Copyright 1999
Chapter 21
MAKING FRUIT WINES
The grape harvest period in southern California extends from about mid August until early October, so wine can be made from grapes only a few weeks each year. On the other hand, excellent wines can be made from fresh fruit six or seven months of the year. When frozen fruit is used, wine can be made the year around.
Making fruit wine is different from making wine from grapes. Grapes have just about the right amount of sugar and acid to make a balanced wine, but most other kinds of fruit require large additions of sugar and significant acid adjustments. Fruit winemaking is more complicated because the acidity of different types of fruit varies over wide ranges. Consequently, when fruit wine is made, the winemaker must carefully measure and adjust both the sugar content and the acid content of the fruit. These basic adjustments are made before fermentation is started.
Although dry wines can be produced easily, most people prefer off-dry or semi-sweet fruit wines. A small amount of residual sugar seems to preserve and enhance the characteristics of the fruit used to make the wine. Consequently, most fruit wines are finished with a sugar content ranging from one to four ounces of sugar per gallon of wine (0.75 to 3 percent sugar).
Some types of fruit seem particularly suitable for making dessert style wines. These wines often contain four to twelve ounces of sugar per gallon of wine (3 to 9 percent sugar), and they are often fortified with additional alcohol. Dry, red table wines can be made from elderberries, blackberries, blueberries, loganberries and boysenberries. Sometimes, completely dry, well-aged berry wines are difficult to distinguish from high quality grape wine.
FRUIT WINEMAKING STEPS
Making fruit wine consists of several different steps, and some steps require considerable time. Drinkable wine can be made in two or three months, but most high quality white or blush fruit wines are bottled when they are about six months old. Heavy, dark colored fruit wines are often nine to twelve months old when bottled.
Fruit winemaking can be divided into five basic steps. Each of the following steps contributes to the overall quality of the wine. However, the quality of the finished wine depends primarily on using high quality, ripe fruit.
(1) Fruit is inspected and prepared for fermentation.
(2) Appropriate amounts of water, sugar, acid and sulfur dioxide
are added to the fruit. Sometimes other materials are added to
produce a fermentable "must."
(3) Fermentation is started by adding a suitable wine yeast to
the prepared must.
(4) When fermentation is complete, the new wine is clarified and
stabilized by racking, fining and filtering.
(5) When the wine is clear and stable, it is bottled.
FRUIT
Wine can be made from practically any type of fruit, but not all types of fruit are suitable for making all styles of wine. Selecting a wine style to match the type of fruit available is an important part of fruit winemaking, and winemaking experience is needed when wine is made from exotic fruits like pineapples, guavas or mangos.
Amount of Fruit
The quantity of fruit needed to make a given wine style depends on the flavor intensity of the particular fruit and on the flavor level wanted in the finished wine. Usually from 3 to 6 pounds of fruit are needed for each gallon of wine. Raspberries and a few other types of fruit have very strong flavors, and wine made from six pounds of raspberries per gallon have intense raspberry flavors. Other fruits such as bananas have very bland tastes, and producing wines with strong banana tastes would be difficult.
Three to six pounds of fruit per gallon of wine generally produce an acceptable wine. However, experience with a particular type of fruit is always helpful when a winemaker is trying to decide how much fruit to use. Unless exceptionally strong fruit characteristics are wanted, three or four pounds of fruit is a good starting point.
Fruit Preparation
Only sound, ripe fruit should be used for winemaking. Most types of fruit should be washed to remove insecticides, fungicides or bugs. Superficial blemishes on the fruit will do no harm, but rotten fruit should be discarded. Moldy fruit will give the finished wine a moldy taste, and rotten or badly bruised fruit can carry harmful bacteria into the wine. Off-flavors can be avoided by sorting over the fruit carefully and using a sharp knife to remove gross blemishes, rot or mold.
Stems and leaves should be removed from the fruit. Generally, seeds should be removed if they have a distinctly bitter taste, and most fruit winemakers prefer to remove the stones from plums, prunes, peaches, apricots and cherries. However, some winemakers deliberately retain some seeds from these fruits to provide extra tannin. Most wines made from stone fruits are made in an off-dry or sweet style.
On the other hand, skins contain desirable flavor materials, so skins are usually retained. Usually, plums, prunes, apricots, peaches and most berries are fermented with the juice, pulp and skins together for a few days to extract flavors. Here, the fruit should be chopped and then crushed. Running fruit through a very course grinder is a practical way of preparing large quantities of fruit for this type of fermentation.
