Apple juice as wine base?

[Ericphotoart]

I will be starting a pear wine and I want to use an apple juice instead of water as a base but I’m not sure what juice would work best. I’m thinking about a supermarket juice but they are all pasteurized at least those on shelves. Could anyone recommend any brand or does it really matter? Mott’s?

 

[winemaker81]

This sounds like a good idea. Unless you have a cidery or something similar near you, it's all going to be pasteurized. I'm not sure that makes a difference, although I'd add pectic enzyme up front to help ensure it clears.

You might try frozen apple juice concentrate.

 

[Raptor99]

This week I started a batch of apple/pear cider using my pears from the freezer plus some grocery store apple juice. Pasteurized cider works fine, but be sure that it doesn't have any preservatives. Pectic enzyme is needed for both pears and apple juice.

If you want a wine level ABV (11-12%) rather than cider (6-7%), then you will need to add some sugar as well.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I plan around 12%ABV. I don’t want to be apple pear wine but just pear. I never did pear wine but I know that pear had a very delicate flavor so I don’t want apple to overpower the pears. I’m afraid that apple concentrate could do it.

 

[winemaker81]

I plan around 12%ABV. I don’t want to be apple pear wine but just pear. I never did pear wine but I know that pear had a very delicate flavor so I don’t want apple to overpower the pears. I’m afraid that apple concentrate could do it.

I was not clear -- I meant to dilute the concentrate to normal strength.

 

[Raptor99]

I plan around 12%ABV. I don’t want to be apple pear wine but just pear. I never did pear wine but I know that pear had a very delicate flavor so I don’t want apple to overpower the pears. I’m afraid that apple concentrate could do it.

In that case, why add apple juice at all? If you use around 8 lbs. of pears per gallon you can make a very nice pear wine.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I wasn’t clear from the very beginning. I use Coloma Frozen concentrate. I use 1 gallon of the concentrate that according to their ratio should give me 7 gallon of must but I will stop at 6 gallons. So instead of water I planned on adding apple juice.

 

[Raptor99]

So 1 gallon of concentrate plus 5 gallons of apple juice. I suggest that you try a small sample with the same 1:5 ratio to see how you like it. That is the best way to determine whether this will be a flavor you enjoy. If the apple flavor is too strong, you could try replacing some of the apple juice with water.

 

[Ericphotoart]

Good idea. I bought 2 cans of the apple concentrate and I will experiment after work

 

[hawkwing]

If the supermarket juice is clear you'll be ok. I've read that pasteurized cider never clears even with pectic enzyme. If you have lots of pears from a tree just juice them and use straight pear juice.

 

[Hazelemere]

Buy apple juice by the gallon and chaptalize it - organic if you can find it.

 

[Ericphotoart]

Thank you to all. I started the wine today. I decided to go with the frozen apple concentrate and I used just two 12 oz cans.it didn’t change the pear taste and flavor much. SG 1.092 and pH a little too high, 3.8 but I had only 2 tbsp of acid blend. I added juice from 1 lemon and this is what I got. I wonder how my Coloma frozen concentrate will ferment. I was not very lucky with three previous attempt and got stuck above 1.000 but this time I use the dilution close to what they recommend on the website so hopefully the fermentation will go well.

 

[DaleM]

Hopefully you fair better than I did with apple juice or pears? Years ago, I tasted a green apple wine at a local winemaking contest. I set out to create my one version from fresh Mackintosh apple juice, locally grown. The results were dismal and I could never get the flavor profile that I wanted. I even tried adding green apple extract, but never succeeded. I had a pear tree,(now removed) that I tried making wine from with see than stellar results. Maybe it’s just me, but apples and pears, didn’t have enough flavor for my tastes. I wish you the Best of Luck in your endeavor! I down want it to stop you from trying AND If you get it right, I’d love to have you let us know. Again Good luck and the best going forward!

 

[winemaker81]

Hopefully you fair better than I did with apple juice or pears? Years ago, I tasted a green apple wine at a local winemaking contest. I set out to create my one version from fresh Mackintosh apple juice, locally grown. The results were dismal and I could never get the flavor profile that I wanted. I even tried adding green apple extract, but never succeeded. I had a pear tree,(now removed) that I tried making wine from with see than stellar results. Maybe it’s just me, but apples and pears, didn’t have enough flavor for my tastes. I wish you the Best of Luck in your endeavor! I down want it to stop you from trying AND If you get it right, I’d love to have you let us know. Again Good luck and the best going forward!

I made Apple wine from Red Delicious 10 years ago, juicing the apples for one batch and making a second run from the pulp. Both came out good.

It's recommended to mix apples varieties, and David (@Rice_Guy) adds crab apples for tannin. Next time I make Apple I will mix varieties.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Depending on where you live, in the international section of your supermarket you might be able to find pear juice.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I've just checked my notes from 02.22 when I made an Apple Wine with cinnamon. I used Galla, Rome and Macintosh. One of my wife's favorite wines. Lot's of flavor. Sweetened with frozen concentrate apple juice and some sugar. This year I made apple wine with peels from 1 clementine. It's still aging but it is very promising.

 

[Jusatele]

I also have not had great luck with Apple or pear wines either. When I make fruit wines I like them sweeter than I get apple or pear wines I have made. But I have used whire grape juice with great success when making drier fruit wines. It is just getting the blend correct.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I have no luck with Coloma Frozen. I diluted the pear concentrate pretty close to their recommendations and I added sugar to boost SG to 1.092. After 6 days the fermentation stuck at 1.012 and it tastes totally dry. So I ended up with 10.5% ABV.

 

[hawkwing]

I usually make sweet cider instead. I usually make around 8-9%. Let it go dry. Sulfite and sorbate then back sweeten and force carbonate. It has always been good.