# 1st Peach Wine



## silverbullet07 (Apr 12, 2021)

Going to begin a batch of Peach Wine using the colomafrozen concentrate peach juice soon. Just ordered the concentrates today. 

Plan on keeping the water around 1 gal to a quart but will test ph, taste, smell and color as I mix to find a good balance. 

Question, what would be a good fermentation temp for peach? thinking around 68-70 degrees. I had plan to use K1v-1116 but thinking about 71b now. Any thoughts on yeast? I also have EC1118 but do not see a benefit to it. 

Is there any benefit to fermenting with a little sugar left vs fermenting dry and then back sweeting? Wondering what advantages vs non advantages to this. Any Taste benefits? Thought not having to make a simple sugar would be a benefit but it seems what most do. 

I was thinking if I use 71b and the alch tolerance is 14% if I start the SG around 1.115 fermentation should stop around 1.015 - 1.010? Leaving some sugar for a semi sweet peach. Is there any benefit to do it this way vs fermenting dry and back sweeten?


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## Scooter68 (Apr 12, 2021)

I would start the ferment at a higher temp then lower it to the range you want AFTER fermentation starts.


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 14, 2021)

So I received my peach concentrate from colomafrozen today. I started preparing the must.

since this is my first peach, my first surprise was how sweet it is. I first but in 4 qts concentrate and 3 gal of water and the SG was about 1.110 or so. First juice I had that sweet.
I added another 1/2 gal just to get it to around 1.090

Funny thing I had already prepared a gal of 1:2 simple sugar I had planned to use. Thinking I would need to add a bunch of sugar like my others. LOL live and learn.

I added about 6 cups 1:2 simple sugar to add a little more volume and got the SG to 1.100.

For the 4 qts concentrate I added a little less then 4 gal water as @hounddawg recommended.

PH was at 3.59 so added some acid blend to get it to 3.45. I’ll be letting it set and will recheck again before pitching yeast. 
I also doubled on the pectic enzyme and added tannin.


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## Scooter68 (Apr 15, 2021)

This is just my personal thing - Peach wine for me, is best with a lower ABV ( 12.5% or lower) and heavier on flavor. So if that ferment stops before it goes all the way dry - leave. As long as it gets below 1.015 it should be a nice wine. I've had some "discussions" where folks told me they prefer peach wine that is lighter on the palate. (Weak flavored - to me) but again if YOU like it that's what matters. Personally I like there to be no doubt that this is a country fruit wine and not a flavored grape wine. Just my 2 cents worth.

Your pH was at the upper end at 3.59 but still within a good range. I have always read that 3.4-3.6 is the best range for country fruit wines. Blueberry is the only one that pushes those numbers as I've had it hit 3.2 without adjustment and still ferment just fine. The other fruits I've used normally need a little acid addition to get down into that 3.4-3.6 range. I hate raising the pH because it takes at least 12-24 hours for the process to complete and you have to go slow or risk raising too much. So for me as long as it's above 3.25 and below 3.6, I tend to just let it be.


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 15, 2021)

I agree. It seems all our fruit wines we want bolder fruit flavor. We want to taste the fruit. I tested the PH again this morning and added more Acid Bled to get the PH to 3.3 Checked SG 1.096

Would you do 71B or K1-v1116 Yeast on this?


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## Scooter68 (Apr 15, 2021)

Never used or read enough about 71B I just been using K1-V1116 and EC 1118. They both seem to ferment well with higher ABV tolerance and low foaming. I have yet to use my newer wine yeast SN9 Mangrove Jack Wine Yeast but should be trying that out within the next month. It reported to great for 1) Fruit wines, 2) High ABV wines and 3) For restarting stuck ferments.


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 15, 2021)

I was looking at this profile chart. Lalvin Yeast Profiles, Chart and Ratings It gave EC 1118 the best ranking for Orchard Fruits. So I will just use it. That is a nice chart to go by.


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## reeflections (Apr 15, 2021)

silverbullet07 said:


> I was looking at this profile chart. Lalvin Yeast Profiles, Chart and Ratings It gave EC 1118 the best ranking for Orchard Fruits. So I will just use it. That is a nice chart to go by.



