# Tannin substitute for SkeeterPee?



## JDesCotes (May 8, 2015)

I started a batch of SP last night and noticed that I am fresh out of tannin with my order of extra tannin not coming in for another week or so...

I could run to a local shop and spend $3 of a minuscule amount of tannin (15g I think) or I could be resourceful (read: cheap) and find an alternative!

So I've done some research and found a couple alternatives. Can somebody with a bit of experience help me out?

1. strong, steeped black English breakfast tea: will this change the colour or taste of the wine? I would hate to have a batch of grey wine... Not too appetizing!

2. Oak chips: normally when I use oak chips I add them after clearing has completed and let it age for months on the shelf... Will the short fermentation/clearing time of SP be sufficient to extract the tannins from the oak chips?

3. Oak powder: I'm out of this too! 

4. "Roasted/dried Apple peel": saw this on a very sketchy site but they said Apple peel can be roasted until dried and then ground and used as a substitute with roughly 2x amount of grape tannin...

I started this batch of SP on the gross lees of my last batch so it should have SOME of the leftover tannins from that batch... But fermentation has already taken off so I want to add whatever I decide to add as soon as I get home from work. 

Any other suggestions?


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## NorCal (May 8, 2015)

I just did a batch an purposely left out the tannin powder, because I suspected it was the cause of my headaches while drinking SP. I added some oak cubes when I transferred to the carboy. The batch turned out excellent and I can drink away, headache free.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45680


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## Julie (May 8, 2015)

put a banana in it, there is more tannins in a underripe banana than an overripe banana.


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## wineforfun (May 8, 2015)

Agree with Julie or just wait and add your tannin when it comes in.


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## Angelina (May 8, 2015)

I was going to say the same a Julie, a banana does wonders in a pinch. I am actual getting ready to make a heavy bodied banana wine for the sole purpose of blending with other wines as needed for a little extra body. But I have in the past added bananas directly to must when I think it would benefit.


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## JDesCotes (May 8, 2015)

So with banana would I wash the outer of the peel first, eat the banana then toss the peel in the must? I imagine they are very heavily sprayed with pesticides...


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## Julie (May 8, 2015)

use the whole banana, skin included, just slice them up and drop them in


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## wineinmd (May 8, 2015)

This might be an extremely dumb question, but does the banana add any banana flavor to the finished product?


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## Julie (May 8, 2015)

No, bananas have a very light flavor and the lemon would overpower the banana flavor.


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## wineinmd (May 8, 2015)

Awesome. I'm suffering from banana burnout and would prefer not to have any come through. I don't have tannin, but I do have some underripe bananas at the house. Looks like we might be good to go for SP#1 this weekend.


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