welcome to my peach hell...

[yakhunter]

So I scored over 100# of free peaches from a friend's friend's orchard. Awesome, right? The problem is that they drove from upstate NY to Eastern MA over 2 days, and went from nice and ripe to "wicked nasty" in that time. I was lucky to save 2/3 of them and even those were pretty funky.

I threw out the really Don King looking Moldy ones and cut off the rotten looking parts and froze the rest.

Here is what I am wondering:

1. What are the chances of making good wine from the somewhat rotten fruit?2. what can I do to prevent the rest from rotting when I thaw them out.
3. SHoud I have saved the half gallon or so of peach "juice/gurry" that was in the bottom of the containers?
4. Could I have prevented this by dosing the crap out of them with Meta after picking?
5. What do I do now? SHould I meta-bomb them when I thaw them? SHould I remove the pits? SHould I thaw them for a day with pectinase and then pitch my montrachet (after adjusting acid)?

Thanks for your help.

I have never seen anything rot so fast and I was a commercial fisherman for a number of years!

 

[jamesngalveston]

I have never seen anything rot so fast and I was a commercial fisherman for a number of years!
man, that is saying something there.

 

[FTC Wines]

I'd go for it, I used to buy "over ripe" peaches from a local orchard in N. Ga. For years. The peaches in the bottom of the box were always nasty, would cut the heck out of them etc. do take the pits out, I didn't take skins off. I did hit them with K meta. I also washed them which you can't do, so I'd use a extra K meta. Good luck, Roy

 

[salcoco]

remove the pits. add meta, pectin enzyme and about 2 lbs sugar per gallon. assume about 8 lbs peaches per gallon. let sit for one day, sugar and pectin enzyme will draw out juice. start a yeast starter on first day. measure sg, add additional sugar with a little water to insure dissolve all sugar. check sg and acid. adjust as necessary. add bentonite to assist in clearing wine post ferment. pitch yeast starter, add a yeast nutrient such a Fermaid K once ferment starts. stir must twice daily, rack at about sg=1020, let ferment finish in carboy. rack after three days. add mets, rack again in three weeks and three months, wine should be clear by this time. In future I would keep peaches in cooler with ice packs to keep then from over ripening. also there is chance ferment might not be very appealing in smell and appearance, continue on to finish ferment. if rotten egg smell develops add more yeast nutrient and stir must. good luck

 

[Turock]

We do the same thing as FTC---get over-ripe, bruised,partially rotten peaches from a local orchard that they can't sell. Cut out the bad parts and freeze. But we DO remove the pit. You could do that when you get them thawed.

I don't think you should have saved the juice in the bottom---might of had too much biological growth which is never good because that can give you a stuck ferment.

When you start getting them into a vat to thaw, instead of throwing meta on top of the fruit, layer the meta in as you dump the fruit in. This helps give good protection during the thaw process which can take a couple days. It will also helps handle any biological growth from the trip.

Once they're thawed, add no water---you'll have a lot of juice for testing and peach can't handle water additions because the taste is too delicate for dilution. While they're thawing, get a good dose of pectic enzyme on the fruit to further break it down fo your PH testing is more accurate. Sounds like you have 60 pounds or so. For purposes of knowing how much chemical additions to make, consider 10# per gallon.

After completely thawed, PH test with a meter and set it to 3.3 to 3.4 Adjust brix. When using Montrachet, which is the yeast we use on peach, be sure to split your nutrient doseage into 3 batches--not pitching it all at once in the beginning. Montrachet requires proper nutrient support to avoid sulfer problems.

Bentonite the primary---or else your new hobby will be getting this wine to clear. Mix 1 Tbs of bentonite per 1/2 cup hot water per 5 gallons. So add just a tad more than 1Tbs for 6 gallons. Don't go over-board because high doses of bentonite can damage flavor. Be sure of no lumps. Add the bentonite on the 3rd day--not earlier. Bentonite inactivates enzymes but by the 3rd day, your pectic enzyme has done its work. You'll have a beautiful wine with the bentonite and no pectin haze, which peach can suffer from.

Questions? Follow these directions and you'll have an excellent flavor on your peach and it will have made the trip and all the hassles worth it.

 

[yakhunter]

WOW! Thank you so much for all these tips. Can't wait to get after it.

Today is strawberry day though...

 

[Downwards]

Heck yes. With fruit I think partially rotten is basically partially fermented. If you can kill/suppress the wild yeast with the k-meta go for it. If it's bad, you're only out some free peaches!!

 

[closetwine]

And since no one addresses the slurry?.... Make some Skeeter Pee with it! (Would be a waste not to!)
Oh, I see.... saving the gunk in the bottom of the boxes? I wouldn't have either...

 

[Auburn-Bob]

My understanding is that fruit should be very ripe - almost to the point of rotting - but not yet rotten. If you cut the parts off that really are rotten you might be OK. My first batch of wine ever was peach. The fruit was hard, so I ripened it in a paper bag.