This chart has a lot of info for yeast: https://www.lallemandwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Quick-Yeast-References-Chart_2018_LR.pdf


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 15, 2021)

reeflections said:


> This chart has a lot of info for yeast: https://www.lallemandwine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Quick-Yeast-References-Chart_2018_LR.pdf


I seen that but surprised it did not have K1-V1116 on it. I had been using this one Choosing Wine Yeast Strains
but noticed some things that was wrong.


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## reeflections (Apr 15, 2021)

silverbullet07 said:


> I seen that but surprised it did not have K1-V1116 on it.


Yeah, I noticed that too.


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## reeflections (Apr 15, 2021)

I copied the info for the yeasts from this chart I have been using and have it hanging on the wall. It includes K1-V1116






Yeast Strains Chart - WineMakerMag.com


Five companies – Lallemand (Lalvin), Red Star, Vintner’s Harvest, White Labs, and Wyeast – produce the vast majority of wine-yeast used by home wine makers in North America. Here’s an up-to-date overview of the yeast strains these firms sell in small packages intended for home hobbyists, which...




winemakermag.com


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## JeffA (Apr 16, 2021)

I think 71b is a good choice for yeast. I personally like fermenting my wines dry and then back sweetening with the same juice I used to make the wine. The benefit from this? It is easier to ferment dry then control the amount of sweetness added to it rather then calculating a higher SG and hope the yeast behaves the way you expect it to. Remember that yeast is a living organism. They don't always do what the book says they will. And back sweetening with the same juice used for the wine will not only ad sweetness to your finished wine but will return some of the fruit flavor lost due to the fermentation process.


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## Scooter68 (Apr 16, 2021)

71b is not on most lists of recommended yeasts for country wines and according to the spec sheet, I would never use it for my wines. Just doesn't offer the attributes I want. My first wine yeast came with my country wine starter kit - Montrachet. I soon gave it up because while rated as a good one for fruit wines, it is also prone to produce problems if nutrient needs are not met perfectly or the yeast becomes stressed. It was the first an only yeast that gave me the burnt rubber (H S 2) So I stopped using it as it also was a big foam producing yeast. 
A newcomer for me is *SN9 * by Mangrove Jack (Formerly packaged for/by Vintner's harvest. It gets high marks for country fruit wines.

The standout for country fruit wines is pretty consistently including K1-V1116, EC-1118, and SN9.

Here are a few of the sites I just checked out:









I make mostly sweet fruit wines; what is the best yeast? - WineMakerMag.com


Choosing yeast I am new to the art of winemaking and have come to realize that there are many varieties of yeast available. I make mostly sweet fruit wines such as strawberry, watermelon, peach, etc. and was wondering what the best yeast might be for these types of wine. Josh Hemmendinger Park...




winemakermag.com













Country Wine Yeast: Tips from the Pros - WineMakerMag.com


Dominic Rivard is a consultant fruit winemaker producing commercial wines in Asia, North America and Europe and author of “The Ultimate Fruit Winemaker’s Guide” at www.fruitwineguide.com. A qualified sommelier, Dominic studied winemaking and oenology at UC-Davis and passed the Wine and Spirit...




winemakermag.com













What Yeasts Make Fruit Wine


The history of fruit wine may feature fruit, but it has always included yeast, the conversion factor that turns sugar into alcohol.




www.midwestsupplies.com













Winemaking Yeast Guide


Our listing of Lalvin and Red Star yeast strains; which wines to use them on, alcohol tolerance, nutritional needs,temperature range, and fermentation rate.




northeastwinemaking.com


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## Rembee (Apr 16, 2021)

@Scooter68, 71B or aka, 71B-1122 is on your pointed out "Country Wine Tips from a Pro"
As written from Dominic Rivard,

"I experiment a fair amount with different strains of yeast and over the years I have narrowed my wine production to the following strains:

*Lallemand 71B: This is a great all around yeast for most off-dry fruit wines. It really helps bring out the fresh fruitiness in most berry and some tree fruit wines*"









Country Wine Yeast: Tips from the Pros - WineMakerMag.com


Dominic Rivard is a consultant fruit winemaker producing commercial wines in Asia, North America and Europe and author of “The Ultimate Fruit Winemaker’s Guide” at www.fruitwineguide.com. A qualified sommelier, Dominic studied winemaking and oenology at UC-Davis and passed the Wine and Spirit...




