Fermented fruit in mesh bag
- Thread starter Ladeda
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What kind of fruit? It would help to have more details on the recipe and process.
General answer:
It will still make wine. Perhaps a little thinner and less flavorful than if you had left the pulp and skins in during primary fermentation.
What kind of fruit? It would help to have more details on the recipe and process.
General answer:
It will still make wine. Perhaps a little thinner and less flavorful than if you had left the pulp and skins in during primary fermentation.
FlamingoEmporium
Senior Member
Live and learn. Welcome to WMT
Welcome to WMT!
Generally it is better not to heat or boil the fruit you use to make wine. Heat destroys some of the flavor and nutrients present in the fruit. For fruits high in pectin it also sets the pectin, which will make it more difficult to clear later on.
Generally it is better not to heat or boil the fruit you use to make wine. Heat destroys some of the flavor and nutrients present in the fruit. For fruits high in pectin it also sets the pectin, which will make it more difficult to clear later on.
Chokecherries. I didn’t check it yet. I could do that now since it hasn’t been 24 hours yet if you I should.
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Hmmm… the two recipes I looked at both said to bring the berries To a book and simmer them for 10 minutes.
It is at about 1.100.
Chokecherry
There are a lot of recipes out there that will make wine… not all of them follow generally accepted best practices. This site has a lot of very experienced wine makers and newbies alike. Stick around and you will learn a lot, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Can I jump in and ask as a relative newbie? What IS the best way to prepare the fruit? I have just racked 3 carboys of blueberry wine, but im afraid I screwed up.( only added one camden instead of five...but everyone says i should be okay-another post )....but I "muddled the blueberries....used a potatoe masher....but I got tired...long day of picking. I left quite a bit whole. We squeezed out the bag before racking...but should I have put them through a blender? Trying to remember what we did last time. I think maybe I mashed until it was mostly mash. Directions on the fruit isn't always clear -except freezing is best if you have the room. ( I dont ) im worried I won't get as much flavor.
@Calhce49, IMO you are bettter positioned than Ladeda for flavor and color. If you only added 1 campden instead of 5, add the other 4. The potassium metabisulfite combines with excess O2 and guards against bacteria. I shy away from using a blender, personally. I have used a juice extractor on apples. 
on using the potato masher.
Best way to prep the fruit depends on the fruit. Most berries (blackberry, raspberry, etc) bag 'em in a lady's nylon, paint strainer or fruit bag and massage them. Peaches, pears, etc bag 'em and use the masher. Most of the recipes I have have a recommended method for handling the fruit. I follow that. Whatever, I shy away from cooking the fruit.
on using the potato masher. Best way to prep the fruit depends on the fruit. Most berries (blackberry, raspberry, etc) bag 'em in a lady's nylon, paint strainer or fruit bag and massage them. Peaches, pears, etc bag 'em and use the masher. Most of the recipes I have have a recommended method for handling the fruit. I follow that. Whatever, I shy away from cooking the fruit.
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@Calhce49, if you used at least 5 lbs. of blueberries per gallon you should have good fruit flavor. My general procedure is:
* Wash fruit and remove any bad parts. Remove cores/pits from peaches and pears.
* Freeze fruit
* Thaw and mash with potato masher
* Put in nylon brew bag and add to primary
If you don't have room in the freezer, you can't do that part. But with most berries, mashing them thoroughly with a potato masher should be sufficient. With some fruits I have tried using a small fruit press to squeeze out more juice after 4-5 days of fermentation. Otherwise, you can just squeeze the bag out by hand to get out as much juice as possible.
I wouldn't blend them too much, because it might be more difficult to clear. If you have a rough chop mode on your blender or food processor you can use that. You could mash them a bit more with the potato masher after that. With cranberries, even after freezing and thawing they are pretty hard, so I use the food processor to rough chop them. But I don't grind them into a paste.
* Wash fruit and remove any bad parts. Remove cores/pits from peaches and pears.
* Freeze fruit
* Thaw and mash with potato masher
* Put in nylon brew bag and add to primary
If you don't have room in the freezer, you can't do that part. But with most berries, mashing them thoroughly with a potato masher should be sufficient. With some fruits I have tried using a small fruit press to squeeze out more juice after 4-5 days of fermentation. Otherwise, you can just squeeze the bag out by hand to get out as much juice as possible.
I wouldn't blend them too much, because it might be more difficult to clear. If you have a rough chop mode on your blender or food processor you can use that. You could mash them a bit more with the potato masher after that. With cranberries, even after freezing and thawing they are pretty hard, so I use the food processor to rough chop them. But I don't grind them into a paste.
That’s what I did with my chokecherries. I mashed them after boiling and then used a masher after simmering for 10 minutes and then dumped the 18 pounds of berries into a pillow case and squeezed all the juice into the water. It was 1.100. I put the yeast in 24 hours later.
Yeh…. That’s what I saw after the fact so I’m worried about my 7 gallons of wine now…
it is what it is and can only hope it’s good enough to drink.
My first wine was my "wine of 100 mistakes." If your first wine is drinkable at all, it is a success!
If you are not doing so already, I suggest that you keep detailed notes on what you do. They will come in very handy as you seek to improve your craft.
If you are not doing so already, I suggest that you keep detailed notes on what you do. They will come in very handy as you seek to improve your craft.
The wine may be lighter bodied, but it will probably be fine. If it tastes good, you've succeeded!Yeh…. That’s what I saw after the fact so I’m worried about my 7 gallons of wine now…
If the wine is light, there are many things you can do with it, including making drinks -- add sparkling water and/or juice. Cook with it -- when you have 35 bottles of wine, it's easy to pull out for marinades and for deglazing pans.
Learn from your mistakes and ask questions before doing. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask.
Thank you! It's our third time doing this and im always sure ive ruined it. If I didn't mash them enough and its light on flavor after we backsweeten a little then im planning on having some amaretti blueberry flavoring handy (?). Its a little bit like firing a load of ceramics, you never quite sure what you'll get. ( we picked earlier this year and im not sure how sweet the blueberries were ). But its all part of the excitement -and the learning- grateful for your input. We love making it. Designing labels and gift bags while we wait.
...next summer I'll have to empty my freezer early.
