Making pomegranate wine

[Alexey]

So I’m making a pomegranate wine and I’m trying 1 gallon at first. Can I use my 2 gallon fermentation bucket to make one gallon of wine or do I need to use a 1 gallon fermentation bucket?
Thanks in advance

Alexey

 

[sour_grapes]

It will be fine to use a 2 gallon bucket for this batch. No problem.

 

[BernardSmith]

So I’m making a pomegranate wine and I’m trying 1 gallon at first. Can I use my 2 gallon fermentation bucket to make one gallon of wine or do I need to use a 1 gallon fermentation bucket?
Thanks in advance

Alexey

It's really only after active fermentation has ceased and the yeast are no longer producing CO2 which blankets your fermenting juice that you need to use a vessel that you can completely fill so that there is no room above the surface of the liquid and the top of the container. This is the main reason that we tend to use carboys for the secondary container: they have narrow necks so the surface exposed to air is small. Buckets are fine as primary fermenters and in fact many seasoned wine makers simply cover their buckets with cloth (clean tea towels are perfect) because oxygen is OK during the early days of fermentation and a cloth makes it easy for us to stir any fruit and remove the CO2 that builds up and adds stress to the yeast.

 

[Alexey]

It will be fine to use a 2 gallon bucket for this batch. No problem.

It's really only after active fermentation has ceased and the yeast are no longer producing CO2 which blankets your fermenting juice that you need to use a vessel that you can completely fill so that there is no room above the surface of the liquid and the top of the container. This is the main reason that we tend to use carboys for the secondary container: they have narrow necks so the surface exposed to air is small. Buckets are fine as primary fermenters and in fact many seasoned wine makers simply cover their buckets with cloth (clean tea towels are perfect) because oxygen is OK during the early days of fermentation and a cloth makes it easy for us to stir any fruit and remove the CO2 that builds up and adds stress to the yeast.

thank you both so much. Have either of you ever tried making pomegranate wine with Pom juice?

 

[BernardSmith]

I make about a gallon of wine from Pom about once a year. My last batch was a Pom wine I made sparkling simply by racking the wine from the yeast and then storing this in the fridge. I don't recall the final gravity but the wine was semi -sweet (and given the acidity, you may want/need to back sweeten this. It was also a nano batch, made using a 48 oz bottle of Pom. I used the bottle in the end to package the wine.

 

[DaveandLynne]

I made a small experimental batch and am now making a larger batch of a pomegranate blend wine that turned out tasting very much like a white Zinfandel. Quite tasty and enjoyed by all. It also finished fermentation in record time, but be careful of a ‘volcano’ when mixing/degassing! That was a mess. I did back sweeten after it went dry. Good luck and enjoy! Here are the juices I used. All non preserved.

4 one liter bottles Aldi’s 100% Pomegranate juice

4 twelve oz cans of frozen Old Orchard 100% grape juice

2 sixty four oz 100%, no sugar, no pres. Welches Cranberry cocktail

 

[Alexey]

I made a small experimental batch and am now making a larger batch of a pomegranate blend wine that turned out tasting very much like a white Zinfandel. Quite tasty and enjoyed by all. It also finished fermentation in record time, but be careful of a ‘volcano’ when mixing/degassing! That was a mess. I did back sweeten after it went dry. Good luck and enjoy! Here are the juices I used. All non preserved.

4 one liter bottles Aldi’s 100% Pomegranate juice

4 twelve oz cans of frozen Old Orchard 100% grape juice

2 sixty four oz 100%, no sugar, no pres. Welches Cranberry cocktail

I’m trying a 96 oz of straight Pom juice my starting SG level was 1.050. Do you think I should add more sugar to bring it up a bit? I do plan to back sweeten it when it ferments dry. Just want to get higher abv.

 

[mikewatkins727]

I’m trying a 96 oz of straight Pom juice my starting SG level was 1.050. Do you think I should add more sugar to bring it up a bit? I do plan to back sweeten it when it ferments dry. Just want to get higher abv.

Yes

 

[Alexey]

Yes

Update: I rechecked my SG reading and it’s actually 1.150. a little hotter than I expected it to be. I added yeast nutrient, should I add test energizer to help it ferment?

 

[DaveandLynne]

I usually start around 1.080.

 

[Alexey]

Update #2: My wine was fermenting vigorously when I stirred it today, and then all of a sudden stopped. I tested the SG levels and it was at 1.150 and it stopped bubbling the airlock. Please note I’m using a 2 gal bucket for 1 gal of wine. Testing the waters I guess. After checking SG levels I closed the lid and let it keep bubbling and all of a sudden it just stopped. I added 1 tsp of yeast energizer in hopes of it kicking back into gear. Please help. I don’t want to ruin the wine. I used 96 oz of Pom juice that cost me roughly $23. I know that my SG levels are high, any way to drop it?

 

[DaveandLynne]

Did you give it a good stir? I stir daily. I also used yeast nutrient and energizer at the start, and fermented dry 0.994 in 5 days. I’d try that to see if it helps. Good luck.

 

[Alexey]

Did you give it a good stir? I stir daily. I also used yeast nutrient and energizer at the start, and fermented dry 0.994 in 5 days. I’d try that to see if it helps. Good luck.

I do stir it daily. Stirred it vigorously today and it seemed to have reactivated. As of now I have 2 different types fermenting, Pomegranate wine and my quad berry (pineapple, strawberry, mango and peach) dragon’s blood version. Can’t wait to taste it.