First fresh fruit cranberry

[Shagster]

3# cranberrys
1# red raisins
3# sugar
1tsp of yeast nutrient
Petic enzyme
Wine yeast

The original recipe called for camden tablets to be used. Im to sensitive to chemicals and opted to freeze the fruit for three days and pour boiling water over them for mash in. My 5 year old little helper broke the specific gravity reader so i have no starting numbers to share. Not sure how long to ferment on the fruit before straing it out I'm finding mixed info on the topic. Any input from you guys are always welcome.

 

[jamesngalveston]

3lbs of cranberries is not going to be a real full flavor wine, I would wait as long as i could before removing, just to get as much flavor out as possible..
maybe 5 are 6 days....without a hydrometer its kinda like shooting in the dark.
I usually will remove my fruit when the sg hits 1.000...

 

[Shagster]

3lbs of cranberries is not going to be a real full flavor wine, I would wait as long as i could before removing, just to get as much flavor out as possible..
maybe 5 are 6 days....without a hydrometer its kinda like shooting in the dark.
I usually will remove my fruit when the sg hits 1.000...

How many pounds of cranberrys would you have done in a one gallon batch like this. And I will picking up a new hydrometer this week I need a few supplies anyway from the hbs anyway.

 

[jamesngalveston]

I would use six myself and let it sit on pectin for a day are two before adding the sugar to get as much natural sugar that you can.
then all water and sugar...try to get at least 1 1/2 gallons so you can top off when you rack to the second container and get the lees off from fermenting....
good luck..hope it comes out for you....
u get in trouble, lots of people here will help.

 

[jensmith]

Three pounds of fresh cranberries per galleon will give you a plenty strong flavored wine. If left dry it will taste like biting into a fresh cranberry. Tart and full flavored. Cranberries can be hard to start fermenting. The more berries per galeon the harder and slower it is to ferment. I will often cut the fresh berries with a little grape juice to help the yeasties out. Your raisons should do the same thing.
Most fruits ferment out in a week. Cranberries can take a whole month. Just keep checking with your new and on its way hydrometer. No matter that the sg is, after the cranberries are nothing more then hulls you can take them out and rack over to an airlocked jug. Leave head space as it will still be fermenting.
You did slice, chop, or otherwise break the cranberry skins? If not they will stay untouched by everything, including a nucluler bomb!!

 

[Winorick]

So, Shagster, how is it going? As for a little trick for cranberry wine, if you're a bit short on the fruit, just add cans of cranberry sauce. I've mad 5 gallon batches with just the sauce, and you can't tell much difference.

 

[Shagster]

Everything seems to be doing really well, I ended up with alot more trudge after the first rack than expected. (need to find something a little better than cheese cloth to filter) But it seems to be clearing up really nice. Im gonna let it finish clearing up in the carboy for a couple more months before doing final rack to bottle. Ill give a small taste at that time. Hopefully this will make for a great drink come next Thanksgiving

 

[Winorick]

Rack it monthly if there is still sludge forming. It can get bitter if the wine sits on that too long.