washing fruit

[Jim P]

I have been making wine from wild grapes and blackberries for over three years now.
I usually pick thegrapes and de-stemand wash them before freezing, and on the blackberries I just wash them thoroughly , and put them in plastic bags before freezing.


Most of the wine makers around hereare telling me not to wash the grapes or blackberries before freezing .


What is your opinion on washing before or after , or do I need to wash them at all ?

 

[Rocky]

Jim, my understanding is that there are some wild organisms on the fruit that aid in fermentation. One of the more experienced guys should comment, but I would not wash them. I would pick through them to be sure there is no mold or rot. We made wine from grapes when I was a kid and we never thought about washing them, mainly because of t he amount(typically 32 boxes of 44 pounds each). We just stripped them from the stems, picked through the leaves and bad (moldy or rotted) grapes, ran them through the crusher into the working barrel.

 

[Jim P]

Yes , I have always washed my fruit , plus the campden tabets are added at the start , and yeast 24 hrs later.


Years ago my dad made wine from grapes and blackberries , and he never washed the grapes , and never used any yeast to start fermentation. He would start his fermentation in large crocks , and then transfer to oak barrels. His wines were very good , and high in alcohol.

 

[Rocky]

I know what you mean, Jim. Years ago when we made wine from grapes, we added nothing at all to the juice. We just separated the berries from the stem, crushed them into the working (open top) barrel and they started to ferment in a day or so. No yeast, no campden, just juice. We "sterilized" the barrels by burning sulfur stripsin the barrels. Of course, we had a wine cellar that had a very constant temperature and we watched that O2 did not get to the wine. It was not until the '70's that we started to use Na-meta. It was a magic powder to us and cost something like $5 for enough for 90 gallons.

 

[Waldo]

I would wash the blackberries, lot of little bugs and critters will be adding lots of protien to your wine if you dont

 

[Jim P]

Rocky and Waldo , Thanks for your help.

 

[Rocky]

I would wash the blackberries, lot of little bugs and critters will be adding lots of protien to your wine if you dont

I don't see a problem with this, Waldo, exceptsome of uscould not drink the wine on Fridays during Lent (unless the bugs could swim)!