MAKING WINE FROM FRESH FRUITS

WEIGHT AND MEASURES:

Weigh fruit on kitchen or bathroom scale (subtract weight of container holding fruit)

Sugar: 1 lb.=2 rounded cups. Always use level measuring teaspoons for measuring chemicals.

Honey: use 6 oz. per gallon of wine to add a hint of sweetness to the wine, white or red

Grape concentrate: use 5-10 oz. per gallon to add body and bouquet to the wine (improves character)

Raisins: use 8 oz. per gallon to add body and sweetness (golden raisins for white or rose wines and dark raisins for reds) Bananas: use 2 oz banana powder or 8 oz. dried bananas or 3 lbs. fresh bananas per gallon to add body to wines.

Most fresh fruit wines lack body and could use one or more of the above ingredients to improve the quality and flavor.

Most fruit wines benefit from some level of residual sweetness.

HOW TO PROCESS VARIOUS FRUITS FOR FERMENTATION:

Put fruit / pulp in a nylon or cheesecloth fermenting bag, for easy removal later.

Fruits and rhubarb can be frozen before using for better flavor and juice extraction (also cuts the woody taste).

Hard fruits like apples and pears can be chopped up and pressed or just chopped up, remove seeds and stems if possible to prevent a bitter taste.

Berries can be hand crushed and squeezed to get juice out, use pulp.

Soft fruits like citrus, plums, apricots (domestic type), cherries, peaches, etc. must have the seeds or pits removed because the pits contain bitter resins which will leave a bitter taste in the wine. Do not break the seeds or pits. Chokecherries can be left whole or lightly crushed.

Bananas, pears, raisins, dates, figs and beets can just be chopped or sliced up, remove stems and use pulp.

Wild or concord grapes can be hand crushed and pressed, ferment on the skins just long enough to get color, then remove pulp. (l -2 days) Press lightly and discard.

Wild roses - use rose hip under petals or petals, no green parts.

Dandelions - use yellow part of flower only.

Rhubarb - chop into small pieces, do not squeeze. Adding sugar to chopped rhubarb for several hours (before adding water) helps extract the rhubarb juice

STANDARD METHOD FOR MAKING ANY FRUIT WINE

1). Process pulp as given above, put pulp in fermenting bag and put in plastic primary fermentor (or crock). Add sugar slowly until the desired level is reached (Specific Gravity of about 1.085 is typical for table wines.)

2). Add Pot. Meta. (or Campden tablets) along with pectic enzyme, acid blend, tannin, and water (hot to warm). Check acid with titration kit, if you have one, and adjust if necessary.

3), Cover pail with a plastic sheet or clean cloth and tie it down with string so no bugs or dust get inside.

WAIT 12 HOURS - then add nutrient and yeast.

4). Fermentation should begin 1 - 2 days after adding yeast. The wine will start to bubble vigorously. Let it ferment in the primary until it reaches S. G. 1.020 (this takes 3 - 4 days of active fermenting) then siphon the wine into a clean jug or carboy (you should use sulfite or Campden solution to clean your equipment), immediately attach air-lock (half filled with sulfite or water) to top of jug.

5). Let wine stand in dark place for 3 weeks. You will notice a heavy yeast sediment failing to the bottom of the carboy.  You must "rack" (siphon) the wine off this sediment or your wine will pick up a yeasty taste. Siphon into another clean jug or siphon back to primary and clean out jug and rack back to jug, you must fill the jug up to the neck with similar wine or water. If you leave an air space of more than an inch the wine may turn brown (oxidize). Make sure to clean out air-lock and re-attach to jug. Let wine stand for 3 months. Check the air-lock to make sure it does not dry out, or use silicone breathable bungs, that release gas but do not allow air back in.

6). By this time the wine should be done fermenting and starting to clear. Siphon the wine into another clean jug and add 1 crushed Campden tablet per gallon. Clean out air-lock again and re-attach. Let wine sit another 2 -3 months, and if it is clear and stable go to next step.

7). If your wine has not cleared, you can treat it with SPARKOLLOID powder (follow directions on package). If you taste the wine and it seems harsh, sweeten it. Add potassium sorbate at recommended level (to prevent renewed fermentation), then sweeten to taste. At that time you can bottle it. Age 1-2 months or more before drinking.