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James Smith

General Fresh Fruit Wine Making Procedure

    Note from ND ... James does his winemaking in a different way from mine (I don't use a siphon, and there are other differences) but there is more than one way of making a good wine, and I was struck by the clarity and breadth of his notes. He also mentioned the best wine he'd done - which happened to be a favourite of mine, too; cranberry and raisin/grape.

    So ... read these notes and enjoy!
Background
These are general procedures, and the method may vary for certain types of wines, but generally you won't go wrong if you follow these instructions.

The first step is to decide what type of wine you are going to make.

Once this has been established, look at least 2 or 3 different recipes, or follow one which you had success with in the past.

The purpose of looking at alternative recipes is to see what the various wine makers change in the recipe and by how much.

Some wine makers may add additional fruit, or use a slightly different winemaking method, for example.

Based on this research you can decide what ingredients make most sense for your wine. Once you have decided upon a recipe, write it down.

This will provide a record of how you made your batch of wine.


Equipment
  • Primary fermenter – Sterilised food bucket with lid & airlock.
  • Secondary fermenter – Sterilised 5 litre glass or plastic demijohn and airlock
  • Pillow case / muslin
  • Funnel
  • 500ml to 1 litre bottles for bottling
  • Heat pad if room below 20’C
  • Siphon
  • Weighing Scales
  • Hydrometer for SG (Standard Gravity) Readings & 250ml measuring cylinder
  • (Optional) pH indicator paper


    Additives
  • Pectic enzyme: when using liquid use 5 to 10 drops in fruit wines instead of teaspoon measure listed in most recipes.  The teaspoon measures in recipes are for powered pectic enzyme.
  • Stabiliser: A common wine stabilizer to stop continued fermentation is Potassium Sorbate - do not over use it - recommended dosage is 1/2 teaspoon per 5 litres.

    Optional Ingredients
  • White or red grape concentrate: 140ml to 280ml per 5 litres to add body and bouquet to the wine.
  • Raisins / Sultanas: 250g per 5 litres to add body and sweetness. Sultanas for white or rose wines and raisins for red wines.
  • Bananas: 1.3kg fresh bananas to add body to wines or add banana wine to wine lacking body.
  • Acid: 1 tsp acid blend or citric acid (or use the juice of lemon)
  • Tannin / Tea: A dry tea wine is useful for blending with other wines that may seem a little flat or dull, due to low tannin content. Alternatively tannin powder or 250ml of tea can be added with ingredients prior to fermentation.

    With apples, unless varieties are specified, the more acid and sour varieties are preferred and the sweeter eating varieties are to be avoided. 'Golden Delicious' and similar apples should be avoided.

    Many fresh fruit wines lack body and could use one or more of the above ingredients to improve the quality and flavour. Most fruit wines need a touch of sweetness in them. Sweeten wines at bottling time.


    Process
    1. Wash fruit, remove stones, pips, seeds and bruised parts.
    2. Freeze & thaw / chop / smash / chop (or very occasionally, simmer) fruit and put into primary fermentor.
    3.Add 2 litres of cool boiled water and all ingredients apart from yeast and yeast nutrient.
    4.(Optional step - Acid pH should be 3 to 4, add more acid to lower pH if needed)
    5.SG reading should be 1.080 to 1.090, adjust with sugar, fruit and water
    6.Then add the yeast and nutrient
    7.Stir daily to agitate pulp
    8.After 5 days, strain through a pillow case (when small particle must) or muslin (for more coarse must) to remove pulp, then pour into secondary fermentor
    9.Top off to neck with cool boiled water and leave to ferment for 3 weeks,
    10.Taste and take SG reading
    11.If greater than 1.000 or if still too sweet, leave for further fermentation
    12.If too dry / sour, or not sweet enough, add 100g to 300g sugar (to taste or required SG) and potassium sorbate (to stop further fermentation), and siphon from yeast.
    13.If struggling to clear, add fining agent. Should have an SG of about 1.000 at time of bottling.
    14.Siphon from yeast into bottles.


    Specific Gravity & Alcohol Content
    Original Gravity (OG) - Measurement before adding yeast.
    Terminal Gravity (TG) - Measurement after fermentation is complete.

    % Alcohol = (OG-TG) x 1000 / 7.5

    This usually gives an answer within half a percent or so, but it's less accurate for pulp fermentations because it takes no account of substances leaching out of the pulp (sugars, etc) or other products of the fermentation (eg glycerol or esters).


