Adding color to wine

[BigDaveK]

All my ferments seem to be fast. This one went from 1.086 to 1.001 in 72 hours.

This is a pineapple-strawberry wine racked this morning. I essentially combined a 1 gallon pineapple and a 1 gallon strawberry for a 2 gallon batch and added sugar and acid blend based on the mix. I knew from my strawberry wine that most of the color would be muted - especially when mixed with the pineapple. So....

I poured boiling water over about a pound of shredded red cabbage in a bag and let it sit for about an hour. The liquid was then added to the primary. I knew from my red cabbage wine that there would be no cabbage flavor. (Still bummed about that!)

Also, you may find this useful - I put the gross lees from the primary into a nut milk bag and was able to fill a 1/2 gallon jug for topping up later. Nut milk bags are super fine mesh and I'll definitely be using it more in the future.

 

[Newbie Mel]

I am getting ready to start my Maypop wine. I suspect it will have no color. The red cabbage trick sounds great. I don’t have any on hand so will have to make trip into town. My initial thought was to use an organic hybiscus tea bag just long enough to get some color. Is that a bad idea?

 

[BigDaveK]

I am getting ready to start my Maypop wine. I suspect it will have no color. The red cabbage trick sounds great. I don’t have any on hand so will have to make trip into town. My initial thought was to use an organic hybiscus tea bag just long enough to get some color. Is that a bad idea?

The red cabbage will work, used it a couple times, and the water will have a pH around 5.0 so more acid may be needed.

BUT.....

Since then I've discovered dried hibiscus. 4 ounces dried in my hibiscus wine made this color and it will definitely add a "fruity" flavor with that quantity. I have also used 1 oz and .5 oz for color, very slight fruity notes, great color. And the color appears to be stable. Don't know how much 1 teabag weighs, but you can certainly use one or more.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I use a number of ingredients for color. Black raspberry at 1% can be pink and at 5% a nice red. Aronia at 1% is a nice red. Sumac berries can do a nice pink. ,,, All of these are stable with time. and Yes red cabbage can give a red color.