Dried Apricot

[G259]

Oh yes, I have several going right now. 3-3 gallon, and 6-1 gallon. The oldest 1 gallon is a raspberry, 6/18. The oldest 3 gallon is a berry (Juicy Juice), 8/18. I have done a straight apple before, kind of a basic neutral flavor. My impression of it was that it would be better blended, or paired with another fruit.

 

[G259]

The only reason I don't use fermentation bags, is because I believe that the fruit has more contact with the wine, I have heard of squeezing the bag, but that's a step that I don't have to do. OK, I have to rack more, a trade-off.

I racked it to the 1 gal carboy today, using a funnel, strainer, and cheesecloth. It was 1/2 full, so I added some reserved white grape/ginger wine to top up. It is still hazy, and will add pectic if it doesn't clear.

 

[Scooter68]

Fermentation bags that I have used are nothing more than a relatively fine mesh. Contact with the wine is not going to be a problem with them. And I push them down into the must once a day for at least the first 3-6 days if it take that long for the fermentation.

 

[G259]

See, that's where I tend to cringe. I think that the wine exposure HAS to be greater if not in a bag, it HAS to! The bag that it's in HAS to restrict some wine circulation. I don't mean to be argumentative, but this has crossed my mind several times, and I have come to the same conclusion each time. The only thing I can think of, on the other side of the argument, is that the difference is negligible, thus the point is moot, but I'm still not sold on it!

 

[G259]

. . . easier racking notwithstanding, I'm just looking at the wine, and fruit concentration.

 

[G259]

The ginger wine had an ABV of 15%, and was dry, so if there is leftover sugar in the apricot I hope it balances out. Also, It brings up the ABV of the apricot, it was about 1/2 + 1/2, so I'll say that the resulting wine is probably close to 13%.

Already has a layer of lees on the bottom, starting to clear.

 

[G259]

I just had a thought, using the bag, does this possibly reduce losses because of less racking?

 

[beano]

Yes, it does. And time also. Less floaters, less racking, less waste. And it will clear faster. Straining the must to get the buggers out is a real pain. Just my 2.0 worth. What works best for you is key

Beano Joe