Although most fruit wines are made with some residual sugar, some very pleasant dry red table wines have been made by fermenting a mixture of several different kinds of dark colored berries. This style of red fruit wine is often fermented, aged and finished just like a red grape table wine. Juice, skins, pulp and seeds of blackberries, boysenberries, cranberries, elderberries, blueberries, gooseberries, Loganberries, mulberries, raspberries and strawberries are usually included in the fermentation. Berries used for winemaking should be very ripe and sorted carefully. Berries can be prepared for fermentation easily by mashing. Seeds contain a variety of tannin materials. Too much tannin can give wine a bitter taste and make wine excessively astringent, so seeds should not be ground, mashed or cracked.
Wine made from oranges oxidizes very easily, and good orange table wines are difficult to make. However, pleasant sherry style wines can be made easily from oranges. Citrus fruit skins contain considerable oily material, and most winemakers prefer to eliminate skins from citrus fruit fermentations. The membrane under grapefruit skins contains much bitter material, and this white pulpy material should be removed carefully.
Many fruit winemakers simplify the handling of skins and pulp by placing these materials in a nylon mesh "jelly bag." When fermentation is started, the jelly bag full of pulp is suspended in the liquid. The wine will get all the benefits from the solid materials, but separating the liquid from the pulp at the end of fermentation is much easier. The bag of pulp is removed from the container and squeezed by hand.
MAKING THE MUST
Grapes contain all the necessary ingredients to make a balanced wine, but other kinds of fruit require additions of several different materials before successful fermentation can take place. Besides the fruit, good quality water will be needed, and at a minimum, the sugar and acid content of the must will need adjusting.
The sugar content of the must can be measured easily with a Brix hydrometer. A reading of about 22 Brix will be right for most fruit wine fermentations. Add a small quantity of sugar to the must, stir until all the sugar is dissolved, then take a reading with the hydrometer. Continue this procedure until the hydrometer reads 22 Brix. Ordinary, white, granulated table sugar (sucrose) should be used to increase the sugar content of the prepared fruit.
An "acid test kit" or other acid titration equipment should be used to measure the acid content of the must. A value of 0.65 to 0.70 percent (grams per 100 ml) is about right for the starting acid content for off-dry fruit wines. A value of 0.60 to 0.65 percent may be more appropriate when the fruit wine will be finished dry. "Acid blend" is available at all home winemaking shops, and most winemakers use this material to increase the acidity of fruit musts. Acid blend is a mixture of citric, malic and tartaric acids, and this mixture of acids seems particular suitable for fruit wines. The acid crystals must be completely dissolved, and considerable stirring may be required.
Very small amounts of sulfur dioxide should be added to musts made from fruit. One Campden tablet for each gallon of must is the right amount. The sulfur dioxide reduces juice oxidation. Sulfur dioxide kills bacteria, and it also helps control wild yeasts always present on fruit. Making a satisfactory fruit wine without using small quantities of sulfur dioxide is difficult.
Depending on the specific circumstances, tannin may be added to fruit wine musts. Tannin is a material in the skins and seeds of fruit, and it adds desirable astringency to the wine. Tannin also acts as a wine purifier and a natural preservative.
Yeast requires nitrogen to multiply properly during the early stages of fermentation, and many fruits are low in available nitrogen. Consequently, small quantities of a material called "yeast energizer" are often added to fruit musts to supply extra nitrogen and help the yeasts multiply quickly.
Many fruits, particularly apples and plums, have a high pectin content. Pectin causes fruit juice to solidify into jam or jelly, and pectin can cause problems in wine. The pectin carries over through fermentation and makes the wine difficult to clarify. Most fruit winemakers add pectic enzymes (see below) to their fruit musts before fermentation is started. Enzymes break down the pectin in the fruit, and then the wine can be clarified easily. Enzymes also help extract color from the fruit.
Many fruit winemakers add mashed, fresh bananas to their fruit wine musts. The bananas do not change wine flavors significantly, but after fermentation, the bananas help the new wine clarify. Bananas also increase the body of the wine, and from « to 2 pounds per gallon often improve the mouth-feel of the finished wine.
FERMENTATION
Wine yeast is available either as a liquid culture or in dry granular form. Either type works well, but dry yeast is easier to prepare and use. Many different strains of wine yeast are available. Some types of yeast can produce high alcohol levels. Other types of yeast cannot ferment at low temperatures. Some types of yeast produce excessive amounts of foam, and the foam causes the containers to overflow. Epernay II is a slow fermenting yeast, and it is often used for light, off-dry, fruity style wines. Pasteur Champagne yeast is more vigorous, and it is often used for dry wines when neutral flavors are wanted. Prise de Mousse dry yeast is a general purpose yeast. This yeast is vigorous, but it produces little foam. The yeast used for fermentation has little influence on the flavors of aged wine.
