Hello from Central America

[BettyJ]

Hi everyone! I have been using you all as a resource, but not really educated enough to ask questions yet.

My husband and I moved to Belize a couple of years ago and the wine is super expensive, which then prompted me to make it myself... after some hits and misses I am on my way. I love reading the tips about mixing fruits with wine kits. I have to use concentrates (SunCal) simply because they weigh less and since no one ships here I have to stick them in my suitcase on trips. I have managed to product some decent table wines with them, but they are lacking in complexity. Temps can be very high here, so that has turned out to be the biggest challenge.

Would love to hear from anyone with experience using SunCal or any other concentrates. Thanks!

 

[St Allie]

hi Betty,

Welcome to the forum

We have a few members that produce wines from concentrates and also from pasteurised juices from the supermarkets.

Any questions just speak up and someone will pop in to give you a hand

Allie

 

[Racer]

Welcome to the forum!

I've used alexander sun country concentrate quite abit myself.It can make a decent wine just by following the recipe on the can it comes in. If you have the equipment to measure acidity and ph you can get even more consistant results by adjusting to a measured T/A and PH.

Have you tried adding banana's to your wine during fermentation yet? It can help give more body to the wine.

 

[BettyJ]

Thanks

Thanks for tip on bananas - I would never have thought of that! Does it impart a banana flavor and do you use it on whites or reds? I have not tried Alexanders - Do you know how it compares to Sun Cal? I thought read somewhere that it wasn't as good...

 

[Wade E]

If you have access to post fermentation tannins like TanCor or Quertannin they can turn a shabby wine into something very good. You will have to do small bench trials with this stuff and your wine to see what is awesome and what is too much though.

 

[Racer]

I haven't tried sun cal myself but have made cab. sav. ,merlot, pinoir noir,and chardonnay from alexander's. Oaking the red's and like wade suggested using better tannin additives help concentrates out quite abit.
For the banana's just smash up a very ripe one and add it to the primary fermentor when you start your next one.And no it doesn't add a banana taste to the wine.

 

[smurfe]

Welcome to the forums. I love Belize. I would live there in a minute. I know what you mean about imports and shipping there. I actually researched into buying a bar there once. One issue was importing alcohols there. One thing you may want to look into is making wines from the many tropical fruits there are available there. While it may not be a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, you can make very good wines from fresh fruits.

 

[BettyJ]

Belize

Thanks everyone - it is so nice to have others to talk to about this!

There are a few locals here in Belize that make cashew wine (and a few others), but it is pretty nasty way too sweet low alcohol (4-6%) and serious off flavors..

I have experimented with local fruit such as Mango (the best results on this), Pineapple, rice, ginger, and most recently another fruit (not sure exactly what it is, but it looks like a red plum - tart with consistency of a kiwi - this wine is pink, super cloudy and has major pucker factor. Decent flavor, just may have to blend with something more flat/ bland). The mangos should be ready to begin again in another week or so, so I am focusing on this. My thought is to use the grape concentrate to blend with the fruit for a more "traditional" type wine.

My question is where to purchase the TanCor or Quertannin (if it can be done on-line) and if it is possible to use either on white or red or fruit wines. I usually order my things on line and have them shipped to friends coming down on a trip.

 

[Racer]

Tannin products are usually used on red wines. Since you have the ability to have others bring you stuff look at http://morewinemaking.com/ for tancor products or just about anything else you can think of.

 

[arcticsid]

Glad you could join us Betty. Be sure to look throughe the recipe section in this forum, there is banana, ginger, and mangoes as well as a slew of other fruit wines that you would probably be interested in. I have made several batches of wine using the Dole frozen concentrates and it works well. Be sure to read the labels when using concentrate or any other juice. You don't want it to contain sorbate or other preservatives or you could have a hard time or none at all trying to get them to ferment. Ascorbic acid is okay.One more tip for you. Add pectin enzyme to you fruit wines before adding the yeast it is very effective in helping break down the pulp and to decrease cloudiness in the finished wine. It is agreed freezing your fruit first will help break down the fibers and aid in the whole process.
Have fun, good luck. We look forward to helping you.
Troy

 

[Wade E]

For white wines there is a product called Galacool SP which is used for whites.

 

[arcticsid]

what does it do Wade?

 

[Wade E]

Here is a PDF link for this and it is also for fruits or even reds.
http://www.scottlab.com/products/fermentation/documents/TaninGalalcoolSP1_000.pdf
Here is a link for all there other tannin products.
http://www.scottlab.com/products/fermentation/tannins.asp

 

[St Allie]

BettyJ,

The red plum like fruit isn't a tamarillo is it?

does it look like this?

http://cornucopiaseeds.com.au/zencart/images/tamarillo syn. tree tomato.jpg

Allie

 

[BettyJ]

Yes - that looks pretty close.. The plant is a bush tyoe with very sharp thorns, The flower is white and very fragrant, So iof the fruit have think gummy white substance.

 

[arcticsid]

Betty, if your not sure, please be careful, some things can be toxic. The berries may be good but the leaves are bad, the roots are good but the stalks are bad. See what I mean? We want you to make a great wine you can share with us. Try that banana wine. (who knows where you'll find bananas there, just a thought.)
Thats sounds yummy. LOL I said yummy.
Troy

 

[BettyJ]

Natal Plum

Finally found the fruit on google search! It's called natal plum and is used to make preserves - will see about the wine

There is also a fruit (some claim it is a cure for cancer) in Belize called Sour Sop, sort of like an apple, but very sour. Any idea if I could use that for wine?

 

[St Allie]

BettyJ,

If it's used for preserves, you should be ok for wine with it.. One suggestion regarding both fruits.. If you leave a note on the wall at your local church, asking for uses for both fruits and leaving your phone number. It's very likely that a few of the parishioners will share their recipes and possibly fruit from their gardens too. It's the best way to find out what people do with local produce.

Allie

 

[BettyJ]

Great suggestion Allie - thanks again for all of your help!

 

[arcticsid]

Were not finished with you yet Jean, we expect for you to keep us posted.

You have access to lots of neat fruits, and we want to hear about them.
Troy