Newbie mistake and a couple questions

[rkzeigler]

First id like to say hello to everyone here. This is my 1st post. The sites great learned a lot already but hope i can get a little help. Ive brewed quite a few batches of beer but i just started my 1st wine and made a newbie mistake but i hope it turns out alright. I made Jack Kellers strawberry watermelon wine. The recipe is for a 1 gallon batch my only issue is i didnt check my sg before i added sugar i waited until right before i pitched and my sg was 1.117 corrected for temp. The recipe is as follows
1 gallon watermelon juice
2 lbs strawberries coarse chopped
2 lbs sugar
Zest from 1 lemon and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 crushed campden tablet
Cover for 12 hrs
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
Pitch after 12 more hours.
The only thing i did different was added pectic enzyme an hour before pitching per instructions on bottle. The yeast i used was Lalvlin rc 212 which says it can tolerate 16% alcohol. Is this going to be a really sweet wine or will it be alright as is. Im ok with it not fermenting dry because of the fruits in it but want it drinkable. My other question is i juiced my melon through a food mill so theres pulp in the must should i strain this when racking the first time or will it settle out. Thanks for any help and again great site.

 

[djrockinsteve]

You must take a gravity reading prior to fermentation so you are able to determine correct alcohol percentage.

Pectic enzyme will not work in an active fermentation. It needs at least 12 hours before the addition of yeast.

Leave pulp in for 2 days then remove, there will be juice in it. Had you waited 12-24 hours before adding yeast the juice would exit the pulp easier.

You will need to back sweeten to desired taste providing it ferments dry.

Skip Jack Keller recipes and use those on this site. Those (JK) tend to be shy on correct fruit amounts among other things.

Suggest you read "How To Ferment Juice" in Tutorial Section on this site.

Your watermelon/strawberry wine has a chance.

 

[rkzeigler]

Thanks for the quick reply maybe i was confusing on my post i took my gravity while my yeast was rehydrating my yeast. I was just worried because my sg was so high. Everything i read said pectic enzyme 12 hours before pitching but the bottle says 1 hour before pitching could you explain why theres such a big difference in time. Again i appreciate the advice and your right his recipes are kind of light on details.

 

[Turock]

One hour isn't enough time for the pectic enzyme to break down the fruit to any degree. The usual way to use it is to add it after the sulfite has dissipated--about 12 hours,or so, after adding the sulfite to the fruit. It's a good idea to let it sit even longer if you can--like pitching the yeast the next day. You need the pectic enzyme to not only break down the fruit, but to extract the juices from the fruit. It also aids in clarifying later on. Hope that helps.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Pectic enzyme breaks down the cell structure of the fruit. Think of a net of meshing with each square holding a drop of juice. Breaking down the fruit structure makes it easier for the yeast to ferment the sugars in the juice.

It will also break down the pectin of the fruit which can cause difficulty later on if not done.

Wine making has changed over the years with newer additives and technology. Keep it simple and avoid problems by following correct guidelines.

You will find lots of answers in out Tutorial section. Well worth reading. People who try short cuts often end up with problems later on.

 

[Tom_S]

Seems like 2 lbs. of sugar in a 1 gallon batch is a bit much, and if the yeast ferment it all out then you'll have a high alcohol level. 1.117 works out to around 15.5%. I personally prefer to never go over 13% alcohol in my wines and prefer lower levels like around 10-11%. There's nothing wrong with a higher alcohol wine, but I've found that if you really want the higher alcohol level it's best to add sugar in increments. Put in enough to ferment out to about 12% at the start, and when your SG drops add more sugar to raise the SG 3 more percentage points. This makes it easier on the yeast and doesn't stress them to where they produce "hot" alcohols, or alcohol which is a bit more harsh, takes a lot longer to mellow, and are liable to produce hangovers.

But I've found that a wine with an alcohol content of anywhere from 9-13% tends to be better balanced. That's not to say that your wine won't turn out well, though.

 

[rkzeigler]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I understand the importance of the pectic enzyme better now thanks again. Little bit of a learning curve from brewing beer. If you follow a beer recipe youll hit your target gravity within a few points. I wasnt thinking about the different sugar content of fruits. Glad to know i should end up with something drinkable the first time out. My first batch of beer was barely that. I did look through the tutorials this morning lots of great advice there. One last thing how long can i expect this to last in the bottle? And since the alcohol contents going to be pretty high should i bulk age for a few months before bottling?

 

[Turock]

Also, because you're a beer maker, you have to understand that you're using high sugar musts when making wine and that you need to step-feed nutrient to the must. Something you don't use in beer making. High sugar musts need nutrient additions.

You should always bulk age wine because removal of sediment and the bulk of the yeast cells makes the wine stable for bottling. And if you backsweeten it, you need to use sorbate which demands that the wine be clear before using. We bulk age all our wines for 1 year--not only to be sure all the sediment is off of it, but to bring the flavors forward. It takes a while for flavors to mature. Bulk aging for enough time often removes offending esters, bitterness, etc.

A wine like strawberry can last in the bottle for a couple years. But in my opinion, fruit wines are best if consumed within that 2 year time-frame. The bloom comes off the rose, so to speak, if you let them sit around for a number of years. The wine is still drinkable, but the fresh flavors of the fruit seem to diminish.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Time line approx.

Ferment 1week
Rack and clear 4-6 weeks
Rack and age White and fruits 6 months, Reds a year
Rack and Back Sweeten, let rest a few weeks.
Bottle and allow to rest a week or two

You can be quicker but quality comes from quality ingredients and time.

Time to start another batch after this one is aging.

 

[Turock]

....and fruit wines should not have such high alcohol content, as Tom said. We like our wines around 12% but many people prefer fruit wines at 10% alcohol.

 

[rkzeigler]

Thanks everyone for all the good advice. Going to chalk this batch up as a learning experience and improve with all your help here going forward. Looking forward to learning more from you guys in the future.