A good general rule is to use one gram of dry yeast for each gallon of must. Some winemakers prefer using half this amount, other winemakers prefer to use twice this amount. Many fruit winemakers just sprinkle the dry yeast on the must, but all yeast manufacturers recommend rehydrating dry yeast in a small amount of warm water. About a cup of water for each tablespoon of dry yeast should be used. The temperature of the water should be 95 degrees, so a thermometer should be used. The yeast mixture should be stirred several times, and then the yeast mixture should stand for 20-minutes before it is poured into the must.
Active fermentation should start 12 to 48 hours after the yeast is added. The time will depend upon the temperature of the must, how much sulfur dioxide is used and several other factors. When fruit pulp is fermented in an open fermenter, the container should be covered with a sheet of plastic. Stir the must at least once each day. After two or three days of active fermentation, the liquid is separated from the pulp with a nylon jelly bag, by racking or by straining. The solid materials are discarded, and the liquid should be placed in a closed container to finish fermentation. Carbon dioxide gas from the fermentation must be vented from the closed contained. Fill a fermentation lock half full of plain water and attach the lock to the container.
Generally, hot, fast fermentations are undesirable. Rapid fermentations produce large quantities of carbon dioxide, and much of the desirable fruit odors and flavors are carried away by the gas. In addition, fast fermentations do not provide enough time to extract adequate fruit odors and flavors from the solid materials. Long, slow fermentations produce more flavorful wines, and fermentation temperatures can affect wine flavors considerably. Temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees are desirable at the start of fermentation. However, once fermentation is underway, the temperature should be reduced and kept between 60 and 70 degrees. The lower temperature provides the slow fermentation needed for good wine quality.
Dry White Wines
Making good quality, dry, white table wine from fruit is a difficult undertaking, but fruit winemakers become very skilled in producing this style of wine. The most suitable types of fruit for making dry table wines are pears, apples or gooseberries. These types of fruit are also suited for making sparkling wines.
Dry white table wines are best made by fermenting only clarified juice. First the fruit is washed and then converted into a pur‚e by crushing. Some winemakers prefer to use a food processor for preparing fruit for dry white wine, but the seeds should not be ground up. Water, sugar, acid, sulfur dioxide and all of the other ingredients, except the yeast, are added to the finely chopped fruit. The must is then covered with a sheet of plastic and cooled to a low temperature. The must is kept cold for 24 to 72 hours to extract as much flavor from the pulp and skins as possible. After a suitable time, the liquid is separated from the solid material. Much of the solid material settles to the bottom of the container while the must is standing, and the clear liquid came be removed by syphoning, straining or pressing. The solids are discarded, and only clear juice is fermented when making dry table wines.
All fruit contains natural yeast, and this technique of cold soaking is only possible if the must is kept cold. Otherwise, native yeasts will start spontaneous fermentation. Even at low temperatures, some danger of spontaneous fermentation exists, and the winemaker should watch the cold must carefully. If any signs of spontaneous fermentation appear (ring of bubbles around the edge of the container), the juice should be racked off the solid material, and a suitable wine yeast should be added.
An open fermenter is not needed when clarified juice is fermented, so a closed fermenter should be used to reduce oxidation. Fill the closed fermenter about three-fourths full, and seal the container with a fermentation trap filled with plain water. When fermentation is complete, rack the wine off the yeast lees and add one Campden tablet for each gallon of wine.
CLARIFICATION AND STABILIZATION
New wines contain yeast cells, bacteria, small bits of skin, pulp, etc. These particles are pulled down by gravity, and they slowly settle to the bottom of the container. The smaller the particle, the slower it sinks to the bottom of the container. Some particles are so small they never sink to the bottom, and these particles remain suspended in the liquid.
"Racking" is a process used to separate the clean wine from the lees (the muck on the bottom of the container). After wine has been racked two or three times, the muck will be gone, and the wine will become clear and bright. When small containers are used, racking is usually done by syphoning the wine off the lees with a piece of transparent plastic hose. Exposing wine to air can cause oxidation, so wine should not be splashed, frothed or bubbled when racking.
New wines should be racked into a clean container two or three weeks after the completion of fermentation. Most of the yeast lees will be left behind if the first racking is done carefully. One Campden tablet for each gallon of wine should be added, and the container sealed with a fermentation lock.
When fruit wines are six to eight weeks old, they should be racked from the secondary lees, and a few weeks after the second racking some fruit wines will be clear and bright. If a new fruit wine is not clear at this time, it should be "fined" to remove the suspended particles. The fining material causes the very small particles to lump together. The particles grow in size, and the larger particles settle out of the wine more quickly. Sparkolloid and bentonite are two effective fining materials for clarifying fruit wines. Follow the directions on the packages carefully when using these materials.
