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Stephen 10-12-2003 08:55 PM

how to make a good flavorfull sweet fruit wine
 
I have 3 fruit wines making and I want to know the best way to make it
flavorfull and sweet with a good kick. Is the best method to feed the yeast
with a 1/2 cup sugar and rack every 3 to 4 weeks (or is it when the meter
gets to .990), or run it to dry use potasium sorbate and sweeten wait ten
day and bottle?

My next question is what is the best method for finning, chemical or
filtering?

Thank you,
Stephen



Greg Cook 11-12-2003 12:06 AM

how to make a good flavorfull sweet fruit wine
 
On 12/10/03 1:55 PM, in article bTKBb.301422$Dw6.1004351@attbi_s02,
"Stephen" > wrote:

> I have 3 fruit wines making and I want to know the best way to make it
> flavorfull and sweet with a good kick. Is the best method to feed the yeast
> with a 1/2 cup sugar and rack every 3 to 4 weeks (or is it when the meter
> gets to .990), or run it to dry use potasium sorbate and sweeten wait ten
> day and bottle?


I suppose that depends on how balanced you want your wine. The feeding
method will produce a wine with significantly high alcohol (15% or higher).
That may be ok if it tastes balanced with the residual sugar and acid - but
I would expect it to be a bit more port-like than wine-like in that respect.
Personally, I would opt for fermenting to 11-12% alcohol (dry), stabilizing
with sorbate and bisulfite and then sweetening to taste. I suspect you will
find a more balanced product in the end.

>
> My next question is what is the best method for finning, chemical or
> filtering?


Do you mean getting it clear? Or adjusting some other property of the wine
(taste, color, etc)?

I would not use any fining materials unless the wine has bulk aged and been
racked when necessary for at least 6 months. Then, it depends on what
specific problem is causing your haziness. Pectin, protein, etc. will each
need something different to fine with.

You cannot filter a cloudy wine. It will not go through a filter. You should
only filter a wine that already looks completely clear. Thus, it is not an
option for the clearing process.

--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)



Ray 11-12-2003 06:08 PM

how to make a good flavorfull sweet fruit wine
 
Very broad questions. My suggestion is to pick up some books on country
wines and read them critically. Jack's site is great for his comments about
making country wines of many types. Read his recipes, not just his methods.

More flavorful wines. I assume you want wines that taste like the original
fruit. In that case use the maximum amount of fruit called for in the
recipe. Then make it dry. At this point it will probably not taste like
the original fruit. Stabilize and sweeten in a little and the fruit
character will probably come back. Adjust it to your taste.

You can try using more fruit than called for in a recipe but be ready to
adjust the acidity or it will get way out of balance real quick.

I agree with Greg. Slow feeding is a great way to make high alcohol wines
of 16-18%. That will not make them flavorful. It just makes them get you
drunk quick. Actually you can get drunk just as quick off 6-8% wine because
it is so smooth you will drink too much of it before you know it.

Racking every 3-4 weeks will do nothing but expose the wine to air and
lessen the quality. That is way too much handling. Rack to secondary, Rack
after fermentation and it starts to clear to get it off the gross leas (I
always wait at least 2 weeks after fermentation), rack 2-3 months later when
it mostly clears, and rack one more time only if necessary but not before
3-4 months.

Aim for 11-13% wine and adjust the sweetness. It will have plenty of flavor
and plenty of kick.

Ray

"Greg Cook" > wrote in message
...
> On 12/10/03 1:55 PM, in article bTKBb.301422$Dw6.1004351@attbi_s02,
> "Stephen" > wrote:
>
> > I have 3 fruit wines making and I want to know the best way to make it
> > flavorfull and sweet with a good kick. Is the best method to feed the

yeast
> > with a 1/2 cup sugar and rack every 3 to 4 weeks (or is it when the

meter
> > gets to .990), or run it to dry use potasium sorbate and sweeten wait

ten
> > day and bottle?

>
> I suppose that depends on how balanced you want your wine. The feeding
> method will produce a wine with significantly high alcohol (15% or

higher).
> That may be ok if it tastes balanced with the residual sugar and acid -

but
> I would expect it to be a bit more port-like than wine-like in that

respect.
> Personally, I would opt for fermenting to 11-12% alcohol (dry),

stabilizing
> with sorbate and bisulfite and then sweetening to taste. I suspect you

will
> find a more balanced product in the end.
>
> >
> > My next question is what is the best method for finning, chemical or
> > filtering?