    THE RECIPES

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ....WINE..... ......FRUIT... GRAPE SUGAR PECT ACID / lemon juice TANNIN/ 250ml tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1
    Apricot 1 2 kg stoned Apricots 250 ml white gp concentrate 800g 1 tsp 1 tsp ¼ tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2
    Apricot 2 2 kg stoned Apricots 250g sultanas 800g 1 tsp juice of 2 lemons ¼ tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3
    Apricot 3 1 kg dried chopped Apricots 250g sultanas 800g brown 1 tsp 1 tsp ¼ tsp or tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4
    Apricot & Date 1 kg chopped dates, 500g chopped dried apricots, 250g barley 250g sultanas 800g brown 1 tsp 1 tsp ¼ tsp or tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5
    Apricot, Raspberry & Elderberry Rose 500g chopped dried apricots, 170g raspberries, 85g dried elderberries, 250ml rose petals 250ml white grape concentrate 800g brown 1 tsp - ¼ tsp or tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ....WINE..... ......FRUIT... GRAPE SUGAR PECT ACID / lemon juice TANNIN/ 250ml tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6
    Apple - light bodied 2.5 kg apples, mixed varieties 225g sultanas 800g ½ tsp 1 lemon zest & juice -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7
    Apple - medium bodied 5.5 kg apples, mixed varieties 225g sultanas 800g 1 tsp 1½ tsp acid blend + 1 tsp ascorbic acid ¼ tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8
    Apple - spiced 5.5 kg mixed Fuji and Gala apples, 2g cloves, 2 3-nich cinnamon sticks broken into pieces, 14g shredded ginger root 250g chopped golden raisins 400g brown 3 tsp - -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9
    Apple, mixed 3 kg crushed apples 250 ml white grape concentrate 800g brown 1 tsp 1 tsp yes

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10
    Apple wine 5 litres juice - 300g brown 1 tsp 1½ tsp acid blend + 1 tsp ascorbic acid ¼ tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ....WINE..... ......FRUIT... GRAPE SUGAR PECT ACID / lemon juice TANNIN/ 250ml tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11
    Apple & Raspberry Cider 5 litres apple & raspberry juice - 300g - - -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12
    Barley wine 500g barley 350g raisins 1 kg 1 tsp juice of 2 lemons -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13
    Blackberry, Loganberry, Dewberry / Raspberry wine 1.5 kg fruit (don't use rasp. only) 250ml red grape concentrate 700g ½ tsp ½ tsp -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14
    Banana Wine 1 2 kg fresh bananas/400g dried (boil 30m; strain and discard pulp) 350g sultanas or 250ml white grape concentrate 800g 1 tsp 2 tsp acid blend or citric ¼ tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15
    Banana Wine 2: medium bodied 400g dried bananas (treat as above) 250g chopped raisins 1 kg brown ½ tsp 2 tsp citric acid -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ....WINE..... ......FRUIT... GRAPE SUGAR PECT ACID / lemon juice TANNIN/ 250ml tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 16
    Banana - medium bodied II 1.5 kg fresh bananas 250g chopped sultanas 900g ½ tsp juice of 1 lemon & 1 orange -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 17
    Banana Wine, heavy bodied 1 2 kg fresh bananas 250g chopped sultanas 1 kg 1 tsp juice of 1 lemon & 1 orange -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 18
    Banana wine -heavy bodied II 1.5 kg fresh bananas 500g chopped sultanas 900g 1 tsp 1¼ tsp acid blend ¼

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19
    Blackcurrant wine 1.5 kg blackcurrants 250 ml red grape concentrate 800g 1 tsp 1 tsp yes

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 20
    Blueberry wine 2 kg blueberries 250 ml grape concentrate or 300g raisins 800g 1 tsp 1½ tsp acid blend -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ....WINE..... ......FRUIT... GRAPE SUGAR PECT ACID / lemon juice TANNIN/ 250ml tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 21
    Cherry wine 2 kg stoned cherries 250 ml red grape concentrate 825g 1 tsp 2 tsp ¼ tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 22
    Cranberry wine 1.5 kg stoned Apricots 250ml red grape concentrate 800g 1 tsp 1 tsp yes

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 23
    Cranberry & Raisin 1.5kg cranberries or 5 litres juice 500g raisins 800g ½ tsp - -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 24
    Peach wine 2 kg stoned peaches 250g white grape concentrate 800g 1 tsp 1½ tsp ¼ tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 25
    Parsnip wine 1.8kg parsnips, boiled, and one ripe banana added afterwards, sliced, when cool 250ml white grape concentrate 1kg brown 1 tsp 2 lemons: zest and juice ½ tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ....WINE..... ......FRUIT... GRAPE SUGAR PECT ACID / lemon juice TANNIN/ 250ml tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 26
    Mixed Berry wine Frozen 1kg blueberries, 200g raspberries, 800g summer fruuits 250 ml red grape concentrate 700g 1 tsp - -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 27
    Pear Cider (Perry) 2 kg pears & 2 litres apple juice - 300g 3 tsp - -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 28
    Pear Cider (Perry) 4 kg pears - 400g 4 tsp - -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 29
    Pear Wine 2 kg pears 250 ml white grape concentrate 800g 4 tsp 1 tsp yes