Sparkolloid is the least harmful material. Too much bentonite can strip desirable aromas and flavors from fruit wine, so most winemakers prefer to clarify with Sparkolloid. Three weeks after a Sparkolloid addition, the wine should be racked again to separate it from the Sparkolloid lees. Splashing and bubbles in the wine should be avoided when racking. If Sparkolloid does not provide adequate wine clarity, a bentonite treatment can be done.
Most off-dry fruit wines will be ready to prepare for bottling a month or two after clarification fining. Some home winemakers hold back a small quantity of the original juice by freezing. A few weeks before bottling time, the juice is thawed, clarified by racking and added to the wine. The added juice provides more fruity flavors, and it adds a small amount of residual sugar to the wine. However, the wine contains sugar after the juice addition, and special precautions are required to prevent renewed fermentation (see below). How much juice is added can be best determined by tasting, but many winemakers add 5 to 20 percent juice when this method is used.
BOTTLING
Fruit wines must be brilliantly clear and completely stable before bottling. Wine bottled without sufficient SO2 will be short lived, so the free sulfur dioxide content should be raised to 30 or 40 milligrams per liter a few days before bottling time. One crushed Campden tablet for each gallon of wine is the correct amount.
If sugar is added to sweeten the wine, potassium sorbate should also be added. The added sugar will start to ferment without the sorbate, and fermentation after bottling will generally produce a cloudy sediment and spoil the wine. Directions supplied with the sorbate should always be followed, and sorbate additions should always be measured carefully.
Clean, used, wine bottles should be rinsed with very hot water before the bottles are filled with wine. Although bottles can be filled with a plastic hose, a "bottle filler" of some kind should always be used to reduce wine oxidation. Bottles should be filled from the bottom, and filling should be done carefully and slowly to reduce the quantity of foam produced. Bottles should be filled so no more than a quarter inch space exists between the top of the wine and the bottom of the cork.
Dry corks should be driven into the bottles if possible. However, many small corking machines will not adequately compress dry corks, so soaking corks in cold water for a few minutes may be necessary. A pinch of sulfite added to the water may help sterilize the corks. After all the corks have been driven, the top of each cork should be wiped to remove the excess "cork water." The full bottles should stand upright for several days to let the pressure equalize in the bottles. When the pressure has equalized, the bottles can be laid on their sides and stored in a cool place.
After wine has been bottled for a year or two, the winemaker may have trouble remembering what type of wine is in the bottles, so all bottled wine should have an appropriate label permanently attached.
FRUIT WINEMAKING MATERIALS
Depending on the circumstances, winemakers use many different materials for the production of fruit wines. Most fruit wine fermentations are made using readily available materials, but an exotic material may be needed occasionally to solve a specific problem. Some common fruit winemaking materials are briefly discussed here.
Acid
The three most important organic acids found in fruit are tartaric, malic and citric. Acid balance is very important for producing high quality wine, and the acid content of the fruit must be adjusted carefully. If the wine contains too little acid, it will taste flat and bland. When too much acid is present, the wine will be too tart or even sour tasting. Wines containing considerable sugar, need more acid to be balanced. Tartaric acid, malic acid, citric acid or "acid blend" (a mixture of all three acids) are used to increase the acid level in fruit wines. Large quantities of citric acid should be used with some caution because a strong citric taste may not be appropriate in some types of fruit wine.
Fining Materials
Fining agents are often used in the production of fruit wines. Gelatins are sometimes used to remove excess astringency from fruit wines. The clay-like material bentonite is used to remove excess protein and improve the stability of these wines. Sparkolloid and bentonite are the two materials of choice for clarifying most types of fruit wine. Wines are usually fined with Sparkolloid first, then if the wine does not come clear, bentonite is used. Other fining materials like isinglass or casein are also used to clarify both red and white fruit wines. Most fining materials require from a few days to two weeks to settle to the bottom of the container. Then the clear wine is racked off the sediment, and very little of the fining material remains in the finished wine. Instructions supplied with fining materials should be followed carefully.
Pectic Enzymes
Pectin is the material that makes jam and jelly set. All fresh fruits contain some pectin, and some types of fruit like apples, apricots and plums contain large amounts. Pectin often causes problems for the fruit winemaker. Pectin can hold small particles in suspension, and wines containing excessive pectin do not clear properly and remain cloudy. "Pectinase" is an enzyme that can break the large pectin molecules into smaller, less-troublesome molecules, so pectinase is a great help in clarifying cloudy wines containing excessive amounts of pectin.
