It only took 4 1/2 Years Strawberry Wine

[Scooter68]

Well I'm not sure when I bottled it but it was fermented in 2016. First bottles were Yuck Face stuff. (2 gallon batch) I waited for another 6 months, then 1 year long and about 18 months ago I tried it and thought about pouring it out.
Tonight I decided to bring out another bottle (Down to 2 bottles) and try it or pour it down the drain.

WHAT ! I can taste the strawberry, it's decent! Maybe I over dosed it or something but finally I can actually enjoy it. So don't just give up. Find a place out of the way and check that less than pleasing wine out couple or three or four years down the road. It might turn out decent.

 

[hounddawg]

strawberry IMHO takes at least a year of bulk aging, and it comes into it's own at 3 to 4 year, what is your usably FSG,
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

just quercous about your color, how many pound of strawberry to gallon of water do you use I ask because every strawberry i have ever made is a very deep red wine?
Dawg

 

[BernardSmith]

just quercous about your color, how many pound of strawberry to gallon of water do you use I ask because every strawberry i have ever made is a very deep red wine?
Dawg

The color can easily drop out (and you get a strawberry blond/e wine) . To keep the color fixed in the wine you need more acidity and tannins. Too little acidity and insufficient tannin and the color simply falls away.

 

[Scooter68]

To be honest, I'm just glad the taste on this one came around. And I had not paid attention to the ABV. Now when this was made I was in the habit of topping off with water but still starting out at 16.4% even with a bit of watering down it was/is still pretty stout. Not too sweet but perhaps it really needed the aging to overcome that higher ABV burn coupled with the sharpness.
In any case until I find a Strawberry wine (recipe) that I do like, I'll stick to my other favorites like Peach, Blackberry, Black Currant, Tart Cherry etc stronger flavors seem to be my favorite.

Dawg This wine was bottled at 1.001 so with that much alcohol it should have been sweetened up more.
Most of mine seem to end up around 1.005- 1.014 unless they are intended as a dessert wine then I usually hit 1.014- to 1.020 for most... so far. My latest batch of BlackBerry will probably go above that so that it covers the 17.5% ABV better.

 

[BernardSmith]

Not so much a recipe but I would try to use as little water as possible and that might mean using about 10-12 lbs of berries per gallon and then aim for a pH of about 3.2-3.5 when pitching the yeast and add pectin enzyme before pitching the yeast and tannin. I am not sure that strawberries can really support a stronger wine than something like 10- 12% ABV and in my opinion, it needs a little back sweetening to bring forward the fruit flavors.
Here strawberries are ripe for picking around the first week in July (though you might use frozen berries all year 'round) and I find that three months after pitching the yeast the wine is drinkable but improves if I can store it another 6 months... though that can be a challenge.

 

[Scooter68]

Yeah, I am amazed my wines from the first couple of years tasted as good as they did. Some fruits do well with lower lbs/gallon rations but clearly strawberry is not one of those nor is peach. Since I don't grow strawberries (yet) but there is a peach orchard down the road a few miles, I'll probably stick with peach for now. That and my other darker berries seem to be my favorites.
I did just order 6 Black Currant bushes so in a few years if I'm not taking a dirt nap, I'll have some currants to make wine or perserves out of.

You know when folks talk recipes for wines, the only numbers I really need are the lbs per gallon and perhaps hints on how much of a clearing challenge a particular fruit might be. Now if we are talking about a blended wine or 'flavored wine' that' another matter. I may be way off but after the fruit, pectin, sugar and acid levels are figured out the rest seems pretty standard except for maybe does it do better with tannin or maybe it doesn't need it

 

[hounddawg]

The color can easily drop out (and you get a strawberry blond/e wine) . To keep the color fixed in the wine you need more acidity and tannins. Too little acidity and insufficient tannin and the color simply falls away.

wow i did not know that thank you @BernardSmith ,,
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

To be honest, I'm just glad the taste on this one came around. And I had not paid attention to the ABV. Now when this was made I was in the habit of topping off with water but still starting out at 16.4% even with a bit of watering down it was/is still pretty stout. Not too sweet but perhaps it really needed the aging to overcome that higher ABV burn coupled with the sharpness.
In any case until I find a Strawberry wine (recipe) that I do like, I'll stick to my other favorites like Peach, Blackberry, Blaheock Currant, Tart Cherry etc stronger flavors seem to be my favorite.