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 30
    Plum wine 2 kg stoned plums 250ml red grape concentrate 800g brown 1 tsp - ¼ tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ....WINE..... ......FRUIT... GRAPE SUGAR PECT ACID / lemon juice TANNIN/ 250ml tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 31
    Pineapple wine 1.5 litres pineapple juice - 600g 1 tsp - ¼ tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 32
    Redcurrant wine 1.5 kg redcurrants 250ml red grape concentrate 800g 1 tsp 1 tsp -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 33
    Rhubarb Wine 1 kg chopped rhubarb (15 stalks?) + the sugar only, for 3 days 250ml white grape concentrate 1 kg sugar - - -

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 34
    Rosehip Wine 1 kg rosehips - 800g to 1 kg 1 tsp zest + juice of 1 lemon tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 35
    Strawberry Wine 2 kg strawberries 250ml red grape concentrate 800g ½ tsp 1 tsp yes

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ....WINE..... ......FRUIT... GRAPE SUGAR PECT ACID / lemon juice TANNIN/ 250ml tea

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 36
    Tea wine 1 litre of tea (no milk, PG tips or fruit tea!) 250ml white grape concentrate 800g 1 tsp 1 tsp yes

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 37
    Watermelon wine 2 litres watermelon juice - 450g 1 tsp 2½ tsp 1/8 tsp

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



    AND FINALLY....



    ELDERBERRIES ... wines containing elderberries need no extra tannin. In some wines one can add 300g elderberries instead of grapes.

    APPLES ... When using apples, quarter them and run them through a mincer / blender then simmer in water for 15 minutes then add to bucket. For all apple wine recipes, unless varieties are specified, the more acid and sour varieties are preferred and the sweeter eating varieties are to be avoided. Winesap, McIntosh, Jonathans, and crab apples are best. Golden Delicious apples should be avoided; when fermented they are watery and insipid, and the wine is likely to remain cloudy. note from ND .... some apples are high in pectin so I prefer to cut into slices and put into the freezer; wines make like this will clear more quickly than those which are extracted by mincing / simmering. As James says, avoid eating-apples, unless they are intensely flavoured and tart!



    TEA BAG WINE...Not for drinking, but for adding to dull wines...
    A dry tea wine is useful for blending with other wines which may seem a little flat or dull due to low tannin content.

    List A: 10 teabags, depending on the strength needed. If flavouring/aroma is desired, add additional 4 herbal or fruit flavoured tea bags of your choice.

    250g chopped raisins or sultanas, 1 medium orange, well washed and chopped in a food processor, 1 lemon, well washed and chopped in a food processor, 50ml Steen's Pure Cane Syrup OR 100ml pure maple syrup, 1kg. white sugar.

    List B: 1/2 tsp. acid blend, 1 tsp. yeast nutrient, 1 tsp. pectic enzyme.

  • DIRECTIONS
    Dissolve all of list B in 50ml warm water.

    Day 1: Make 2 litres of tea with ingredients from list A. First bring water to a rolling boil and then add the tea bags. Allow to steep for about an hour or until water has cooled to around 30’C. Remove the tea bags. Add remaining List A and all of list B ingredients. Stir mixture until everything is dissolved. Transfer all of this mixture, including fruit pulp, into a primary fermenter and top up with boiled cooled water. Cover fermenter with plastic lid or Saran Wrap and allow to rest overnight in a dark place.

    List C: 50ml warm (not hot) tap water. Add 1 packet of wine yeast to water. Allow yeast to rehydrate for 30 minutes in just water. Then add a small pinch of yeast nutrient. 1/4 tsp. salt. 1/4 tsp. sugar. Leave it alone for a few hours to start working.

    Day 2: Prepare list C. Give this about 4 hours to come alive and pitch into primary fermenter. Gently stir the mixture and cover.

    Days 3 to 6: Punch down must and very gently stir mixture daily.

    Day 7: Strain the must into a demijohn or demijohn; top up to the shoulder with cooled boiled water.

    Later: Ferment to dry (judge by tasting). Rack when necessary. Make all required SG, and pH checks throughout the entire process. Leave to clear before bottling. Sparkalloid works well for clearing. Add potassium sorbate prior to finishing.





    Comments are welcome on any of the above. If you would like to contact James, his email address is:

    jamesbsmith (at) hotmail.com - I've written it like this so it doesn't attract spammers.




    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    Thanks, James, for sending these notes ..... ND, Jan 2013

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