# Hot Strawberry Chocolate Wine



## bruno (Dec 12, 2010)

I made 3 gallons of chocolate strawberry wine. My problem is that it ended up at about 17% abv. It's still in the carboy and has cleared nicely. I'm looking for suggestions of what I can add to the wine to dilute it so the alcohol level comes down to a normal range. I would like to add something that will keep it clear. Open to suggestions. Thx.


----------



## Dugger (Dec 12, 2010)

Have you considered sweetening it and making it into a chocolate strawberry port? It sounds like it could be a good candidate.


----------



## Runningwolf (Dec 12, 2010)

Can you please post your recipe and how you added the chocolate. Was this fresh juice? What about stabilizing it if you have not yet and add some Welches white grape juice. I am trying to think of something that will not change the taste, keep the mouth feel, but dilute what you have to cut the alcohol.


----------



## Wade E (Dec 12, 2010)

Thats a tough one as adding anything will either dilute the flavor or make it very thin or very sweet if its already sweet. Is this the Jack Keller recipe? Thats the one I made and I thought it was horrible and spent lots of time turning it into something much better which is the Strawberry Chocolate port in our recipe area.


----------



## Tom (Dec 12, 2010)

Wade E said:


> Thats a tough one as adding anything will either dilute the flavor or make it very thin or very sweet if its already sweet. Is this the Jack Keller recipe? Thats the one I made and I thought it was horrible and spent lots of time turning it into something much better which is the Strawberry Chocolate port in our recipe area.


Yea I agree sounds like Jack's recipe.


----------



## bruno (Dec 12, 2010)

Yes, it was Jack Kellers strawberry wine recipe #2.
15# fresh strawberries
2.5# chopped golden raisins
12.5# brown sugar
10 tsp citric acid
3/4 tsp tannin
water to 5 gal
used blended mixture of Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa blended into must
The wine has cleared nicely, but I just wanted to end up with a chocolate strawberry wine. A chocolate strawberry port does sound good. The starting sg was 1.118. I went by the recipe instead of measuring the sg as I added the sugar. I know better.


----------



## Tom (Dec 12, 2010)

Most of the recipe's on Jacks site are very high in alcohol and most of them are also low on #'s of fruit. We learn from our mistakes. Next time ck here as we feel for strawberry you need 6-8#'s per gal. Strawberries are high in water and low on flavor hence the high # per gal.
Yes I talk thru experience. I usually make 12-18 gallons from fresh strawberry.


----------



## Tom (Dec 12, 2010)

I'm guessing you know that for fruit wines you should be 1.080-1.085 tops


----------



## bruno (Dec 12, 2010)

Yes, I know. I think I had a brain f**t that day.


----------