Potassium Sorbate
Wines containing residual sugar and less than 16 percent alcohol can start fermenting anytime. Consequently, all off-dry and sweet wines must be stabilized by a special treatment. Potassium sorbate added to clean, clear wine can prevent fermentation from restarting. However, sorbate will not stop active fermentations, and sorbate cannot stop wines containing many yeast cells from fermenting. Sorbate only works when the wine has been carefully racked or filtered to remove most of the viable yeast cells. Potassium sorbate is not a very stable material, and poorly stored sorbate can deteriorate in a few months.
Sulfur Dioxide
Sulfur dioxide is used in wine to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and to help reduce the effects of oxidation. However, sulfur dioxide is a pungent gas. This material must be carefully measured, and it must be used in very small quantities. Potassium metabisulfite (sulfite) crystals are added to juice or wine to provide the sulfur dioxide gas. Campden tablets are made by compressing sulfite crystals into a pill form, so Campden tablets can also be used to provide sulfur dioxide. Campden tables are easier to use when just a few gallons of wine are being produced. When larger quantities of wine are made, most winemakers prefer to use sulfite crystals
Sugar
The alcohol content of the finished wine depends upon the quantity of sugar in the juice. Sometimes home winemaking shops recommend special kinds of sugar, but ordinary white household sugar (sucrose) is quite satisfactory for making fruit wine. The yeast produces the enzymes needed to convert the sucrose into glucose and fructose.
Tannin
Tannin materials give wine its characteristic astringency. Tannin helps a young wine spontaneously clear, and it contributes to the longevity of the wine. Tannin originates in the seeds, stems and skins of fruit. Some types of fruit, like bananas, contain very little natural tannin, and producing a balanced wine from fruit low in tannin can be difficult. Consequently, winemakers often add extra tannin to fruit musts that lack sufficient natural astringency.
Yeast Energizer
Yeast cells need available nitrogen to reproduce and create the large population of cells needed for successful fermentation. Yeast energizers contain food grade diammonium phosphate (DAP), and the DAP provides extra nitrogen to keep the yeast happy, healthy and reproducing new yeast cells. High alcohol levels seem to prevent yeast from assimilating nitrogen, so nitrogen should be added early in the fermentation cycle before a large amount of alcohol has accumulated.
Wine Yeast
A variety of wine yeasts can be obtained in dry form. Epernay is a very popular yeast for all types of fruit wines. Pasteur Champagne yeast is vigorous and tolerant of sulfur dioxide. Prise de Mouse is an excellent, general purpose wine yeast. Winemakers use many different types of yeasts, but the different yeasts are used for reasons other than creating wine flavors.
FRUIT WINEMAKING EQUIPMENT
With one or two exceptions, little special equipment is needed to make fruit wine, and many home winemakers ferment small quantities of wine each year using implements from the kitchen. However, specialized winemaking equipment can reduce time and labor, and purchasing specialized pieces of winemaking equipment may be desirable when large quantities of wine are made.
Beginning winemakers should beware of the gadgets sold in some home winemaking shops. Many of these accessories are poorly designed and cheaply made. Like most other things, cheap winemaking equipment is generally a poor value.
Several basic pieces of fruit winemaking equipment are briefly discussed below.
Acid Test Kit
The acid content of different kinds of fruit varies widely, and acid content varies from year to year. The only practical way of controlling acid balance in the finished wine is to measure and adjust the acid content of the must before fermentation is started. Wine quality improves greatly when the winemaker obtains the necessary equipment and takes the time to learn how to measure acidity. Acid test kits for measuring the acid content of must, juice or wine can be purchased at most home winemaking shops.
Bottle Filler
To reduce wine oxidation, bottles must be filled from the bottom with a minimum of splashing and bubbling. Filling bottles without splashing is difficult with a syphon hose, so an inexpensive wand type bottle filler should be used. Wand type fillers consist of a length of rigid tubing with a small valve at the bottom end. When the filler is inserted in an empty bottle, the valve presses against the bottom, and the wine starts to flow. The flow stops automatically when the operator raises the tube. Fillers allow bottles to be filled with a minimum of splashing, and wine oxidation is minimized.
Corker
Driving a cork into a wine bottle by hand is very difficult, so a corking machine of some kind is needed when using cork finished bottles. Inexpensive corking machines are slow and most are difficult to use. Most of the inexpensive machines are not suitable for corking more than a few gallons of wine.
A good corking machine is indispensable when several cases of wine are produced. Unfortunately, good floor corkers cost about $100. Corkers are not used very often, and beginners can often borrow a corker from a fellow winemaker.
Fermentation Locks
Fermentation locks are used on closed fermenters and storage containers to let the carbon dioxide gas escape while keeping air from coming in. Rubber stoppers are used to attach the locks to the containers.
