Apple cider wine

[Benjo's Mom]

I started a batch of apple wine with cider from a local orchard. I started with a 5 gal. batch with an original SG of 1.075. It probably had already started to ferment naturally however as there was considerable sediment in the bottom of the jugs. I racked into the secondary at SG .995. My secondary was a 7 gal., however, and I topped off with 2 more gallons of fresh cider I went back tothe orchard to buy. Is there something I should have added other than additional campton tablets when I racked it? Thanks for any hints or advice.

 

[Wade E]

You should have added potassium sorbate to prevent re fermentation.

 

[Luc]

Let us do some calculations.

You started with 5 gallon which had an SG of 1075
That will give about 9,7 % alcohol.

I personally think that is a bit too low.
I think you should aim for 11% for an apple wine.
But hey, that is a matter of choice and at just
below 10% you will have a nice summer cooler.

But then you added 2 gallon fresh cider.
Now let us presume that it will not referment.
You will then have:

5 gallon x 9,7 = total 48,5
now you added 2 gallon so the total volume = 7 gallon so:
48,5 / 7 = around 7%

So if the batch will not referment you will have
an apple wine with about 7% alcohol.

I do not know if that is what you are aiming at ???

Luc

 

[Benjo's Mom]

If I were able to begin to referment it, how would I do that and could I get an alcohol content of 11%?

 

[twissty]

ONe word of caution when dealing with fresh cider is to make certain you have Pasturized product. E-coli and other nasties can survive fermentation.
In many cases the orchards use windfall and cull apples to make cider. They may use manure to fertilize and wild animals tend to poop on the ground where apples fall.

The sediment at the bottom of fresh cider is apple solids and pectins, not lees and yeast like you'd get from fermenting wine.


in the old days they'd just let cider ferment on its own from whatever wild yeasts were in it. It was consumed at any stage of the fermentation, from a mildly fizzy sweet cider, to a fully fermented dry still wine, or "hard" cider.

The problem, of course was that wild yeasts are unpredictable and it was impossible to predict the qualities of the finished product.

You can do lots of stuff with this batch.

1. try drinking some as is. I bet the addition of some fresh cider gives you a nice apply drink that would be great warm or cold , or warmed and mulled. ....just in time for christmas...try mixing with cranberry cocktail...

2. let it ferment out, bottle as a sparkling wine in champagne or beer bottles. 7% alcohol is just right for a hard cider. age a month or so.

3 bottle as a still hard cider. Age a couple of months

4. add more fermentables (corn sugar, honey, malt extract) and go for a stronger wine.

 

[Luc]

If I were able to begin to referment it, how would I do that and could I get an alcohol content of 11%?

It is extremely difficult to re-start a fermentation because newly added yeast will not be accustomed to the high alcohol level.

So make a fresh yeast starter and make sure it ferments vigorously.
Add this to your wine and wait to see if it will start.

Raise the sugar level so it will be at the desired level first.

Luc

 

[Benjo's Mom]

Thanks guys

 

[Wade E]

I would make a yeast starter like Luc said but add 1 cup of your fermented juice into that starter and let that go for a few hours and then add another cup and wait afew hours then slowly add it back to your wine, this will let the yeast slowly acclimate itself to your abv without shocking it.

 

[Benjo's Mom]

I have taken Luc and Wade's advice. Thanks guys We'll see how this turns out in a few months