Making Fruit Wine
While the preparing and amounts can vary between different fruits, here is a generic starting recipe that can apply to over a hundred different fruit wines!
Ingredients:
2-3 lb Fruit or Berries
7 pts Water
2-2.5 lb Sugar
1/2 – 3 tsp Acid Blend
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 Campden Tablets
1 pkg Wine Yeast
METHOD:
1. Wash fruit, remove stones and any brown patches, and weigh out correct amount. 2. Mash and strain out juice into primary fermenter. Keep all pulp in nylon straining bag, tie top and place in primary. 3. Stir in all other ingredients except yeast. Cover primary. 4. After 24 hrs., add yeast and cover primary. 5. Stir daily, check gravity and press pulp in bag lightly to help extract juice. 6. When ferment reaches S.G. 1.040 (3-5 days) strain juice lightly from bag. Syphon wine off sediment into glass jug secondary. Attach airlock. 7. When ferment is complete (S.G. has reached 1.000–about 3 weeks) syphon off sediment into clean secondary. Reattach lock. 8. Syphon again in 2 months and again if necessary until clear before bottling.
Making Hard Cider
Add Your Heading Text HereApple cider:
Ingredients:
7-8lb Apples
4 1/2 pts Water
2 lb Sugar
2 1/4 tsp Acid Blend
1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
1/4 tsp Tannin
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 Campden Tablets
1 pkg Wine or Cider Yeast
METHOD:
Only apples that are sound (firm, ripe) and free of rot and worm damage should be used. Wash and sort out apples. It is recommended that the juice be pressed from the apples before fermenting. You'll find that cutting the apples in smaller pieces helps extract more juice.
If you are starting with juice purchased from the store (make sure no preservatives were added the above work is already done. In EITHER case, 1. Put the juice into the primary fermentor; immediately add the crushed Campden tablets and Pectic Enzyme to prevent browning and aid clearing. Stir in all other ingredients except Yeast. Cover Primary. 2. After 24 hrs., add yeast. Cover Primary. 3. Stir daily, check Specific gravity. When ferment reaches S.G. of 1.040 (3-5 days) syphon off sediment into glass jug secondary. Attach airlock. 4. When ferment is complete (S.G. has reached 1.000-- after 3 weeks) syphon off sediment into clean secondary. Reattach lock. 5. Syphon off sediment again in 2 months and again if necessary until clear before bottling.
When ferment is complete, stir in gently ¼ cup dissolved sugar per gallon of Cider. Bottle in champagne flip top, or beer bottles. Apply crown caps. Age for 3 months. cool and enjoy.
Meads
Mead:
Ingredients:
2½lb Honey
7 pts Water
3 tsp Malic Acid
1½ tsp Tartaric Acid
¼ tsp Tannin
¾ tsp Energizer
1 Camden, crush
1 pkg. Wine yeast, Champ.
METHOD:
1.Wash and drain any fruit; put fruit and herbs into nylon straining bag. Crush and strain out juice into primary fermenter. Keeping pulp in bag , tie top and place in primary. 2. In primary, dissolve honey in ½ gallon of warm water with acid and tannin. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT yeast. Cover primary. 3. After 24 hours add yeast and cover primary. 4. Stir daily, check S.G. and press pulp lightly to aid extraction. 5. When ferment reaches S.G. 1.030 (5-6 days) lightly press juice from bag. Then syphon wine off sediment into glass secondary. Attach airlock. 6. When ferment is complete (S.G. has dropped to 1.000– about 3 weeks) syphon off sediment into clean secondary. Reattach lock. 7. To aid clearing syphon again in 2 months and again if necessary before bottling.