Fruit Wine Containers
Wine must always be protected from air, or the wine will oxidize and become undrinkable. Winemakers use two kinds of containers. During active fermentation, large amounts of carbon dioxide gas are produced, and the gas effectively excludes the air from the wine. Consequently, open fermenters can be used for the first few days of fermentation when lots of carbon dioxide gas is produced. When fermentation starts to subside, much less carbon dioxide gas is produced. Then the wine must be transferred into a closed container, and a fermentation lock must be attached. The lock lets the carbon dioxide gas escape, but it keeps air out of the container.
Open fermenters are used for mixing ingredients, or they are used for fermentations that contain solid materials like skins or pulp. A large, food grade, polyethylene container, equipped with a removable lid, makes an ideal open fermenter. However, many fruit winemakers have used new plastic trash cans as open fermenters.
Closed fermenters have small openings, and they can be sealed easily with a cork, cap, bung or fermentation lock. Closed containers are always used when the fermentation does not contain solid materials, and closed containers are always needed at the end of all fermentations when the CO2 gas starts to subside. Five-gallon water bottles (carboys) make good closed fermenters, and they are very popular for making fruit wine. Water bottles are easy to obtain, and glass is easy to clean and sterilize. However, glass water bottles have several disadvantages. Glass water bottles are heavy, and they are expensive. Glass is fragile, so glass carboys must be handled very carefully to avoid breakage.
Some winemakers prefer to use polyethylene drums for making fruit wines, and these containers are available in sizes ranging from 10 to 60 gallons. Polyethylene containers have several advantages. Polyethylene drums are practically unbreakable, and they are inexpensive. Plastic drums are light weight and easy to store. Some commercial wineries are now using polyethylene storage tanks. These new tanks are made of high density polyethylene, and they are much less expensive than stainless steel tanks.
Stainless steel is still the material of choice for large commercial fermentation and storage tanks. Stainless tanks are easy to clean, and stainless steel conducts heat well. Small size stainless steel containers are very expensive and often cost several dollars per gallon of capacity. However, used, stainless steel beer kegs are readily available, and they make excellent storage containers for all kinds of wine.
Oak barrels are often used for aging high quality commercial red wines. The oak wood imparts desirable flavors to the wine. However, oak flavors are not suitable for many types of fruit wines. In addition, new barrels are expensive, and oak barrels are difficult to maintain properly.
Hydrometer
Hydrometers are used to measure the sugar content of must before and during fermentation, and a hydrometer is one of the few indispensable pieces of winemaking equipment. Most fruit does not contain enough sugar to make stable wine, so additional sugar is usually needed. Different kinds of fruit contain widely varying amounts of sugar, and a hydrometer is always needed to measure fruit wine musts. Some fruit winemakers prefer hydrometers calibrated in specific gravity because many fruit wine recipes list sugar content in these units. Commercial winemakers use hydrometers calibrated with the Brix scale. A cylinder is needed to use a hydrometer effectively.
Racking Hose
Racking is done to move wine from one container to another, and when racking is done properly, practically all of the sediment is left behind. Syphoning is the easiest way of transferring wine from one container to another, and a 6-foot length of « inch plastic tubing should be kept specifically for that purpose. The tubing should always be washed just before it is used and then washed again when racking is finished. Finally, hang the tubing up, so the water can drain completely.
Miscellaneous Equipment
A thermometer is often needed to monitor fermentation temperatures and to measure water temperature when rehydrating dry yeast. An 8-inch plastic funnel is useful from time to time. A large wooden spoon is handy for stirring small fermentations. Bottle brushes are necessary when old wine bottles are recycled. A set of plastic measuring spoons is helpful for measuring small quantities of winemaking materials. A large plastic beaker calibrated in both milliliters and liquid ounces is handy for measuring liquids.
SUMMARY
Little specialized equipment is required to make fruit wines, and most of the items can be found in the kitchen. Excellent wines can be made from fruit, and fresh fruit is available for several months each year. Most fruit wines are finished in an off-dry or sweet style, but very pleasant dry, red table wines can be made from a mixture of dark colored berries.
Many fruit wines are made by fermenting the pulp, skins and juice together. Dry white table wines are made differently. First the must is prepared then chilled and allowed to stand. After about 48 hours, the clear liquid is separated from the pulp, and only the clarified juice is fermented.
Most fruit wines do not require extensive aging. However, dry, red wines, made from dark colored berries, are often finished and aged just like red grape wines.