winemakermag.com





71B makes an excellent country wine. It is my go to yeast for most of my country wines. It also has a alcohol tolerance of 14%. 
IMHO, EC-1118 should only be used if one is looking for a high ABV or if one has a stuck fermentation. It is a very fast fermenting yeast which takes away a lot of the fruit flavors that we strive to achieve in our country wines.
Your making statements that are not entirely accurate but more so based strictly on your own opinion and preferences. 
I can see where a new wine maker would become very confused about what is the best yeast to use. IMHO, the best yeast is the one that brings your wine to the flavor profile to which is an individuals preference and liking.
This is all part of the hobby. Trying different strains of yeast for country wines is a learning process that will give us the experience needed throughout this journey of wine making.
I guess what I'm trying to say is this, to each his own. 
For new, novice and yes, experienced wine makers, we should all think outside the box once in awhile and try new things with our wines. We do ourselves a grave injustice when we don't try the many different types of yeast available to us, to gain experience in what different strains of yeast accomplish.
Sorry for the rant lol


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## Chuck Rairdan (Apr 17, 2021)

Had excellent results with a peach wine using 71B and aged on the lees and oak for several months with batonage. Turned out like a very peachy butter style dry chardonnay. I'm not even a big chard fan, but I plan on doing this one again.


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## Chuck Rairdan (Apr 17, 2021)

Chuck Rairdan said:


> Had excellent results with a peach wine using 71B and aged on the lees and oak for several months with batonage. Turned out like a very peachy butter style dry chardonnay. I'm not even a big chard fan, but I plan on doing this one again.


Oh, and added some spicy Peruvian ginger with the oak which provided a nice added note.


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## hounddawg (Apr 18, 2021)

when i started using store bought yeasts i bought 10 of everything i could find, for a few years now only EC-1118 & K1V-1116 are the only 2 i use, i do country wines only, fruits and berries, and i like them sweet, ,, but everyone only has to please themselves,, unless married  
Dawg


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 18, 2021)

I pitched the yeast Friday morning and it appears to not be doing anything. I pitched it along with a blackberry I’m doing. Blackberry is foaming good. @hounddawg, should the peach concentrate be foaming? I’m using EC-1118 yeast on it.

This morning peach had a little foam. Blackberry has lots of foam.


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## hounddawg (Apr 18, 2021)

on my peach using EC-1118 it is very low foam and a very gentle ferment,
Dawg


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## Steve Wargo (Apr 18, 2021)

Rembee said:


> @Scooter68, 71B or aka, 71B-1122 is on your pointed out "Country Wine Tips from a Pro"
> As written from Dominic Rivard,
> 
> "I experiment a fair amount with different strains of yeast and over the years I have narrowed my wine production to the following strains:
> ...


71B is an excellent yeast to make fruit-forward tasting wines. I don't deny EC1118 yeast is good for a stuck fermentation. EC1118 is very good for making a very dry wine or used for the process of making a dry sparkling wine.


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## Steve Wargo (Apr 18, 2021)

I agree 71B makes a very good country wine. I've used 71B for making fruit wines and Concord Grape wines. Using the 71B yeast they turn out excellent. If and when I use 71B as yeast fermentation, I don't oak the wine, but try to maintain the fruit-forward attributes of the fruit wine and what the 71B yeast brings to the party. Also, have used D47 yeast fermenting both Peach and Apple fruit wines. I allowed fermentation to firmly establish in the primary using D47 and then drop ferment temps over a couple-three days to 60 - F. to finish. This during the wintertime months, in a controlled environment. After a couple of rackings and when I think the D47 fermented wine is ready I oak the D47 fermented wine to taste. The wine is more complex than the 71B but still very approachable for the newbie wine drinker.


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## sour_grapes (Apr 18, 2021)

I just started a rhubarb wine, and I specifically chose 71b in hopes of reducing the acid a bit.


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## Bossbaby (Apr 18, 2021)

The recipe on my last peach called for 71B, Its been aging for 7 months now, I cant say how it turned out yet but I didnt care much for its flavor in the first couple of months but I am counting on age to help it come around. The Yeast did a nice job just not my favorite flavor when its young I'm guessing.


