Apricot Wine

[Guest]

Started my Apricot Wine today.


I'm using.... Yup. You guessed it! Vintners Harvest, Apricot Fruit Base!


Whoo hoo!!!


Anyway. I followed the directions on the can (as always) except I added my usual, additional can of fruit base (two, 96oz cans) and added a bit more pectic enzyme,tannin and campden.
I used a largefruit sock,lightly knotedat the top to contain the fruit pulp making it easier to remove and rack later. Then mixed in the balance of the goodies including 10lbs of white sugar (1.090sg), and 5 cans of warm wateraround the filled sock. I didn't have to use as much sugar or wateras the recipe calls for because of the second can of base I added.


The results?

Well. It has the most scrumptious apricot aroma, a deliciously sweet flavor (at the moment), anda rich, light brown color.

When I first mixed it, it was a very pale tan. As I mixed the must using my stainless drill paddle and added the various additives such as nutrient, tannin, acid blend, etc, the color richened.
No worries though. As I understand it, that's part of the process for this particular type of wine.


Right now it's blowing off the SO2. I'll add the yeast tomorrow afternoon andkeep you informed as I go along.


Happy Wining Folks!

 

[grapeman]

Good luck with the apricot. It sounds like it will be very good. One thing I noted was the lack of ascorbic acid. The darkening color could have been lessened with a bit of the ascorbic acid. It's similar to an apple darkening after it has been ppeled and cut up.


Keep it perkin' and you will be enjoying it before you know it.

 

[Guest]

I thought about that to.
However. The recipe calls for no ascorbic acid so I figured I'd run this batch out the way Vintners calls it and maybe play with the next a bit.


Besides, I kinda like the rich color.

 

[Wade E]

That sounds really good Handyman.

 

[Guest]

20 March 2008 at 08:10pm DAY 06:

Fermentation has slowed significantly. The sg is now 1.025 and I’m removing the fruit sock now.<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
The flavor is most assuredly apricot. Wonderfully sweet yet a discernable alcohol taste as well.
There is only about 5.5 gallons in the primary and a considerable amount of loose apricot matter on the top. I imagine that the addition of sugar later will bring the balance up to 6 gallons. Therefore, I siphoned it from the primary to the carboy without racking by constantly adjusting the angle of the primary so as to keep as much fluid over the spigot as possible. I even used an inverted glass over the spigot entry to block the floating matter on the surface from siphoning through. I’ll get the balance in the next couple racks.

It’s now back to bubbling slowly. I didn’t top off yet till the next rack in a week or two.
The color has softened again quite a bit.

 

[Wade E]

You say the addition of sugar later, are you going to up the abv more, what was the starting sg?

 

[Guest]

I started this batch off at 1.090 per instructions. Upon reflection, I wish I'd started it off a little cooler cause I'm concerned about the alcohol taste now.


I'm takin it down to 0.0 and then bringin it back to some place at orbetween 1.015 and 1.025.
That'll depend on how it tastes as I back sweeten.

 

[Wade E]

OK, I thought you were saying that you were going to get the fermentation going again by adding more sugar!

 

[Guest]

29 March 2008 at 010:10am: DAY 15<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
The fermentation had quit some time ago and all I had was carbon dioxide occasionally bubbling out the air lock so I racked the carboy again today,

removing another 95% of the apricot matter...

I then shook the jug lightly to remove more CO2and let it go again.

There's still a small amount of matter in the bottom.
I think I'll leave it another couple ofweeks andthen rack again, stabelize and back sweeten to 1.010 like the raspberry.

 

[Wade E]

Thats a lot of head space there partner. Do you have a 5 gallon carboy or marbles to take up some of that missing volume?

 

[Guest]

As a matter of fact, I'm concerned about that. I keep shakin the carboy to raise the co2 from the mix to replace the oxy but until I back sweeten, I don't want to change the volume measure.
When I backsweeten, I'll remove a gallon of the must and add my sugar to that, one cup at a time till I get my final sg.
I figure that'le raise the head room a bit and what's left over, I'll top with appricot juice.
Good call though.

 

[Guest]

30 March 2008 at 09:36pm: DAY 16<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />I topped off with about a gallon of tap water and added 3.5 cups sugar to reach 1.011 sg and stopped there. I’ve now air locked it and put it into the closet room to sit for 2 to 4 weeks and a rack. The taste is defiantly apricot as is the aroma but there’s a definite alcohol bite as well. I’m expecting time to tame the roughness of the alcohol a bit.