PEACH, APRICOT OR PLUM
WINE
(Makes five gallons, US measurements)
STEP 1 INGREDIENTS
15 lbs peaches or apricots or plums
5 gallons of water
8 lbs white granulated sugar
1 level teaspoon yeast energizer
6 level teaspoons acid blend
2 level teaspoons grape tannin
1 level teaspoon pectic enzyme
5 Campden tablets
STEP 2 INGREDIENTS
3 lbs white granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of acid blend
STEP 3 INGREDIENTS
1 pkt of Epernay wine yeast
STEP 5 INGREDIENTS
5 Campden tablets
STEP 7 INGREDIENTS
1-4 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. potassium sorbate
3 Campden tablets
Method
1. Use only ripe fruit. Remove the stones and discard any rotten fruit. Crush the fruit, finely chop the fruit or run it through a food processor (do not process into a fine pulp). Put all step 1 ingredients in an open fermenter and stir well.
2. Use a hydrometer and adjust the sugar to 22 Brix by adding sugar in small quantities and stirring well. Use an acid test kit and adjust the acid to 0.65 percent by adding small quantities of acid crystals and stirring well. If a hydrometer or an acid test kit is not available, use the amounts shown in steps 1 and 2, but the quality of the wine will suffer.
3. Open the packet of dry yeast and sprinkle it on top of the must. Cover the fermenter, in 20 to 40 hours fermentation should start (bubbles form around the edge of the container).
4. Stir the must and measure the Brix each day.
5. When the hydrometer reads 12 to 14-Brix, strain out and discard the solids and syphon the liquid into a closed fermenter. Attach a fermentation lock filled half full of plain water. Always keep the container full of wine and always keep the fermentation lock half full of clean water.
6. After three weeks, rack the wine into a clean, closed container and add 5 crushed Campden tablets.
7. After three months the wine should be clear. If it is not clear, fine with Sparkolloid and rack three weeks after adding the Sparkolloid.
8. In a month or so, when the wine is clear and stable, add 3 Campden tablets. Add the sweetening sugar (to taste) and 2 level teaspoons (5 grams) of fresh potassium sorbate. Finally, bottle the wine.
DRY PEAR TABLE WINE
(Makes five gallons, US measurements)
STEP 1 INGREDIENTS
20 lbs very ripe pears
4 3/4 gallons of water
8 lbs white granulated sugar
1 level teaspoon yeast energizer
8 level teaspoons acid blend
2 level teaspoons grape tannin
1 level teaspoon pectic enzyme
5 Campden tablets
STEP 2 INGREDIENTS
3 lbs white granulated sugar
3 teaspoons of acid blend
STEP 3 INGREDIENTS
1 pkt of Epernay wine yeast
STEP 5 INGREDIENTS
5 Campden tablets
STEP 7 INGREDIENTS
3 Campden tablets
Method
1. Try to get very ripe fruit. Remove the stems, quarter, remove all of the seeds and discard any rotten parts. Run the pears through a food processor until they become course pulp. Put all step 1 ingredients in an open fermenter. Stir the must until the sugar is dissolved completely.
2. Use a hydrometer and adjust the sugar to about 22 Brix by adding additional sugar in small quantities and stirring well. Use the acid test kit and adjust the acid to 0.65 percent by adding small quantities of acid crystals and stirring well. If a hydrometer or an acid test kit is not available, use the amounts shown in steps 1 and 2, but wine quality will suffer.
3. Cover the fermenter and place it in a refrigerator. Let the must stand for 48 hours. Syphon the clear liquid off the solids into a clean, closed fermenter, and attach a fermentation lock filled half full of plain water.
4. When the juice reaches room temperature, sprinkle the dry yeast on top of the juice. Fermentation should start (ring of bubbles forms around the edge of the container) in 20 to 40 hours. Retain the solids in a smaller container and place in the refrigerator. The next day, syphon off the clear juice and add it to the fermenter. Discard solids or resettle a third time.
5. Keep the fermentation cool, 50 to 60 degrees is fine. After 3 weeks the wine should be dry. Measure with a hydrometer. If the hydrometer reads minus 1 Brix or less, added 5 crushed Campden tablets and rack into a clean fermenter. If the hydrometer reads higher than minus 1 Brix, wait another week and then repeat this step.
6. After three months the wine should be clear. If it is not clear, fine with Sparkolloid and rack 3 weeks after adding the Sparkolloid.
7. In another month when the wine is clear and stable, add 3 crushed Campden tablets and bottle the wine. Be careful not to disturb any sediment on the bottom of the container.
