Hi, I'm making damson wine for the first time and wonder why I had to
add water to the mash, whereas with wine from grapes no water has to
be added. Is it simply that damsons are less juicy than grapes, and
that the product would be too viscous and sirupy?
This is probably a trivial question but I'm a bloody newbie.

Karl -
I think you've answered your own question. You don't HAVE to add
water, but I think you'd find that you would need to squeeze a lot of
plums to yield a gallon or more of fermentable juice. And after you'd
done it, I think you'd find it too strongly-flavored (and possibly too
acidic). Of all the things that can be fermented, only grapes really
have the right balance of sugar, acidity and flavor intensity to make
wine purely from the juice. If you make wine from anything else, you
are bound to be adding sugar, adding (or reducing) acid, etc. The
amount of fruit per gallon is to some extent a matter of personal
taste - the published recipes can vary a good deal, but reflect what
reasonably experienced winemakers have found to produce pleasant and
drinkable results. If you are curious about what your wine would
taste like with more plums and less water, feel free to experiment.


Doug

On Sep 26, 11:34 pm, Doug wrote:
Of all the things that can be fermented, only grapes really
have the right balance of sugar, acidity and flavor intensity to make
wine purely from the juice.

That was the information I was subconsciously fishing for -- thanks,
Douglas.