Two years in a row I am ending up with a strawberry wine with a wonderful
aroma, taste and color but at a whopping 14%+ alcohol, way to hot for a
country wine. Still not sure what I'm going to do with'em. Thinking about
blending with some of my reisling from 2003? My wife likes that idea!

Anyway, I find pulp laden fruit very difficult to get decent SG readings,
and despite reducing the sugar the second year it was still "hot". I don't
do many non grape wines so any suggestions to speed up the curve would be
appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

Tom,
I know what you're going through. I'm trying to control my % alcohol as
well. Can I ask, how much sugar did you add per gallon? And are the
strawberries fresh or frozen? I can compare what you're doing to my recipe
and we can see what we come up with -- how does that sound?
Darlene
G-town, Wisconsin
USA

"Tom" > wrote in message
...
> Two years in a row I am ending up with a strawberry wine with a wonderful
> aroma, taste and color but at a whopping 14%+ alcohol, way to hot for a
> country wine. Still not sure what I'm going to do with'em. Thinking
about
> blending with some of my reisling from 2003? My wife likes that idea!
>
> Anyway, I find pulp laden fruit very difficult to get decent SG readings,
> and despite reducing the sugar the second year it was still "hot". I
don't
> do many non grape wines so any suggestions to speed up the curve would be
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> Tom
>
>

Tom wrote:

> Two years in a row I am ending up with a strawberry wine with a wonderful
> aroma, taste and color but at a whopping 14%+ alcohol, way to hot for a
> country wine. Still not sure what I'm going to do with'em. Thinking
> about
> blending with some of my reisling from 2003? My wife likes that idea!
>
> Anyway, I find pulp laden fruit very difficult to get decent SG readings,
> and despite reducing the sugar the second year it was still "hot". I
> don't do many non grape wines so any suggestions to speed up the curve
> would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> Tom

You might consider getting a refractometer and measuring brix instead of SG
- or you can do both.

If you are getting high octane from strawberries it is because you are using
too much sugar. Try cutting back considerably on you next batch. Use a
hydrometer and aim for 11-12%.

Now, what to do with it. Sweeten it up. If it is a little flat after
sweetening, add a bit of acid. Sweet wines call for more acid to balance
them out. Then serve it as a desert wine. If you really want to go off the
deep end and serve a great strong flavored desert strawberry wine -- after
you have sweetened and adjusted it, then serve it half and half with cream.
Strawberry wine and cream! You will be amazed!

Ray

"Tom" > wrote in message
...
> Two years in a row I am ending up with a strawberry wine with a wonderful
> aroma, taste and color but at a whopping 14%+ alcohol, way to hot for a
> country wine. Still not sure what I'm going to do with'em. Thinking
about
> blending with some of my reisling from 2003? My wife likes that idea!
>
> Anyway, I find pulp laden fruit very difficult to get decent SG readings,
> and despite reducing the sugar the second year it was still "hot". I
don't
> do many non grape wines so any suggestions to speed up the curve would be
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> Tom
>
>

On 5/17/04 4:48 PM, in article
, "Ray"
> wrote:

> If you are getting high octane from strawberries it is because you are using
> too much sugar. Try cutting back considerably on you next batch. Use a
> hydrometer and aim for 11-12%.
>
> Now, what to do with it. Sweeten it up. If it is a little flat after
> sweetening, add a bit of acid. Sweet wines call for more acid to balance
> them out. Then serve it as a desert wine. If you really want to go off the
> deep end and serve a great strong flavored desert strawberry wine -- after
> you have sweetened and adjusted it, then serve it half and half with cream.
> Strawberry wine and cream! You will be amazed!
>
> Ray

The other thing you could do is blend it with a lower alcohol wine. I would
consider rhubarb as an option.
--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/aws

(remove spamblocker from my email)

Next time use a float & set your potential alcohol to 11 or 12%.
Different fruit have different sugar content so using a 1 or 2 pounds
per gallon formula across the board will ultimately give you various
end results depending on what your using, fruitwise, for flavor. I
like to check mine BEFORE adding any sugar to get a baseline on how
much is needed for that particular batch. Just did some pear wine made
from juice i bought from a local orchard & that stuff was 7% all by
itself. Good luck.

