WineXpert Island Mist Apple kit .... adding cinnamon?

[Shurt1073]

Started the Island Mist Apple kit last weekend and while talking with friends about this kit someone mentioned adding cinnamon for "apple cinnamon wine". I've added enough sugar to raise my ABV to 11.8% along with a Global white grape juice concentrate for a total of 6 gallons.

Who has added cinnamon to the Apple kit? Do the sticks get soggy after a few weeks? Common sense tells me to treat the cinnamon like oak but another person thought a half stick of cinnamon in each bottle would be cool? I don't know .... kit was originally not even on my radar but it was on sale.

I've never messed with cinnamon sticks. I'm also considering splitting into a couple 3 gallon carboys once it clears and only using cinnamon for half. That is the safer bet!

 

[cmason1957]

Cinnamon can greatly over power any other taste very quickly. I might suggest a stick or a half-stick for a week or two and see what you got. half a stick per bottle will give you a mostly cinnamon wine.

You might also want to make a cinnamon infusion (soak some cinnamon sticks in vodka or grain alcohol) and experiment with adding some of that.

Cloves are another spice that can over take other tastes in your wine very quickly (as a side-note)

 

[Shurt1073]

Oh yeah ... didn't think about a cinnamon infusion and soaking cinnamon sticks. Might be a good idea. I'm not likely to add a half stick or partial stick to each bottle. No idea what the results would be and figure there would be particles floating around in the bottle.

 

[winemaker81]

I agree with Craig, go gentle on the seasonings.

I have a 7 gallon batch of cyser metheglin bulk aging, using a total of 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon, 1.5 tsp ground allspice, 1.5 tsp ground cloves, and 0.5 tsp nutmeg in the primaries. The seasonings are present but not dominating, which is good. I'm happy I didn't add more cloves or nutmeg, and could have added another 1/2 tsp each cinnamon and allspice. If you use ground spices you can better fine tune it, but it's also possible to completely over-do it.

Here's three different ideas:

One -- bulk age for 3 months, then rack down to a 19 liter carboy, and put the remainder in a 4 liter jug. Flavor the jug, scaling seasonings down from 23 liters to 4. If something completely muffs the wine, you've lost 4 liters ... OR ... blending that 4 liters back into 19 may mute the flavors.

Two -- bulk age for 3 months, then rack down to 19 liters and bottle the remainder. Add ground cinnamon in 1/8 tsp increments to the 5 bottles and age for 2 months. Then taste 'em.

Three -- bulk age for 3 to 6 months, no seasoning. Use to make mulled wine with cinnamon and other spices.

 

[Shurt1073]

I agree with Craig, go gentle on the seasonings.

All good advice .... I"ve got basically 4 weeks to make some sort of informed decision based on good advice!

 

[Bmd2k1]

All good advice .... I"ve got basically 4 weeks to make some sort of informed decision based on good advice!

I've only added cinnamon sticks to some of my hard ciders at a rate of one stick per 1gal container. I serve/pour right from that container and leave the stick in until the last drop is drank ;-) Turns our tasty for the semi-sweet hard ciders I crank out.

The stick itself tends to expand just a bit & doesn't seem to degrade much -- over the sometime Months, it spends in the cider.

Cheers and Good Luck!

 

[Jovimaple]

I made a gallon of apple wine from apples and water, and added 2 whole nutmegs and 2 cinnamon sticks in aging. It was gross - the nutmeg especially completely overwhelmed it and it tasted like plastic.

Moral of the story is go easy with the spice additions.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I've made Apple Cinnamon wine twice but from variety of apples not kit. In February '22 I added 1 1/2" of cinnamon stick to 3 gallon carboy. It was left in the carboy for 6 weeks. I left the other half of the batch without adding cinnamon and I decided to mix them together. 1 1/2" was still a little too much for 6 gallons, although it is still one of my wife's favorite. I have about 10 bottles of this wine and it's going to be great for Thanksgiving. I am making another Apple Cinnamon now. I started it in August '23. Only 3/4" cinnamon stick for 6 weeks in 5 gallon carboy. Very gentle cinnamon flavor not overpowering the apples.

 

[Shurt1073]

And so it continues! The Apple wine has cleared so I split it into 3 gallon carboys and added two small cinnamon sticks to only one carboy. Its been sitting for 3-4 days so tonight we might take a small tester glass off to get an idea how things are going. I don't plan to bottle until mid March. I'm like a kid at Christmas, looking at his presents under the tree waiting and wondering how this wine will turn out. ABV will be 11.8%

 

[Ericphotoart]

If you added 2 sticks of a regular size of 3-4” it’s way too much in my opinion for a 3 gallon carboy.

 

[Shurt1073]

If you added 2 sticks of a regular size of 3-4” it’s way too much in my opinion for a 3 gallon carboy.

Maybe ... we will find out tonight. I also have almost another 3 gallons of Apple to use for thinning if needed. Stay tuned for results later tonight after our family gathering.

 

[Shurt1073]

The cinnamon in the Apple was perfect at less than five days! Had I left the cinnamon in the carboy for another 3-4 days it might have been to much but the conciseness from family was it was just right. I'm so glad we checked it. Figured this awesome Apple / Cinnamon wine needed a bad *** bottle so I'll call this wine "Bad Apple".

 

[Shurt1073]

With just the right amount of cinnamon the BAD APPLE was bottled this weekend. This will be a winner!

 

[Shurt1073]

 

[Jusatele]

Glad you found a sweet spot

my experience has been.... I will never put in during fermentation again
and I do it afterward but for less than a week, normally about 4 days

now that is my experience, not scientific, just approved by my taste buds