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## hounddawg (Apr 19, 2021)

Bossbaby said:


> The recipe on my last peach called for 71B, Its been aging for 7 months now, I cant say how it turned out yet but I didnt care much for its flavor in the first couple of months but I am counting on age to help it come around. The Yeast did a nice job just not my favorite flavor when its young I'm guessing.


generally peach like most wines really improves with time, I'd fettled around and did not keep up on my peach stash, about a month or so ago i went for a bottle and it was my last one, talk about a bummer, peach is not much as wine at first, but at a year it is not bad, at around 2 years, Katie bar the door, it becomes killer good, I sterched that bottle as much as i could, kinda sad, i got 13.75 gallons in secondary's, just a few weeks old, still be about 2.5 months before i rack again, 71b will leave a good nose, but i tend to like my lighter wines using K1V-1116,,, what SG do you shoot for as a FSG ? i tend to stay on the sweeter side, but the fruits and berries i use are sweet when you eat them,, best of luck,,,
Dawg


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 20, 2021)

hounddawg said:


> on my peach using EC-1118 it is very low foam and a very gentle ferment,
> Dawg


When I increased the fermenting room temperature a couple degrees it has started nicely. It likes the room 69-70 degrees. SG is down to 1.050 now. Rolling nicely.


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## Michael T (Apr 20, 2021)

@silverbullet07 Did you add KMETA to kill any wild yeasts and bacteria before you pitched the yeast?


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 20, 2021)

Michael T said:


> @silverbullet07 Did you add KMETA to kill any wild yeasts and bacteria before you pitched the yeast?


Yes, About 36 hours before.


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 28, 2021)

Well SG got down to 1.010 and has stopped. It has done that with two other concentrates I have used. I racked it off of Primary in to a carboy and was hoping it would still ferment but it has not done anything. I'll hold it there for couple weeks. Then rack to let clear and add kmeta.


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## Steve Wargo (Apr 28, 2021)

silverbullet07 said:


> Well SG got down to 1.010 and has stopped. It has done that with two other concentrates I have used. I racked it off of Primary in to a carboy and was hoping it would still ferment but it has not done anything. I'll hold it there for couple weeks. Then rack to let clear and add kmeta.


I'm a little surprised that the fermentation stalled at SG 1.010 using EC1118. Did you check the hydrometer, working correctly? Just asking because EC1118 usually ferments all fermentable sugars extra dry when I've used it. This invites another question. Were all the sugars in the juice fermentable? Maybe during the reduction process, certain non-fermentable sugars are produced by the process itself. Also, there might be some starches left behind by the reduction process? Anyways an SG of 1.010 might be a good thing for fruit wine. Many women that drink my lighter color wine prefer wine on the sweeter side. if my wine was fermented dry, I recommend adding sweet fruit juice to their glass (like mango, pineapple) along with a couple of ice cubes. Walla either sweeter wine with a little less ABV or add more juice resulting in a wine cooler. Depends on a person's preference.


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 28, 2021)

I was wondering the same thing since three different concentrates went to the same 1.010. I have two Hydrometers and both read the same.

I do have to back sweeten it but I need to start planning that these concentrates only go so low to ensure I have enough ABV, Maybe starting them at 1.110 to ensure I get ABV high enough. I just started a Raspberry with concentrate and started it at 1.110.

it taste really sour or tart right now for sure. a few drops of simple syrup makes it taste nice. You can taste the peach.


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## sour_grapes (Apr 28, 2021)

silverbullet07 said:


> I was wondering the same thing since three different concentrates went to the same 1.010. I have two Hydrometers and both read the same.
> 
> I do have to back sweeten it but I need to start planning that these concentrates only go so low to ensure I have enough ABV, Maybe starting them at 1.110 to ensure I get ABV high enough. I just started a Raspberry with concentrate and started it at 1.110.
> 
> it taste really sour or tart right now for sure. a few drops of simple syrup makes it taste nice. You can taste the peach.



Did you check the hydrometers in water?


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 28, 2021)

sour_grapes said:


> Did you check the hydrometers in water?



they both test at SG 1.000 with water. The three other wines I made fermented below 1.000 that were from fruit. Just strange how three wines from concentrates all stopped at 1.010.


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## sour_grapes (Apr 28, 2021)

silverbullet07 said:


> Just strange how three wines from concentrates all stopped at 1.010.