Dar,

When I get a chance in the next day or two I'll pull my notes and get back
with the data. Thanks a lot for the offer I'm curious as well. For starts
though I can tell you fresh berries. Can't remember which recipe off hand,
got it from Jacks site. But I have it.

Tom
"Dar V" > wrote in message
...
> Tom,
> I know what you're going through. I'm trying to control my % alcohol as
> well. Can I ask, how much sugar did you add per gallon? And are the
> strawberries fresh or frozen? I can compare what you're doing to my
recipe
> and we can see what we come up with -- how does that sound?
> Darlene
> G-town, Wisconsin
> USA
>
> "Tom" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Two years in a row I am ending up with a strawberry wine with a
wonderful
> > aroma, taste and color but at a whopping 14%+ alcohol, way to hot for a
> > country wine. Still not sure what I'm going to do with'em. Thinking
> about
> > blending with some of my reisling from 2003? My wife likes that idea!
> >
> > Anyway, I find pulp laden fruit very difficult to get decent SG
readings,
> > and despite reducing the sugar the second year it was still "hot". I
> don't
> > do many non grape wines so any suggestions to speed up the curve would
be
> > appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Tom
> >
> >
>
>

Tom,
I look forward to hearing from you. Just so you know, I made my 3rd batch
of strawberry wine in February at about 12% (1.090 starting SG). I go to a
u-pick in June, and then freeze the berries before I make the wine. I only
make 1 gallon batches. Since I had a cherry wine which went to 15% and a
Plum wine which went to 13%+, I've been really watching the sugar I add to a
fruit must. It is very hard to know how much sugar is already in the fruit
or how much has been added to the fruit when it is frozen. So, instead of
adding all the sugar (which the recipe may call for) to the hot water at the
beginning, I've gone to just adding 4 cups in the beginning. Then, when it
comes to checking the SG before adding the yeast- if the starting SG is at
11 or 12%, then I won't add anymore sugar. If the starting SG was low, then
I would consider adding additional sugar later on after the must has
fermented to dry. It has worked well for me during the last few batches.
Does my explanation make sense...?
Darlene
G'town, Wisconsin
USA
"Tom" > wrote in message
...
> Dar,
>
> When I get a chance in the next day or two I'll pull my notes and get back
> with the data. Thanks a lot for the offer I'm curious as well. For
starts
> though I can tell you fresh berries. Can't remember which recipe off
hand,
> got it from Jacks site. But I have it.
>
> Tom
> "Dar V" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Tom,
> > I know what you're going through. I'm trying to control my % alcohol as
> > well. Can I ask, how much sugar did you add per gallon? And are the
> > strawberries fresh or frozen? I can compare what you're doing to my
> recipe
> > and we can see what we come up with -- how does that sound?
> > Darlene
> > G-town, Wisconsin
> > USA
> >
> > "Tom" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Two years in a row I am ending up with a strawberry wine with a
> wonderful
> > > aroma, taste and color but at a whopping 14%+ alcohol, way to hot for
a
> > > country wine. Still not sure what I'm going to do with'em. Thinking
> > about
> > > blending with some of my reisling from 2003? My wife likes that idea!
> > >
> > > Anyway, I find pulp laden fruit very difficult to get decent SG
> readings,
> > > and despite reducing the sugar the second year it was still "hot". I
> > don't
> > > do many non grape wines so any suggestions to speed up the curve would
> be
> > > appreciated.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Tom
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

