I'm in the US, but I suspect that Langer's is made from mostly Chinese
apple juice.

At any rate, I find that most frozen juice concentrates have only
ascorbic (and sometimes also citric) acid added to them. I guessing the
USFDA expects that freezing the juice concentrate greatly reduces the
need for a stabilizer such as a benzoate or metabisulphite.

I concur that most juices transported and sold at "room temperature"
have a stabilizer added to them, making them much less suitable for
fermentation.

Marshall

McKevvy wrote:
> On 10 June, 00:14, Marshall Jose > wrote:
>> For about a year now, I've been enjoying (what I find to be) some curiously
>> tasty wine made from Langer's frozen apple juice concentrate. I find it at my
>> local Safeway grocery store. Being frozen, it has no sorbates or benzoates,
>> but it's got ascorbic acid, which turns out be a bit of a help.
>>
>> What makes the taste "curious" is that I don't fully reconstitute the
>> concentrate with water, allowing the higher sugar percentage to contribute
>> to the total desired start SG. By doing this, I also raise the amount of
>> natural apple flavor above that which would normally be present in a starting
>> apple must.
>>
>> The result is a strong-tasting wine (my family calls it "hooch"), with much
>> body and plenty of natural tannin. More importantly, because the juice has
>> already been filtered before concentration, clarification is rapid. About 2
>> months after fermentation slows, the wine has only a vague haze, and the
>> lees are firm (when EC-1118 is used).
>>
>> Typically, I make a gallon at a time, thus:
>>
>> - 4 Langer's frozen apple concentrate bottles
>> - 2.1 liters bottled spring water
>> - 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
>> - 1 tsp yeast nutrient
>> - 2 cups sugar
>> - 3/4 tsp EC-1118 dry yeast
>>
>> This liquor will have a SG of 1.115, which the yeast can handle, but will
>> produce a high-alcohol wine, If this is objectionable, only add 0.5 to 1
>> cups of sugar. Fermentation to SG=1.000 will take roughly 10-12 days,
>> largely due to the presence of the ascorbic acid. Daily stirring will assist
>> in degassing the must during primary fermentation.
>>
>> Naturally, one can wait a reasonable 6 months for more complete
>> clarification, but I've been surprised by the flavor of the result when
>> enjoyed prior to that time.
>>
>> Marshall
>
> Can I ask which country that you're in please? I used to really enjoy
> making wines from fruit juices - a quick and easy way to make wine but
> here in the UK sodium metabisulphide has in included in every bottle
> of juice for a good few years now....like most things in the UK, if
> you enjoy then, given time, the authorities will clamp down on it.
>
> McKevvy