Elderberry update

On the 4th day I checked the SG was at 1.010.  Decided to move the berries and give a light squeeze.  Transfered to a 5 gal carboy and topped up with 500ml of red grape wine I made.  Big mistake topping up, it started to foam and right out through the airlock and down the side. (luckily I placed the carboy in a large tub). Removed some of the wine and after a couple days the foam decreased.  Cleaned up carboy and replaced the airlock again.

I did keep the left over pulp and started a 3g batch of second run Elderberry Rose'.
I used this recipe:


Elderberry Rose’
3gal

Elderberry pulp from first wine
3.0 lb. (0.45 kg) fully ripe bananas
3-12-oz. (355-mL) can white grape concentrate (Welch’s, Old Orchard, etc.)
6.0 lbs. (0.91 kg) granulated sugar
6 Campden tablets
1-1⁄2 tsp. potassium sorbate
3 tsp. yeast nutrient
6  tsp. citric acid  (i will check level and add later)
Cote des Blanc

Step by Step
Bring 6 quarts (6 L) of water to boil. Meanwhile, place elderberry pulp (in nylon straining bag) in the primary fermentation vessel and add sugar and grape concentrate in primary. Pour boiling water over contents of primary and stir until sugar is dissolved. Cover primary. Put another 4-quarts plus 1 pint of water on to boil. Cut bananas, skins and all, into 1⁄2 inch slices and add to boiling water. Cover pot and boil for 25 minutes. Skim any scum off water and strain to remove fruit. Add banana liquid to primary and re-cover primary. When cooled to room temperature, stir in citric acid and yeast nutrients and activated yeast, re-cover primary, and set aside. Stir twice daily for 2 days – 3 if additional color requires it. Remove straining bag, squeeze lightly, transfer to secondary, add one finely crushed and dissolved Campden tablet, top up if required, and fit airlock. Rack every 60 days until wine falls clear and no sediments form during 30-day period. Stabilize with potassium sorbate and one finely crushed and dissolved Campden tablet and bottle this wine dry. Allow to age one year.

The starting SG was 1.100, I will try to stop the fermentation at 1.005 for a semi-dry finish.

9/22/10  Update.  Remove the pulp this afternoon and checked SG= 1.042

9/24/10  Update:  SG reach the target of 1.010. Racked to Carboy, added Pot Sorbate and  3 Campden Tablets.  Placed in Refrigerator to cold stabilize for 2-3 weeks.

New Batches

I know it has been a while since I updated my Blog.  Don't worry I have been still making and bottling lots of wines.
I have started 3 new batches in the past couple weeks.  Red Muscadine, White Muscadine, and an Elderberry.  A couple weeks back I pick a bunch of Muscadine grapes at Shady Oaks U-Pick.  And I have been collecting Wild Elderberries since July and it is now time to start it.  Below are the recipes used.

Muscadine 5 gal batch (4g yield)

32 lbs Muscadine (red) Grapes  (mix of about 30% Noble and other red varieties)
7.2 lbs sugar.  Water to bring level 5.5 gal on primary
10 drops pectic enzyme. (stir well)

Doing a cold Maceration for 6 days to extract color from the skins.
After 6 days removed from frig.  Checked sg of room temp juice 1.094, made a starter with water and juice.  The juice was sweet, smelled and tasted good.  Could feel a little tannins in the mouth.

Lavlin 71b-1122 yeast
Added 5 tsp Yeast nutrient
Notes: Separated from seeds and Skins after 5 days and SG =1.000.  11 days later racked off the heavy sediment (about 1.5" deep in 5gal glass). to 4gal and 750ml  SG=0.994.

White Muscadine (1g)

6+lbs White Muscadine (scuppernong)
1 can white grape concentrate (Welch’s)
4 drops Pectic enzyme
Sugar to 1.088 (less than 1 lb)
Water level to 5.5 qts (including Crushed grapes)
1tsp Yeast Nutrient
Campden
Champagne Yeast in a starter

Crushed the grapes and placed in a strainer bag.  Checked SG after a little water had been added.  1.030 added a can of White Grape concentrate and raise the level to 3.5qts SG was better but still a little low.  Created simple syrup with a 1lb of sugar adding slowly along with water until the SG was 1.088. Added 1 campden tablet and set aside for 24 hrs.

Note:  I have no press so to extract more of the flavor and juice I need to ferment with the skins.  The juice taste very fruity with the taste of the original grapes maintained, but sweeter.