"Tom" > wrote in message
...
> Two years in a row I am ending up with a strawberry wine with a wonderful
> aroma, taste and color but at a whopping 14%+ alcohol, way to hot for a
> country wine. Still not sure what I'm going to do with'em. Thinking
about
> blending with some of my reisling from 2003? My wife likes that idea!
>
> Anyway, I find pulp laden fruit very difficult to get decent SG readings,
> and despite reducing the sugar the second year it was still "hot". I
don't
> do many non grape wines so any suggestions to speed up the curve would be
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> Tom
>

Hi Tom

As an alternative to the other suggestions here about what to do in
futu

About the only time solids have to be left in the primary is when
alcohol is needed to act as a solvent to extract certain desirable
components from the solids. (such as is the case with red grape wines).
Any time this is not the case, the juice is extracted _before_ ferment
begins and the ferment is conducted as a "juice only fermentation".
(such as is the case with white grape wines).

With Strawberries, I know of no such benefit, so, why not do these as
"juice only" in the future. There are any number of ways to extract the
juice prior assembling the must. Since the method of extraction can
have a substantial effect on the outcome, you will want to choose the
method according to your personal tastes.

And, doing it this way will eliminate the problem of adjusting pre-pitch
PA to get exactly the amount of alcohol you want in the finished wine.
HTH

Thanks Frederick, I might try the pure juice next year.

To Dar -

Sorry it took so long for me to check the recipe and get back to you. I
used the Strawberry #2 from Jacks site. and in looking over my notes I think
I see the problem. I strained and measured the SG of the must as best as
possible and should have been around a 12% wine. But.... never took into
consideration the sugar in the raisins. Which is impossible to measure as
solids. I'm willing to bet that they were responsible for the 2%+ jump.

Tom
"frederick ploegman" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Tom" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Two years in a row I am ending up with a strawberry wine with a
wonderful
> > aroma, taste and color but at a whopping 14%+ alcohol, way to hot for a
> > country wine. Still not sure what I'm going to do with'em. Thinking
> about
> > blending with some of my reisling from 2003? My wife likes that idea!
> >
> > Anyway, I find pulp laden fruit very difficult to get decent SG
readings,
> > and despite reducing the sugar the second year it was still "hot". I
> don't
> > do many non grape wines so any suggestions to speed up the curve would
be
> > appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Tom
> >
>
> Hi Tom
>
> As an alternative to the other suggestions here about what to do in
> futu
>
> About the only time solids have to be left in the primary is when
> alcohol is needed to act as a solvent to extract certain desirable
> components from the solids. (such as is the case with red grape wines).
> Any time this is not the case, the juice is extracted _before_ ferment
> begins and the ferment is conducted as a "juice only fermentation".
> (such as is the case with white grape wines).
>
> With Strawberries, I know of no such benefit, so, why not do these as
> "juice only" in the future. There are any number of ways to extract the
> juice prior assembling the must. Since the method of extraction can
> have a substantial effect on the outcome, you will want to choose the
> method according to your personal tastes.
>
> And, doing it this way will eliminate the problem of adjusting pre-pitch
> PA to get exactly the amount of alcohol you want in the finished wine.
> HTH
>
>
>

Tom,
I'm glad you've got it figured out. Since I have not been at this too
long - ending my 3rd year of wine making; I've found that the first attempt
is truly an experiment. Even if you're following a tried & true recipe,
there can always be room for "miscalculation". Your example of not quite
knowing how much sugar is in the raisons - I'll add one more, how much sugar
is really in the fruit. I think the second time I make it, I do alter
things a bit to make the wine how I like it. If that comes out, then the
3rd try is usually my recipe which I'll follow from now on. So I'm just now
making wine to match what I like....
Darlene