Agreed! I got nothing...


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## reeflections (Apr 29, 2021)

silverbullet07 said:


> I was wondering the same thing since three different concentrates went to the same 1.010.



This is really interesting to me. I was having the same trouble. My problem has been with Coloma's sweet cherry and their tart cherry. 4 batches fermenting nicely at 1st then a dead stop at 1.004, 1.020, 1.005, and 1.012. Odd thing is that I did 5 batches of Coloma peach before that and all went dry just fine.

I was starting to lose confidence in wine making so I made a batch of DB and it did just fine.

Is it the Coloma juice, but just some batches?

What were the other two concentrates you had trouble with?


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## silverbullet07 (Apr 29, 2021)

reeflections said:


> This is really interesting to me. I was having the same trouble. My problem has been with Coloma's sweet cherry and their tart cherry. 4 batches fermenting nicely at 1st then a dead stop at 1.004, 1.020, 1.005, and 1.012. Odd thing is that I did 5 batches of Coloma peach before that and all went dry just fine.
> 
> I was starting to lose confidence in wine making so I made a batch of DB and it did just fine.
> 
> ...



my first was a raspberry but it was from another supplier. It stopped at 1.010 too. Then I did this peach and a blackberry from Coloma side by side. Both stopped at 1.010. I just started another raspberry from Coloma this week. We will see were it stops. It was just weird it has only happen to my concentrates.


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## winemaker81 (Apr 29, 2021)

@silverbullet07, @reeflections -- contact the vendor and ask questions. You might mention that this problem appears to be wide spread and is being discussed online, and send the link to this thread. IME a lot of vendors are good about responding, but a bit of incentive never hurts, e.g., negative online discussion.

Regarding the wine -- if it's under airlock with minimal headspace, you can leave it for months. If it's in a low temperature area, move the carboys to an area where the temperature is at least 75 F. A bit of heat can produce a difference.

Also, keep an eye on the carboys. If the fermentation does wake up, you could get foaming through the airlock.

For a normal fermentation, I rack at 1.010 or below, and leave a large headspace in the carboy for the wine to complete over the following 1 to 2 weeks. In your case, there's no telling if the fermentation will resume, so leaving too much headspace is not a good idea IMO. You can split the difference and leave a somewhat larger headspace for a few weeks, as the wine is emitting CO2. I give the carboy a good shake to encourage the CO2 to pop, and this displaces the air.


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## Scooter68 (Apr 30, 2021)

I've also had a few issues in the past 2 years with EC1118 not completely finishing and stopping typically at about 1.010 or there abouts. (Slightly above 1.000) I have attributed it to fermenting at the lower end of the temp range as I am fermenting in winter time and the house I do the fermenting in is not set above 60f. BUT one more thing that might help if you still have a few yeast packets of it - Step feed. My last blackberry a (Done this winter) got down to .994 I believe but I step-fed it so that I cold push it to 17.++% ABV. 

These yeasts might just be more temperamental at cooler temps and too high an initial SG might just be an issue. 

I agree with the idea of contacting the maker about the issues and you can count me in on the list of folks with issues.

My most recent batch of wine stopped at 1.010 but it was not going to be a high ABV - I just had the temperature issue the yeast in this case was SN9 from Mangrove Jack's. So in this last instance it was most likely temp that caused it to stop - It achieved only 11.03 instead of 13.++ % ABV.


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## silverbullet07 (Feb 6, 2022)

Bottled up my peach wine today, It turned out good and it has a lot of peach flavor. I think the color is nice too.


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## Steve Wargo (Feb 7, 2022)

silverbullet07 said:


> Bottled up my peach wine today, It turned out good and it has a lot of peach flavor. I think the color is nice too.


I like the labels. The wine looks clear. You did it good


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## Bossbaby (Feb 8, 2022)

The color looks is very pretty! Great looking labels too..


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## HillPeople (Feb 9, 2022)

silverbullet07 said:


> Bottled up my peach wine today, It turned out good and it has a lot of peach flavor. I think the color is nice too.


Peach was our best seller in 2021-and in 2022 so far.


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## Huey62 (Feb 17, 2022)

Look delicious Man


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## TxBrew (Feb 17, 2022)

Looks great, congrats.


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