 

[Guest]

Oh. Post note.


I added 5 campden tabs and 3 tsp of Pot Sorb before adding the sugar.

 

[Wade E]

Sounds good Handyman.

 

[SmokinDawg]

looking good sounds like a winner

 

[Guest]

25 May 2008 at 10:06am: DAY 72

<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
There's only a small amount of dust setteling out now so I racked &amp; topped off with watertoday and stopped there. I’ve decided to start bulk storing for several months so I've left the must in the primary, bunged and airlocked it and put it backinto the darkness of the coolcloset room to sitfor 2 to 4 more weeks and another rack.

It looks wonderful! I thieved a small amout and put the hydrometer in it to verify thatmy s.g. had not changed and was pleased to see it hadn't.



I then poured that amount into my glass and was again pleased with the progress. Adding no fining agents and allowing nature and patiencealone to work on it the results are great.

Then, the taste. I took the glass to Marcy first. She's always been my greatest critic, and was delighted to hear her say. "Not bad." and even smile! BONUS!



The aroma is wonderfully apricot, the taste is magnificently apricot and the sweetness, while still a tad bit immaturely tart, is superbly semi sweet. A very nice conversation, sipping wine.

 

[Wade E]

Looks good handyman!

 

[Wayne1]

Hello all - first posting from a newbie!

I have a couple of questions about my apricot wine that I would like to post to the group - the questions are 1) did I rack it off of secondary fermentation too early? and 2) should Ire-rack now or wait longer? I seem to have made a mistake somewhere along the way. This is my first batch of apricot wine and only my second wine ever.


I am following the recipe in the pink book George provides with the kits ("Winemaker's Recipe Handbook"). I started it on 5/18/08 with an initial SP of 1.106. Pitched yeast on 5/19. On 5/22 the SP was 1.050 and on 5/23 it was 1.012 and I racked it since the recipe said syphon when the SP hit 1.040.


By 5/27 it had stopped bubbling and the SP was .990. The recipe said to rack again when it reached 1.000 - which it said should take about 3 weeks. So, it had only been 4 days but had reached the called for SP (and had a good level of lees) and I racked it again.


The lees formed rapidly again and now, on6/1, there isanother pretty good level of lees in the bottom. The recipe said leave it at this stage for 2 months but it seems I should rack it again now. so -
1) Should I have left it in the secondary fermentation stage longer even though the SP was below 1.000?
2) Should I rack it again even though it has only been 5 days?


I'm going to try and post a couple of pictures below if I can figure out how to do it.


(oh - the other carboy is my first wine - a strawberry wine that I started on 4/19)


Thanks for any help!!

 

[Wade E]

I usually rack at an SG (Specific Gravity) of 1.020. I then dont rack until about 1-2 months after fermentation is done whether that be at 1.000 or .990. I then wait approx. 2 months after that before racking depending on how much sediment falls. I try not to rack too much as you will loose a lot of volume of good wine, let the lees settle and compact so they dont get disturbed to easily.

 

[Guest]

Wayne:


First off.
If there's any way you can do it, see if you can get your pics a bit smaller. Your script on my computer screen, is beyond the right side of the monitor and very dificult to read without scrolling to the bottom of the screen, some 20 odd virtual inches below.


Next.
My apricot, as you've no doubt already read, was heavy on the lees too. I racked off most of the light, floaters in the process of transfering from the primary bucketto the carboy. It seems to me, I racked the must again within one week and then again a couple weeks after that.
I don't lose much volume in mine as Wade sugests by tipping the carboy and keeping the collector in the low endso that the majority of the dust stays on the angled bottom.
I do get some dust in the process of course, but successive racks clean it all just fine.


Iwas planning totop off with additional apricot juice since I only need a half a pint at most but I used water on this batch instead for simplicity and again, the small amount necessary.


I don't see a reason why you should'nt rack at transfer to carboy, one to two weeks after and again in a month or two (that depending entirely on the amount of dust that settles out in that period. As long as you keep it topped off to reduce the oxy exposure and sanatise your equipment excessivly to prevent contamination.


You're on the right track. Stay the course and be patient.