"Tom" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks Frederick, I might try the pure juice next year.
>
> To Dar -
>
> Sorry it took so long for me to check the recipe and get back to you. I
> used the Strawberry #2 from Jacks site. and in looking over my notes I
think
> I see the problem. I strained and measured the SG of the must as best as
> possible and should have been around a 12% wine. But.... never took into
> consideration the sugar in the raisins. Which is impossible to measure as
> solids. I'm willing to bet that they were responsible for the 2%+ jump.
>
> Tom
> "frederick ploegman" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Tom" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Two years in a row I am ending up with a strawberry wine with a
> wonderful
> > > aroma, taste and color but at a whopping 14%+ alcohol, way to hot for
a
> > > country wine. Still not sure what I'm going to do with'em. Thinking
> > about
> > > blending with some of my reisling from 2003? My wife likes that idea!
> > >
> > > Anyway, I find pulp laden fruit very difficult to get decent SG
> readings,
> > > and despite reducing the sugar the second year it was still "hot". I
> > don't
> > > do many non grape wines so any suggestions to speed up the curve would
> be
> > > appreciated.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Tom
> > >
> >
> > Hi Tom
> >
> > As an alternative to the other suggestions here about what to do in
> > futu
> >
> > About the only time solids have to be left in the primary is when
> > alcohol is needed to act as a solvent to extract certain desirable
> > components from the solids. (such as is the case with red grape wines).
> > Any time this is not the case, the juice is extracted _before_ ferment
> > begins and the ferment is conducted as a "juice only fermentation".
> > (such as is the case with white grape wines).
> >
> > With Strawberries, I know of no such benefit, so, why not do these as
> > "juice only" in the future. There are any number of ways to extract the
> > juice prior assembling the must. Since the method of extraction can
> > have a substantial effect on the outcome, you will want to choose the
> > method according to your personal tastes.
> >
> > And, doing it this way will eliminate the problem of adjusting pre-pitch
> > PA to get exactly the amount of alcohol you want in the finished wine.
> > HTH
> >
> >
> >
>
>

"Tom" > wrote in message >...
> Thanks Frederick, I might try the pure juice next year.
>
> To Dar -
>
> Sorry it took so long for me to check the recipe and get back to you. I
> used the Strawberry #2 from Jacks site. and in looking over my notes I think
> I see the problem. I strained and measured the SG of the must as best as
> possible and should have been around a 12% wine. But.... never took into
> consideration the sugar in the raisins. Which is impossible to measure as
> solids. I'm willing to bet that they were responsible for the 2%+ jump.
>
> Tom

I've seen somewhere recently - likely Winemaker - that 1lb raisins
corresponds to 1/2lb sugar.

Pp

what are the ways you would suggest extracting juice only from strawberries?
pressing in cheesecloth? juice extractor? victorio strainer? just
curious about the different kinds of methods you might use, especially for
something as finely pulped and heavily seeded as strawberries.

Rick

"frederick ploegman" > wrote in message
...
>
> Hi Tom
>
> As an alternative to the other suggestions here about what to do in
> futu
>
> About the only time solids have to be left in the primary is when
> alcohol is needed to act as a solvent to extract certain desirable
> components from the solids. (such as is the case with red grape wines).
> Any time this is not the case, the juice is extracted _before_ ferment
> begins and the ferment is conducted as a "juice only fermentation".
> (such as is the case with white grape wines).
>
> With Strawberries, I know of no such benefit, so, why not do these as
> "juice only" in the future. There are any number of ways to extract the
> juice prior assembling the must. Since the method of extraction can
> have a substantial effect on the outcome, you will want to choose the
> method according to your personal tastes.
>
> And, doing it this way will eliminate the problem of adjusting pre-pitch
> PA to get exactly the amount of alcohol you want in the finished wine.
> HTH

Hmmm.....The term "juice only" here seems to have caused some
confusion. Maybe if I changed that to read "Liquids only fermentation",
or, "Without solids fermentation", it would make more sense.

IOW - If you are working from a "country" recipe that calls for 2
pounds of fruit, you _still_ use just 2 pounds of fruit. You just extract
the juice and discard the solids, then use that amount of juice to
assemble the must.

Hope it makes more sense this way. HTH

Frederick

Hi Rick

For separating juice from solids, I use a fine mesh strainer, or "jelly
bag" type material. We buy material at the dry goods store and make
our own bags.

