2 gallon carboys, gotta skip 3 and the same with 4.. 5 too is a number thats odd so I guess its gonna be a 6 gallon test

 

[grapeman]

Waldo, those varieties Jack recomments are all higher in acid. They taste more tart than the Delicious, Gala, etc. I guess it's like the grapes- you want fairly acidic ones for good wine. I say, use what you have- more than one variety mixed is good. Another chance to play chemist and use the acid test kits you love.

Really though, after you have the juice, taste it-if it's real smooth and tasty, it's gonna need some acid added. Start with double what the recipe calls for. If it puckers your mouth up real tight like you did for yer first kiss- it's acidic enough. Make sure to check SG - the sweeter the apples, they less sugar it is likely to need. I'm gonna press my first batch of the year of cider today to back sweeten and flavor a batch of apple from last November I've been bulk aging and start batch of apple/hot pepper.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Waldo....you asked once about adding water to the juice from the steamer when you make the wine....like I had replied I do add water.... BUT......NOT to the apple wine....I use just the juice and add sugar and and all the other additives....figure there is some steam vapors in the juice....never have figured how diluted the juices are with steam......
When I made Apple Cider [beer method] I didn't use any sugar....just apple juice and got the S.G. [1060] up by adding frozen apple juice concentrate...it had a nice flavor....

 

[Waldo]

Wino..The instructions in the manual for making wine with the steamed juices say to use 1-2 pints of the extracted juice per gallon of wine being made or if your recipe calls for like 6 lbs. of fruit then steam the 6 lbs and add water to make a gallon to whatever juice was extracted as the juice is very concentrated.

 

[Waldo]

Waldo, those varieties Jack recomments are all higher in acid. They taste more tart than the Delicious, Gala, etc. I guess it's like the grapes- you want fairly acidic ones for good wine. I say, use what you have- more than one variety mixed is good. Another chance to play chemist and use the acid test kits you love.

Really though, after you have the juice, taste it-if it's real smooth and tasty, it's gonna need some acid added. Start with double what the recipe calls for. If it puckers your mouth up real tight like you did for yer first kiss- it's acidic enough. Make sure to check SG - the sweeter the apples, they less sugar it is likely to need. I'm gonna press my first batch of the year of cider today to back sweeten and flavor a batch of apple from last November I've been bulk aging and start batch of apple/hot pepper.

I think my taste buds work better for me than the ph meter and acid test kit. I do like playing with them though in hopes that some day what I am trying to accomplish will come on like a light bulb in my brain and then I can start making some wine.

 

[paubin]

I think the apples you have will come out fine. The flavor in delicious apples isn't as up front as say granny smiths, but I think that that is mostly acidity.


Pete

 

[Joanie]

Waldo, I wouldn't recommend a McIntosh to anyone unless they were eating it right off the tree. They are a short keeping apple...like 15 minutes short. They break down quickly and get mushy and mealy. That is not my idea of a good apple. I want one to snap when I bite into it then pop off a nice big crisp chunk. That happens with the tart varieties and those bred to store well.

I don't know how any of this info translates to winemaking. I love apples but I've never liked cider or apple juice and don't have a press (yet) so I doubt I'll be making any apple wine...not this year anyway.

FWIW

 

[Waldo]

After a futile attempt to finds some Cranberries at all local stores and not wanting to use the frozen concentrates which contain grape and other juices I settled on Rasberries. I am now making a wine with two fruits I have never made wine from before. So, hang on and here goes.


Got home and steamed the rasberries while I was getting everything else together and ended up with a good 1/2 gallon of Rasberry Juice.

From the odor I am convinced that my choice may turn out to be a good one.


Waldo's Apple/Rasberry Wine.......5 Gallon Recipe


2 gallon Steam Extracted Golden Delicious Apple Juice


1/2 Gallon Steam Extracted Rasberry Juice


5 Campden Tables


9-3/4 lbs. Sugar


5 tsp. Yeast Nutrient


2-1/2 tsp. Yeast Energizer


5 tsp. Acid Blend


2 tsp. Tannin


1/4 tsp. Liquid Pectic Enzyme


Yeast.....Undetermined at this time....open for suggestions


Everything has been added to the must now except for the Pectic Enzyme and the yeast. The must is at an SG of 1.095 and smelling awesome

 

[Wade E]

I can smell it from here. That sounds like a good combo Waldo. how many different wines do you have going right now.

 

[Waldo]

Lets see wade..I have my Blueberry Port, Plum, Blackberry, Grape, Muscadine and now the Apple/Rasberry...Stand by though, I still have 2 empty fermenters and 3 empty 5 gallon carboys

 

[NorthernWinos]

Apple/Raspberry is one of our favorites...very fresh and robust with flavors...your going to love it...
The recipe I first followed called it a Social Wine....great served with 7Up or over ice on a hot day!!!!Enjoy the fragrance while it ferments....

 

[Wade E]

Have you ever made plum before? I almost made some but opted for the
pear. I think I'm going in for some Plum because I have an empty 1
Prim, 1 empty 6 gal carboy and an awful lot of 1 gal. carboys. So much
to make and so little time to make it due to working overtime.

 

[Wade E]

About how many plums would be needed for one gallons worth?


Edited by: wadewade

 

[Waldo]

This was my first Plum also wade and I used a little over 4 lbs per gallon.Edited by: Waldo

 

[Waldo]

Apple/Raspberry is one of our favorites...very fresh and robust with flavors...your going to love it...
The recipe I first followed called it a Social Wine....great served with 7Up or over ice on a hot day!!!!Enjoy the fragrance while it ferments....

Thanks NW...What yeast did you ferment with? I am leaning heavily to the Lalvin 71B-1122 as I anticipate this wine ending up being a blush with some residual sugar.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Used 1118-Champagne yeast...like it dry.....ours was darker than a Rosé...ours had a beautiful color....I bottled that wine in Flint [clear] bottles....
Made a batch last year with the fall bearing Raspberries...the color wasn't as bright and the flavor wasn't as robust...the fall berries don't impress me.

Guess the wine I made was RASPBERRY/APPLE

[More raspberries than apple, got this recipe OnLine....]

<center>RASPBERRY/APPLE WINE</center>

-16 POUNDS RASPBERRIES [9 quarts of juice from the steamer]
-6 CANS FROZEN APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE
-6 1/2# SUGAR [to desired S.G.]
-3 TEASPOONS ACID BLEND
-2 1/2 TEASPOONS PEPTIC ENZYME
-2 1/2 TEASPOONS TANNIN
-5 CAMPDEN TABLETS [crushed]

LET REST 24 HOURS

ADD:
-2 1/2 TEASPOONS YEAST ENERGIZER
-5 TEASPOONS YEAST NUTRIENT
-REHYDRATE- 1 PK 1118 CHAMPAGNE YEAST..[also see I added 1/2 PACKET PASTEUR RED...just because I had it on hand]

YIELD: 5 GALLONS

This turned out a really pretty color....full of flavor.....

Edited by: Northern Winos