BERRY PORT
(Makes five gallons, US measurements)
STEP 1 INGREDIENTS
6 lbs Blackberries
6 lbs Loganberries
6 lbs Blueberries
6 lbs very ripe bananas
2 lbs dried dates
2 lbs dried figs
4 1/4 gallons of water
10 lbs white granulated sugar
1 level teaspoon yeast energizer
6 level teaspoons acid blend
2 1/2 level teaspoons grape tannin
1 level teaspoon pectic enzyme
5 Campden tablets
STEP 2 INGREDIENTS
3 lbs white granulated sugar
3 teaspoons of acid blend
STEP 3 INGREDIENTS
Pasteur Champagne yeast
STEP 5 INGREDIENTS
4-6 lbs white granulated sugar
STEP 6 INGREDIENTS
5 Campden tablets
2 oz oak chips
STEP 7 INGREDIENTS
5 Campden tablets
6 cups white sugar
Method
1. Cut the dates and figs into thin slices and bring to a boil in 3 cups of water. Simmer for 15 minutes and set aside to cool. Crush the berries and bananas. Mix all step 1 ingredients in an open fermenter. Pour in the cooled dates and figs including the liquid and stir well.
2. Use a Brix hydrometer and adjust the sugar to 24 Brix by adding sugar in small quantities and stirring well. Use the acid test kit and adjust the acid to 0.65 percent by adding small quantities of acid crystals and stirring well. If test equipment is not available, use the sugar and acid shown in steps 1 and 2. 3. Open the packet of dry yeast and sprinkle it on top of the must. Cover the fermenter. In 20 to 40 hours, fermentation should start (ring of small bubbles forms around the edge of the container).
4. Measure the Brix each day. When the hydrometer reads about 5 Brix, syphon the liquid off into a closed fermenter. Discard the solids. Attach a fermentation lock filled half-full of plain water.
5. Measure the Brix every few days. When the hydrometer reads 0 Brix or less, withdraw a half-gallon of must. Dissolve 2 cups of sugar in the must and return it to the fermenter. Stir thoroughly. The hydrometer will now read 2 or 3 Brix. Repeat this step until the hydrometer stays steady, and it reads slightly above 0 Brix. This may take several sugar additions.
6. When the hydrometer stays steady and reads above 0 Brix for 4 weeks, the wine will contain about 16 percent alcohol. Rack into a clean container, add 5 crushed Campden tablets and 2 oz oak chips. Top up and attach the fermentation lock. In about three months, rack the wine into a clean container. If the Port is not clear, fine it with Sparkolloid. Rack the wine into a clean container three weeks after adding the Sparkolloid.
7. After another month, when the wine is clear and stable, it can be bottled. Add 5 crushed Campden tablets, 6 cups of additional sugar and stir well. Let the wine stand for six weeks to make sure it is stable, then bottle it. This Port style wine will improve greatly with two or more years of bottle age.
STRAWBERRY DESSERT WINE
(Makes five gallons, US measurements)
STEP 1 INGREDIENTS
15 lbs very ripe strawberries
4 3/4 gallons of water
8 lbs white granulated sugar
1 level teaspoon yeast energizer
8 level teaspoons acid blend
2 level teaspoons grape tannin
1 level teaspoon pectic enzyme
5 Campden tablets
STEP 2 INGREDIENTS
3 lbs white granulated sugar
3 teaspoons of acid blend
STEP 3 INGREDIENTS
1 pkt of Epernay wine yeast
STEP 5 INGREDIENTS
5 Campden tablets
STEP 7 INGREDIENTS
2-6 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. potassium sorbate
3 Campden tablets
Method
1. Try to get one day old, overripe fruit. Remove the stems and the caps, discard any rotten fruit. Mash the fruit or quickly run it through a food processor but do not process into a smooth pulp. Put all step 1 ingredients in an open fermenter, stir well.
2. Use a hydrometer and adjust the sugar to about 22 Brix by adding sugar or water in small quantities and stirring well. Use the acid test kit and adjust the acid to 0.60 percent by adding small quantities of acid crystals and stirring well. If a hydrometer or an acid test kit is not available, use the amounts of sugar and acid shown in steps 1 and 2.
3. Open the packet of dry yeast and sprinkle it on top of the must. Cover the fermenter, in 20 to 40 hours fermentation should start (ring of bubbles forms around the edge of the container).
4. Stir the must and measure the Brix each day. When the hydrometer reads 12 to 14-Brix, syphon the liquid into a clean fermenter, strain and discard the solids. Attach a fermentation lock filled half full of plain water. Always keep the fermenter full of wine and always keep the fermentation lock half full of water.
5. After 3 weeks, rack into a clean closed fermenter and add 5 crushed Campden tablets.
6. After three months, the wine should be clear. If it is not clear, fine with "Sparkolloid." Rack the wine 3 weeks after fining.
7. In about a month, when the wine is clear and stable, add 3 crushed Campden tablets. Add sugar (to taste) and 2 level teaspoons (5 grams) of fresh potassium sorbate. Bottle the wine.