However, my reference to "methods" was intended to convey the
differences in end product between "hot process", "cold process",
and "room temp process" wines. Briefly:

1. Hot process - done pretty much exactly as you would when
preparing juice to make jelly. In this case, the heat not only drives
off many of the volatiles, but it forms a substance called furfural
which gives things that "cooked" flavor. Some folks won't eat
a fresh strawberry, but just love strawberry jelly. Here is one
solution for such personal preferences.

2. Room temp - Pretty much self explanatory.

3. Cold process - This can be done by first chilling the fruit to about
40f in a refrigerator. Since sugar will have to be added when
assembling the must anyway, I usually do these as a sugar
extraction. Process the fruit while still cold. Slice or dice (not
too
finely), or lightly mash berries. Add sugar and stir. Add sulfite to
neutralize the browning enzymes and take care of at least some of
the oxidizing that might otherwise occur. Cover and return to
refrigerator. Stir twice a day. The sugar should do it's work in
about 48 hours. It helps if you then add some water and give it
another 24 hours to finish. The juice is then separated from the
solids and the juice used to assemble the must. Proceed with a
normal "cool ferment" technique.

Keep in mind that any time you smell something, it had to be volatile
enough to escape from the juice/must/wine in order to reach your nose.
Things which escape in this manner will no longer be present in the
finished wine. Thus, the "cold process" and "cool ferment" techniques
are the best guaranty of a "fruity" wine because they minimize the loss
of volatiles. HTH

Frederick


"Rick Vanderwal" > wrote in message
...
> what are the ways you would suggest extracting juice only from
strawberries?
> pressing in cheesecloth? juice extractor? victorio strainer? just
> curious about the different kinds of methods you might use, especially for
> something as finely pulped and heavily seeded as strawberries.
>
> Rick
>
>

"Rick Vanderwal" > wrote:

> what are the ways you would suggest extracting juice only from strawberries?
> pressing in cheesecloth? juice extractor? victorio strainer? just
> curious about the different kinds of methods you might use, especially for
> something as finely pulped and heavily seeded as strawberries.

Frederick offered some good background on extraction approaches. If I
may add to that some pros/cons and effects:

Some winemakers would avoid juice extractors because they (1) can
seriously oxidise and, (2) are hard (in terms of maceration) on the
fruit.

Pressing (cheesecloth style) is a good approach IMO and offers a high
degree of control if you have a good press. It results in better
control of the press fractions (e.g. later press fractions will be
more tannic, so you can include/disclude them) and lower SS which is
more favourable for clean, fruity styles. Though winemakers should be
careful with oxidation.

Heat extraction is a hotly debatable issue. Some winemakers like the
"stewed"/"cooked" flavours that are a result of using heat, others do
not, and believe they drive off valuable aromatics in the process.

If you're aiming for a fruity styled wine, I wouldn't recommend room
temperature processes at all. In fact, a lot of winemakers cool down
their fruit deliberately and then extract the juice immediately
(without any maceration). So that's actually an additional approach. I
would call "cold maceration" (essentially what Frederick called the
"cold process") a different process (which might be seen as an
extention of this). Cold maceration does lead to a different result
however, because you get extended aqeuous extraction- rather than
alcoholic (with pulp fermentations), or none at all (in the case of
immediate juice extraction and juice-only fermentation). I personally
like it, and see it as a good option for fruity styles where a bit of
phenolic character isn't a problem. It also presents a primitive
alternative immediate juice extraction followed by cold settling
technqiues.

All these options are really stylistic choices. For a Strawberry, I'd
personally go for one of the following, depending on how you like the
wine:
(1) (cold-pressed) extraction and juice-only ferementation
(2) cold maceration followed by juice-only ferementation
(3) short (2-3 day) pulp fermentation.

(2) will give more phenolics, and (3) will give even more. Some
winemakers dislike "seed character". (1) will give a more clean,
fruity style but will be lighter.

Ben

Improved Winemaking
http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/