New wine maker from KS

[phlogustus]

Hello all just getting started and dropping in to find some answers.

 

[jamesngalveston]

whats the questions...there is 100 people just waiting to get those typing fingers going....little info...never hurts....

 

[cpfan]

whats the questions...there is 100 people just waiting to get those typing fingers going....little info...never hurts....

only 100 people? some must be on vacation!

Steve

 

[Julie]

Welcome to WineMakingTalk

 

[Arne]

Welcome to the forum. Where at in Kansas. We spend a lot of time in North Central Kansas at Glen Elder. Arne.

 

[phlogustus]

Hello and thanks for the greetings and replies. First a little background. I am in South Central KS. I am growing a 100 by 50 vegetable garden with drip irrigation and raised beds, 3/4 acre wildflower patch, and another 180 sq ft in flower beds with drip irrigation. I have five apple trees, three pear trees, two mulberry trees, two grape vines and one bee hive. With all of this bounty I decided to make some wine from the apples and pears. I wanted to make mead but only got 10 pints of honey from my hive. I have a 5 gallon batch of edworts apfelwien fermenting now. I wanted to start with something simple.

Next on the list is the three trees worth of pears. The pears are anjou so they are hard and green. I suspect I will have 4 bushels of them at least maybe a bit more. I already have 3 milk crates full. I have researched perry on the web and home made pear wine as well. In each case it talks about making a must and brewing in a bucket or crock. I have a mehu lissa stainless steel steam juicer to extract the juice from all of those pears. I was able to extract close to 7 gallons from my apple harvest.

So the first question - do I have to use a must and just fill the bucket with pears and water or can I use the juice extracted from the steam juicer and dextrose and montrachet yeast like the apfelwine?

Second question- If I have to use a bucket, I have a mesh fruit bag I bought at a home brew shop in Olathe KS. Can I use the extracted juice and then take the steamed remains of the pears and whatever other additions to the recipe and float them in the fruit sack?

 

[Arne]

First answer, I have not steam juiced anything, but I think folks on here that do just use the juice.
Second , you can use the bag and put the skins and such in, but the way people talk on here about it you get everything out of it when you steam juice the fruit.
Next, my preference, start the juice out in a bucket. Put a towel over it, I set the lid on top of the towel, helps hold the towel on and keeps critters out. Not such a big problem anymore, the cat has gotten big enough he doesn't have to get into everything. Anyway, for the primary ferment, it makes it easy to check on it and stir it.
Get your specific gravity up to 1.080 to1.090 or so by adding sugar or simple sugar. Check for ph and acid contents if you have the tools. Add pectic enzime, wait 12 hours or so, add k-meta (campden tabs), wait 24 hrs, add half the nutrients, half the energizer, tannins if needed, acid if needed and any other ingredients you mite want or need. Pitch the yeast, either by sprinkling on top, rehydrating then pouring in, or with a yeast starter. (Some warm water, a little sugar, a pinch of nutrient, and add the yeast. When going you can add a bit of your must (juice) let it work on it for a bit and add it all to the bucket. Now wait for ferment to start, depending on temperature, your ingredients, and maybe the phase of the moon it can take from just a little while to a few days to start. Let it ferment down to 1.060 or so, add the rest of the nutrients and energizer. Stir it at least once or twice a day to get some oxygen in it, let it ferment down to 1.010 or so, either rack to a secondary fermenter or snap a lid with an airlock on the bucket. When it ferments dry, less than 1.000, and it stays the same for at least 3 days it is done. Now you can rack it over to a clean carboy, add k-meta let it sit and clear and degass. When you get it clear and degassed, you can stabalize it, sweeten if you like and bottle it. Make sure you sample a bit along the way. Good luck with it, Arne.

 

[salcoco]

Arne has a great procedure, I would also use juice. A couple of additions, adjust acid by adding tartaric acid to a level of about 6 grams/liter, also add bentonite at beginning of fermentation to aid in clearing post fermentation. You should be able to procure an acid testing kit and supplies on internet. also Google home wine making and you should be able to get plenty of free references for wine making procedures.

 

[phlogustus]

Thanks for the responses folks. I have saved the text to a doc and will review the tools for testing to see if I can work them into my budget.

 

[jamesngalveston]

mulberrys, make an excellent dark red wine....similar to a cab.
lucky guy if you get enough to make some wine..
welcome to the world of wine addiction.

 

[cimbaliw]

Welcome Phlo

 

[EelfinnTy]

Another Kansan! I'm in Concordia, not far from Arne's hangout.

 

[Arne]

Another Kansan! I'm in Concordia, not far from Arne's hangout.

Running out of time this fall, but help me remember next spring. Maybe we can hook up someplace and trade a couple of bottles. We go road tripping on days that are too windy to get on the lake. Never know where we might wind up. The town of Glen Elder has a chilie cookoff a week from Sat. We should be down then. Arne.

 

[phlogustus]

I saw a method for harvesting mulberrys that involved a series of sheets on rods set up as a sort of cone around the tree where all of the dropped berries rolled down to buckets at the trunk. A lot of work for a few berries.

 

[Arne]

I saw a method for harvesting mulberrys that involved a series of sheets on rods set up as a sort of cone around the tree where all of the dropped berries rolled down to buckets at the trunk. A lot of work for a few berries.

Never heard of making the cone to get them,but have talked to lots of people that lay a sheet on the ground and shake the tree above them. Never tried it, but I imagine it would work. Arne.

 

[EelfinnTy]

Running out of time this fall, but help me remember next spring. Maybe we can hook up someplace and trade a couple of bottles. We go road tripping on days that are too windy to get on the lake. Never know where we might wind up. The town of Glen Elder has a chilie cookoff a week from Sat. We should be down then. Arne.

I'll have to remember that come spring. My wife and I love going wine tasting, but the closest winery is in Superior, NE. If you end up this direction let me know! We are always up for setting on the deck and enjoying a bottle or six!

I used to help my grandmother pick wild plums by laying the sheet out and shaking the tree.