# Help with strawberry wine



## Lost40Vinter (Feb 10, 2011)

I am going to be starting a batch of strawberry wine this weekend and my recipe calles for citric acid. All I have is tartaric acid for my acid supply. Can use some lemon extract and the tartaric acid for a substitute for this recipe? I know recipies can be altered and was wondering if this adjustment would effect the wine?


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## Tom (Feb 10, 2011)

Please post recipe


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## winemaker_3352 (Feb 10, 2011)

Before adding any type of acid - i would make sure you have the equipment to test the acid level. With fruit wines you want the TA to be between .60 and .65.

I usually add acid blend - which is a mix of 3 acids (Tartaric, Malic, Citric).

But if all you have is Tartaric Acid I believe you will be fine just adding that in. I am not sure about the lemon juice.


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## Tom (Feb 10, 2011)

Also, do not add sugar blindly just because a recipe call for it. 
USE your Hydrometer!


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## ohbeary (Feb 10, 2011)

L40V, your strawberries will contain oxalic acid already although not a lot, tartaric at 1tsp per gallon/5ltr should be ok, crush and add 1ltr water per kg add champagne yeast starter and pectolase @ 1tsp per gallon/5ltr, ferment for 3 days and take a sample to check SG it will be very low 1010 or less add grape juice, 1tr juice to every 3ltr must check SG and add sugar to increase SG to 1080 (10.6%), ferment on pulp 3 more days and strain into vessel with airlock, ferment to dry(990).

I used this method with 50lbs of strawberries that I was given as unsaleable due to chilling, they made wonderful wine


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## Lost40Vinter (Feb 10, 2011)

Thanks for the replies everybody! I got the recipe off of Jack Keller's site. I dug deeper in my supplies and found my citric acid. I started it tonight and I followed the recipe which called for a can of Welches White Grape juice. The recipe called for brining the sugar disolved in water to a boil, then poured over the strawberries. I am waiting for the sugar water/strawberries to cool to 80 Degrres F before I add the syrup drained from the berries, grape juice, and dry ingredients. I am going to take a hydrometer reading before I add the yeast and adjust to 1.080 if it is too low. As for testing the acidity, I only have PH strips (on a budget) but I don't have acid testing equipment yet (B-day in June ). I am planning on making this a sweet wine, so I am shooting for an initial hydrometer reading of 1.080 and seeing how it ends up. If it is too dry when all fermentation is done, I will back sweeten in the end. Also the yeast I will be using Red Star Cote de Blancs yeast. The Lees from this batch is going to make my venture into Skeeter Pee production. I also added some bentonite to the mix. I've picked up a couple books from the public library to help me with any problems that might arise (First Steps in Wine Making and Techniques in Home Winemaking).

I am open to any input if anyone thinks I may have made an err in this shot. I teach at a local Community College, so I always tell my student that the best way to learn is through making errors and not repeating them.


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## Lost40Vinter (Feb 11, 2011)

*Here's what I used as a recipe:*

#3 frozen strawberries
11 oz. Welches White Grape Juice
#1 & 14 oz. light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. tannin
2 tsp. Citric acid
1 tsp. yeast nutrient
1/4 tsp. pectic enzime
1/2 tsp. bentonite
Cote de Blancs yeast

I strained the juice off of the strawberries and reserved it. I disolved the sugar in 5 pints water and then brought it to a boil. Next I poured the sugar water over the crushed strawberries in my primary. I let that cool to about 86 degrees F before I added the berry/white grape juice and all dry ingredients minus the yeast to the sugar/berry in the primary. I gave it a good stir and measured the sg. The hydrometer reading was 1.120 without temperature correction. The PH measred a 3.5 using my PH paper strips. I plan on stirring the must at least twice a day for a bout 7 days before I rack to my secondary.

I am hoping the bentonite and pectic enzime will not effect the finished product. The original recipe didn't call for these two. I figured the bentonite would help in clearing and the strawberries were already pretty crushed from the container before my 9 year old went to town on them.


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## Luc (Feb 11, 2011)

It is possible to replace citric acid with lemon juice.

I did a story on my web-log with all conversion math. You can re-read it here.
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2008/03/citroensap-lemon-juice.html

It is a bit long to republish in this mail but the web-log tells you all.

It is in metric however so you should do some conversions.

Strawberry is good either way dry, semi sweet or sweet !!!

Luc


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## ohbeary (Feb 11, 2011)

L40V, don't worry about the pectolic enzyme or the bentonite they can only improve things, the pectolase will help with colour and flavour extraction so that has to be a good thing hopefully the bentonite won't trap the enzyme before it has done its work, glad to see you added nutrient as strawberries are a little low on that score, when the wine is ready to drink you are going to wish you made more

PS, read Luc's blog as per "link" it makes a lot of sense.


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## Tom (Feb 11, 2011)

Lost40Vinter said:


> *Here's what I used as a recipe:*
> 
> #3 frozen strawberries
> 11 oz. Welches White Grape Juice
> ...