Elderberry

15 lbs elderberries
8.0 lbs. granulated sugar, approx. (adjust to SG of 1.095)
4-12-oz. (355-mL) can red grape concentrate (Welch’s, Old Orchard)
30 drops Liquid Pectic Enzyme
5 tsp. yeast nutrient
14 tsp Acid blend (TA=0.60%)
Oak Chips (optional)
1 sachet Red Star Pasteur Red, wine yeast in a starter

Simmered berries to extract liquid and attempt to fix the color better.  Dissolve about 6lbs sugars in the simmering berries. Adjusted to 1.095 at 5.5gal, added 1-3/4lb sugar.  Placed the simmered berries in a strainer bag and added the cans of concentrate.  Check acid level was at about .2% added 14 tsp acid blend and now at .60%  Let cool to room temp.  Adjusted the liquid level to the 5.5gal mark with berries, while adjusting to an SG of 1.095

Mead...

Bottle the Mead Thursday.  I am very happy with the Mead.  I turned out exactly as I thought it would.  I actually like it better than the commercial Mead I had last year.  It ended up a Semi-Sweet with an SG of about 1.012 and at about 11-11.5%abv. It is a nice balance between sweetness, acidity and Alcohol.  Very nice, but also very young.  It has only been 5 months since it was started.  After few months in the bottle it may actually improve a little more.  If it lasts that long.

June Updates

Started 3 new batches this month.
Peach Wine from my neighbors peaches.
Blueberry Burgundy
Welch's White Grape (from Concentrate)

Existing batches:
Racked the Cabernet kit of the heavy sediment and added more oak since the oak powder supplied did not seem to leave much of an impact.
The Porto Corinto sat on some additional oak after stabilizing and clearing for 1 month and has now been bottled.
My Semi-Dry Muscat has been bottled.
The Grapefruit and Apple Wines are stable, clear and sweetened a bit.  And are now aging
The Clean out Freezer Berry is finished fermentation and is just aging and clearing.
The Mead is just waiting to be bottled.

Welch's White Grape

Since my first batch of Welch's White Grape turned out so well I though it was time to start a second one.  This time a little bigger 3g.  I followed the below recipe:

• 7 cans (11.5 oz) Welch's 100% frozen grape concentrate
• 3-1/4 lbs granulated sugar
• 4 tsp acid blend
• 9 drops pectic enzyme
• 3 tsp yeast nutrient
• water to make 3.25 gallon
• wine yeast (RJ Spangols unknown yeast, probably EC-1118)

6/28/10
The starting SG was 1.094 after temp correction.  I just so happen to have 4 gallon Pet 1 bottle that works real good for fermenting my all juice 3 gallon batches.  Made a starter and pitched the yeast in the evening. 

Blueberry Burgundy

Started a new wine from scratch.  I had this can of Sun Country Burgundy Concentrate and thought this would be a good idea for a wine.

Blueberry Burgundy

6 pts  Blueberry (about 4 ½ lbs)

1 (46oz)Can  Sun Country Burgundy Concentrate

3tsp Yeast Nutrient

3 Campden tablets

3 tsp Acid Blend

30 Drops Pectic enzyme

Approx. 4lbs sugar to 1.095 with temp correction

Cote des Blanc Yeast

6/28/10

Rinsed and froze blue berries after purchase.  Thawed berries and crushed into sanitized primary bucket. Added the Sun Country juice concentrate.  Water to 2.5 gallons 3 Campden tablets added..

6/29/10

 After 12 hours added Pectic Enzyme, Yeast Nutrient and Acid Blend.  Checked SG 1.055 and used Ferm Calc and came up with 10 cups water 4 lbs sugar to get 3.4 gallons must at 1.093.  Created starter with 1 cup water and 1tsp sugar and adding 1 tsp every couple hours.  Boiled 9 cups and added 4 lbs. sugar to water.  After cooled added sugar water mixture to the 3 ¼ gallon level.  Checked SG and it was at 1.095 with temp correction.

Cabernet Sauvignon Kit

On May 1st, I went to Custom Winery, Vinters Cellar, in South Lakeland. They were going out of business and clearing out their inventory.  I picked up some Carboys $10 each, some wines and a Cabernet Kit.  The lady at the shop said the kit is better at 5g instead of 6g.

5/10/2010      My largest batch yet.
Started the kit and added water to 5g and a little more.  Checked sg and it was 1.090. it looks like here advice was good.  At 6g this would have been a batch.  Added the bentonite and created Yeast starter and added it. After a day it was really going strong and starting smell up the house.