>
> Do you mean getting it clear? Or adjusting some other property of the wine
> (taste, color, etc)?
>
> I would not use any fining materials unless the wine has bulk aged and

been
> racked when necessary for at least 6 months. Then, it depends on what
> specific problem is causing your haziness. Pectin, protein, etc. will each
> need something different to fine with.
>
> You cannot filter a cloudy wine. It will not go through a filter. You

should
> only filter a wine that already looks completely clear. Thus, it is not an
> option for the clearing process.
>
> --
> Greg Cook
> http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine
>
> (remove spamblocker from my email)
>
>




Ray 11-12-2003 11:32 PM

how to make a good flavorfull sweet fruit wine
 
I apologize. The above has noting to do with this post. I thought I was
answering another thread. Don't know how I got here?????/
;o\
Ray



Jack Keller 12-12-2003 03:16 AM

how to make a good flavorfull sweet fruit wine
 
Stephen, I can't add much to what has already been said except to add
that good fruit wines are made with good fruit. With few exceptions,
most fruit peak in flavor when the fruit are at the peak of ripeness.
Harvesting your own is the way to go because if you pick any
under-ripe fruit you can only blame yourself. Commercial (super
market) fruit are notoriously under-ripe when harvested because their
cycle is timed to allow the fruit to "turn" during transit and on the
shelf. The proof of this is to taste a deep red strawberry purchased
at the supermarket and then taste a vine-ripened strawberry from your
garden. You wouldn't even know they are the same species!

But you need to be clear about one thing. Fruit wines do not taste
like the fruit they are made from any more than grape wine tastes like
the grapes they are made from. But if they are made well, from fruit
at the peak of their ripeness, they will taste like wine from that
fruit is supposed to taste. You will know what it is because your
nose and palate will recognize the fruit character in the base.

By "made well" I mean they are balanced. Alcohol is a major component
of balance (the other major components being sugar, tannin and
acidity--both TA and pH). If the alcohol is too high for the fruit
type, you will never achieve balance without major intervention.
Newbies make high alcohol wine because they don't understand balance.
Some of the best fruit wines I have ever enjoyed (and I sure didn't
make them all) were 10.5 to 11.5% abv. I even had an outstanding kiwi
wine that was only 9.25% abv. It had an s.g. of 1.002, but it tasted
like it was 1.006 at least because the alcohol did not compete with
it. The kiwi flavor jumped out at you because it was a very
well-balanced wine--TA was around 5.5 g/L and pH a bit high at 3.6 to
3.7 (two measurements--same meter--gave two readings). She (the
winemaker) had fermenting on the skins and then added just a smidgen
of tannin from tea leaves.

I hope this and the other posts help.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

frederick ploegman 12-12-2003 01:42 PM

how to make a good flavorfull sweet fruit wine
 

"Jack Keller" > wrote in message
om...
<snip>
> I can't add much to what has already been said
>
> Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
> http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

<snip>

Hi Jack

Seems to me you said quite a lot in just three short paragraphs !! ;O))





Dar V 12-12-2003 01:45 PM

how to make a good flavorfull sweet fruit wine
 
Just an observation from someone who hasn't been at this as long as the
others. I've taste-tested my fruit wines at various times to gain an
understanding of how they change, and they do change. From the fruit wines
I've done, the alcohol kick does overwhelm the fruit taste in the beginning,
but as the wine ages the fruit taste does start to come out (if you can wait
that long). In response to your last question about fining, I don't unless
the wine has a problem with it. Usually my wines clear of their own accord
after racking and bulk aging. In three years, I've only resorted to fining
with one batch because it's not clear - the one I'm working on now
(dandelion).
Darlene

"Stephen" > wrote in message
news:bTKBb.301422$Dw6.1004351@attbi_s02...
> I have 3 fruit wines making and I want to know the best way to make it
> flavorfull and sweet with a good kick. Is the best method to feed the

yeast
> with a 1/2 cup sugar and rack every 3 to 4 weeks (or is it when the meter
> gets to .990), or run it to dry use potasium sorbate and sweeten wait ten
> day and bottle?
>
> My next question is what is the best method for finning, chemical or
> filtering?
>
> Thank you,
> Stephen
>
>





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