I question a few things,
3# per gallon is low. 5-6# is better.
Starting gravity ov 1.120?? if that was mixed right you will have rocket fuel. That comes to 16%


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## Lost40Vinter (Feb 12, 2011)

Thanks Tom. I made the vital err as a newbe, I followed the sugar input to a T. I read that this yeast could handle an alcahol content to 18%, as my wife calls this "that's a lot of giggle factor" . Next time I will add the sugar in parts till I get the correct SG and use more berries. If it does turn out to be Rocket Fuel, I know some good ol' boys in my home town that could handle it. I was hoping for not so much a dry wine, so we'll see in a few months.


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## Tom (Feb 12, 2011)

Thats why we are here. To prevent you from making the same mistakes as we did. You may want to download WineCalc. This tool will tell exactly how much sugar to add to get 1.085

http://www.xs4all.nl/~mpesgens/thwp/winecalc.html


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## xanxer82 (Feb 12, 2011)

Luc said:


> It is possible to replace citric acid with lemon juice.
> 
> I did a story on my web-log with all conversion math. You can re-read it here.
> http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2008/03/citroensap-lemon-juice.html
> ...



I highly recommend checking out Luc's blog. He's been so kind to include English translations of every entry and it is full of good information and experiments.


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## winemaker_3352 (Feb 12, 2011)

If this turns out to be that high in ABV - might consider turning it into a port style wine.

Wade has an awesome Chocolate Strawberry port.


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## ohbeary (Feb 12, 2011)

Lost40Vinter said:


> I read that this yeast could handle an alcohol content to 18%, as my wife calls this "that's a lot of giggle factor"


L40V, at 18% we are talking a lot of giggle factor but without a lot more (x2) fruit and red grape concentrate you will have a very thin and strangely weak tasting wine that will only make you feel bad!, lots of body is required for high strength/dessert wines, chopped or minced sultanas for white and raisins for red wines at 8oz for 14% and 12oz for 18% (extra to recipe) for body, a weaker but balanced wine can actually taste stronger than a stonger wine lacking body, all the best anyhoo,H.


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## Lost40Vinter (Feb 12, 2011)

Chocolate Strawberry Port... That sounds like to things my wife loves more than me. Do you have the recipe for the port?


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## winemaker_3352 (Feb 12, 2011)

Lost40Vinter said:


> Chocolate Strawberry Port... That sounds like to things my wife loves more than me. Do you have the recipe for the port?



Here is wade's recipe:

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3494


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## Goodfella (Feb 13, 2011)

The problem with turning this to Port would be the small amout of fruit used in the primary.

I would use a massive F-Pack if you decide to make it Port.


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## winemaker_3352 (Feb 13, 2011)

Good call!!!


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## Lost40Vinter (Feb 26, 2011)

Here's an update on my stawberry wine. I now realize the frozen strawberries I used to make it were packed with sugar. My mistake for not paying attention. I took another 3 pounds of frozen strawberries and simmered them down to a syrup for a F-pack. I added sorbate and K-meta a day before adding the F-pack. I tasted the wine after the pack was added and it was still a little too dry. I added a cup of sugar and vigorously degassed. The wine has a big kick! The F-pack added alot of strawberry flavor that was lost during the fermentation. I am anxious to see how it tases once it settles in a couple of months. Right now it is like a stawberry brandi. It might be a good canidate for a warm-up after being out in the winter cold.


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## agdodge4x4 (Mar 1, 2011)

I think I used two recipes for my strawberry, one was Keller's. I usually take a recipe and make adjustments to it before I even start. I think the only thing I really changed in my recipe is that I used 5lbs of strawberries for a gallon plus a little.

I think I shot for 1085 for mine, which I achieved. It tastes really good to me, but I don't have a refined palate. 

My concern with using as much sugar as noted is that it may not ferment to dryness....and may be too sweet? I dunno. I started my pomegranate wine at 1100, and its still fermenting and just about dry, so maybe yours will be OK too.


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## Lost40Vinter (Mar 2, 2011)

My strawberry batch went from 1.120 to 0.998 in the primary all within a few days! It still had a little bit of bubbling in the secondary, only for a day or so. I have since racked it again to get off of the lees and added clarifying agents and back-sweetened. It should be hitting the bottles in a couple of weeks or so.


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## docanddeb (Mar 13, 2011)

I used a great strawberry wine recicpe in which you make an f pack for adding at the end... it took 13 months to really come together. Don't be in a rush to get that in the bottle. Aging in a carboy for 11-12 months is a good idea. There is no good reason to "cook" fruit before making wine. Just mash it a bit to open it up for the yeast to get at. It will have a fresher taste! Some old recipes called for cooking fruit,honey, etc. But it isn't necessary and in some cases can "set" a pectin haze that you have to work hard to clear.

Debbie


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