Apple wine recipe wanted

[MrsAbe]

I just found out that the Louisburg Kansas Cider Mill located near us has fresh raw apple juice for sale in September. Does anyone have a good recipe for Apple wine?

 

[salcoco]

I have made wine from this juice in the past. just add sugar to brix 22 add malic acid to ph equal to range of 3.2-3.5 ferment with 71B

Where do you live I am in Overland Park around 119th st.

 

[MrsAbe]

I am an hour south of you in Garden City, MO. Just south of Harrisonville.

 

[MrsAbe]

I have never used malic acid before. How do I use it?

 

[MrsAbe]

I did some reading on malic acid. It looks similar to use like acid blend. I'll be ordering some this weekend.

 

[Rice_Guy]

The key for me is to add something to provide a long lasting flavor note. A example would be tannic crab apple (5 to 10%) or a bitter sharp apple variety. Another source for that long type of flavor is cranberry juice. This is a style issue, I make sweeter wine so I put the acid at 1.0% OR add tannic notes and then back sweeten.

Malic acid is the dominant acid in apple, ie what we think of as the tart/ sharp new crop MacIntosh flavor. That noted, I have several acids available and like the tartaric acid smoothness so I will formulate with that one or acid blend. I basically don't use malic acid at home. Of the apples that I have looked at new crop tends to have an acceptable TA so you should be OK (last year pressing was 1.058, pH 3.29, TA 0.7%) old crop has metabolized much of the acid so if it was October I would expect TA of 0.3% and then I would add acid. ,,,, note that your gravity is low for a wine and you need sugar at 1.085 unless your target is a cider 8% alcohol.

 

[salcoco]

Malic acid is the predominate acid in apple. I have made it with either tartaric acid or malic acid addition and found the malic acid the best flavor and aromatic wine. we just conducted an experiment in our wine club comparing apple wine fermented with 71B or Cotes des Blanc. both are expected to keep the aromatic content of the wine. 71B also metabolizes some of the malic acid in the wine. the 71B wine garnered a Gold and the Cotes des Blanc got a silver in our recent wine competition. therefore the 71B recommendation.

 

[user 32114]

The key for me is to add something to provide a long lasting flavor note. A example would be tannic crab apple (5 to 10%) or a bitter sharp apple variety. Another source for that long type of flavor is cranberry juice. This is a style issue, I make sweeter wine so I put the acid at 1.0% OR add tannic notes and then back sweeten.

Malic acid is the dominant acid in apple, ie what we think of as the tart/ sharp new crop MacIntosh flavor. That noted, I have several acids available and like the tartaric acid smoothness so I will formulate with that one or acid blend. I basically don't use malic acid at home. Of the apples that I have looked at new crop tends to have an acceptable TA so you should be OK (last year pressing was 1.058, pH 3.29, TA 0.7%) old crop has metabolized much of the acid so if it was October I would expect TA of 0.3% and then I would add acid. ,,,, note that your gravity is low for a wine and you need sugar at 1.085 unless your target is a cider 8% alcohol.

apple wine to me can't be made without crabapple
Dawg

 

[Rice_Guy]

I planted a bitter sharp apple variety Kingston Black which should be good as a 100% cider variety. The club's apple expert then told me wait 7 years to start getting any harvest so I started hunting crabs out.

apple wine to me can't be made without crabapple
Dawg

 

[user 32114]

I planted a bitter sharp apple variety Kingston Black which should be good as a 100% cider variety. The club's apple expert then told me wait 7 years to start getting any harvest so I started hunting crabs out.

i have yellow delicious and lodi but they are aways from ready to start fruiting leaving just my neighbors , granny smiths,
Dawg

 

[Scooter68]

As an off the wall idea - Consider making some Apple Cider. All you have to do is:
1) Confirm the pH is in range (3.4-3.6)
2) Check the SG - Most of mine are between 1.050 and 1.065 (Anywhere in there is fine no need to add sugar)
3) Pitch Yeast
Follow through like a wine. You can drink it early though it will have some sharpness, or age like a wine. Last batch I made convinced me. Our homegrown Apples (Northwest Arkansas) go into an Apple Cider, Better than ANY store bought Hard Cider and easier than wine.

 

[SteveH]

I used apple cider from our local orchard to make apple wine. The owner uses no preservatives and does not pasteurize it. I thought it turned out great, although aroma and flavor were light, it was there and one of my favorites. It was also accidentally sparkling which really added to how much I liked it. I am going to make a 5 gallon batch soon. Here are my notes from that batch if interested:

1 gallon batch made from fresh apple cider, from Don’s, no preservatives and not pasteurized : )

12/9/2016 (went basically by Jack keller’s recipe)
Tested brix on cider first 13.1
Added 2 cups of sugar
Tested Brix again 20.5 or 11.5% potential alcohol

1 gallon pure apple cider
2 cups granuated sugar
1-1/2 tsp. acid blend
2 drops of pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp tannin
1/5th of a quarter tsp k-meta
added about 1/4 cup of water used to mix additives in with

12/10/2016
Added yeast and yeast nutrient (Lalvin D47)

 

[user 32114]

I used apple cider from our local orchard to make apple wine. The owner uses no preservatives and does not pasteurize it. I thought it turned out great, although aroma and flavor were light, it was there and one of my favorites. It was also accidentally sparkling which really added to how much I liked it. I am going to make a 5 gallon batch soon. Here are my notes from that batch if interested:

1 gallon batch made from fresh apple cider, from Don’s, no preservatives and not pasteurized : )

12/9/2016 (went basically by Jack keller’s recipe)
Tested brix on cider first 13.1
Added 2 cups of sugar
Tested Brix again 20.5 or 11.5% potential alcohol

1 gallon pure apple cider
2 cups granuated sugar
1-1/2 tsp. acid blend
2 drops of pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp tannin
1/5th of a quarter tsp k-meta
added about 1/4 cup of water used to mix additives in with

12/10/2016
Added yeast and yeast nutrient (Lalvin D47)

yep set some back for a few years, you will not believe how it matures,,,,,
Dawg