Dawg This wine was bottled at 1.001 so with that much alcohol it should have been sweetened up more.
Most of mine seem to end up around 1.005- 1.014 unless they are intended as a dessert wine then I usually hit 1.014- to 1.020 for most... so far. My latest batch of BlackBerry will probably go above that so that it covers the 17.5% ABV better.

I understand that,, since my palliate is very limited, i tend to go very fruit/berry and higher SG,, having a tracheostomy greatly changes my perception, a lot of taste is smell. my trachea is complexly stopped up with scar tissue, so to make up for smell i add way more, hehe ,, i have always hated with all my heart green peas,, funny i can sit down to a meal knowing i hate them yet i eat every one of them,, i find that humorous ,,
Dawg

 

[Arne]

Once had a strawberry. Was the nicest medium red. Came time to rack it and hit it with k-meta and it overnite turned about the same color as Scooters. Tasted fine, tho. There is no more. Working on another batch now. Arne.

 

[Scooter68]

Like body orifices we all have opinions. (That is not meant as a dart at ANYONE.) Mine about wines is that somethings are better used for something other than wine. Strawberries and Watermelon are currently on that list for me. Had the wine turned out more appealing both in appearance and flavor I might feel differently, however; there are so many other easier to make wines that seem less prone to issues that I will stick with those, unless someone literally gives me 50 # of fresh ripe strawberries.

Well even then.

 

[Rappatuz]

I started a wild strawberry wine 1.5 years ago. It has been the most challenging wine I've dealt with as of yet. Racked the thing until it was crystal clear. Then, out of nowhere, turned super cloudy. It was overly bitter and didn't taste good at all.

Some guy on this forum adviced me to hit it with gelatin, which I did. Not only did it clear the wine, it also took out some bitterness. I've racked it twice since then (to get it completely free from gelatin particles), and the bitterness has faded even more.

A couple of days ago I back sweetened to 1.005 and now it's actually quite good. I'll probably sweeten it just a tad more before bottling. Next time, I'll make sure to use plenty pectic enzyme and not let the pulp (seeds) soak in the must for too long.

By the way, the specs of my strawberry is very different from yours: ABV 12 % / very low pH (probably close to 3.0) / deep red. Glad to hear that you didn't toss it out and that it's turning drinkable.

 

[Scooter68]

That was probably about my 4th or 5th wine and I was lucky I didn't make vinegar but sometimes you get lucky and stumble into something. The ABV still amazes me but I suspect it's significantly lower as I was topping off with water back then.

 

[Judge66]

Here’s mine, opened one at Christmas, lovely taste of summer in winter.

 

[winemanden]

Years ago, we had a chappy from a nearby plant research station give us a talk. He said to use a small amount of fruit if you want your yeast to impart its characteristics on your wine. ??? I was never tempted to try it myself. Might just as well make water wine if you can't taste the fruit. From what I've read, most of you guys feel the same, although I don't go too high on the ABV unless I'm making a sweet wine.

 

[Scooter68]

Interesting - comparing that comment to the ones on the other thread (Blackberry-Elderberry) on this forum. I don't care what the scientist says if it tastes nasty I don't care what other 'good' qualities it has.

 

[photoguy]

Had a similar situation happen to me. Made rhubarb wine one year and after 1 year or more gave it a try. Horible! Talked myself into waiting. Next year-just as bad. Though need little more time. Then fergot about it for 10 years. Tried it and magic must have happened. It was outstanding! So moral of the story is be supper patient and you may be rewarded. Or not lol