Adding Fruit to wine

[smitty]

When adding fruit to wine how much and when do you add it to it?
I have made a few batches so far as a newbie to wine making and have
a Merlot and a Pinot Grigio. After reading a lot of these posts i am interested in adding fruit to to my next batch. Does anyone have any recommendations on what fruit and how much to add for 6gal or 23 lit. of Cab SAV.

Thanks

 

[cpfan]

Smitty:

Fruit is added to wine for a number of reasons, eg increased body, enhanced flavours, different flavours. What is your purpose?

Also, what is the source of the Cab Sauv? If its a kit please be specific...brand etc.

Steve

 

[smitty]

Fruit to Wine

I am sorry it is a cab/merlot kit by rj spagnols. Also i just found out that I can get a kit in GSM from RjS. that is my wifes favorite. Does adding fruit to your kit enhance the body of the wine. I don't want it to be to overpowering but i am up for the challenge.

 

[cpfan]

Smitty:

Spagnols Cru Select GSM is a premium 16 litre 6 week kit. It is rated by RJS as 4 (out of 5) on both the oak & the body. Personally, I don't think that you should be messing with this kit as a newbie.

BTW, for the rest of the world, GSM = Grenache Syrah Mourvedre.

Steve

 

[FentonCellars]

If I wanted to add a cherry/chocolate flavor to my wine, adding cherries would be pretty simple I guess, but what about the chocolate? Would I use extract for that, or actual Hershey bars? Sounds dumb, but now I'm hungry for chocolate!

 

[smurfe]

If I wanted to add a cherry/chocolate flavor to my wine, adding cherries would be pretty simple I guess, but what about the chocolate? Would I use extract for that, or actual Hershey bars? Sounds dumb, but now I'm hungry for chocolate!

I would use some type of extract for these flavors. Adding cherries won't automatically give you cherry flavor. I have never used cherries though so I can't tell you that for certain. For example, people add bananas to wine for body but you don't get the banana flavor. I am sure you would though if you added enough banana. I don't know if they make any type of chocolate extract though. Just a though.

Smurfe

 

[Sacalait]

If you want to add flavors to your wines use the concentrated flavorings. You can get them from Bickford Flavorings or E.C.Krause, both are outstanding. On the other hand if you want eye appeal then by all means add the fruit.

 

[Benjo's Mom]

I would think a chocolate liquer would be one way to add a hint of chocolate flavor.

 

[cabsav]

I will add elderberries and dried ammarone raisins to my cabernet to make it "better".
I also found blackcurrants dried in my groccery store and might give them a try as well.
Maybe I should make a combination of the 3 types and use it in all.
Or maybe a better idea would be to use one kind o fruit per 23l and see the difference in between the batches.
hmmm...have to choose now.

 

[bein_bein]

All good info ...but WHEN do you add these fruits or extracts? Would the time to add be different for desired effect? i.e. for increased body you add at _____, for enhanced or additional flavor add at ______.

 

[Sacalait]

I've only added flavoring after sweetening then I bottle when it tastes the way I like.

 

[cabsav]

dried elderberries should be added at fermentation.
That's what my wine kit last year said.
This year I bought juice by pale and I did not had the elderberries handy.
I will add them after racking the wine and age the wine in the carboy with the elderberries in it...oh ..I will also add some dried amarone raisins.
This is my thought anyway....hope will work.

 

[oldwino]

dried elderberries should be added at fermentation.
That's what my wine kit last year said.
This year I bought juice by pale and I did not had the elderberries handy.
I will add them after racking the wine and age the wine in the carboy with the elderberries in it...oh ..I will also add some dried amarone raisins.
This is my thought anyway....hope will work.

At fermentation I have added 16 ounces of frozen blackberries and 12 ounces of frozen raspberries to 5 gallons of a 1 part pinot and 2 parts cab blend. The flavor and body was really enhanced. Before blending in the fruit juices the canned commercial juice seemed just blah. Plus when I am using the canned wine juice when they say two cans for 5 gallons it really takes 3 cans.

 

[puppy2]

Add food color to wine

New on the site so for my first question:

Has anyone ever added food coloring to a finished wine to get an increase in color and not change the taste?
I just made some with frozen grape juice and the color is very light, would like it to be redder in color.

 

[Wade E]

I never have!

 

[Woodbee]

Interesting stuff. First off, I made a batch of wine from Bartlett pears. The juice sort of looked like dirty creek water. not pretty. It cleared up pretty well but still wasn't pleasant looking. I added 20 drops of red and 5 drops of yellow food coloring. It gave me a great peachy color. Oh yeah this was in a five gal. carboy.
Next, chocolate. I have been toying with doing a one gal. test batch using Hershey's Cocoa. It is a pure organic material. Chocolate is rather alkaline so there will have to be some balancing done. Don't know just what though.
What do you think?

 

[puppy2]

Thanks you all, I will try adding some red and see whatr happens

 

[Manimal]

I would question how colour stable the wine will be in the long run if you add food colouring. Alot of pigments are not particularly stable, and may change significantly over time. Personally, I would leave the wine as is and just treat it as a learning experience. If you do decide to try colour adjustments, I would encourage you to experiment through bench trials first before moving onto adjusting the whole batch.

 

[puppy2]

thanks Manimal, I will just try a bit before doing anything to the whole batch

 

[santuario]

adding bananas to fruit wine

Hi, I have been making fruit wines for the past year - fig last year, and now plum, pear, more fig and some local abandoned grapes. I would like some of this wine to have more body and I have heard adding bananas will help. How many and when should they be added?