Persimmon wine variations

[Stressbaby]

Gowers - if your persimmon is ready by February you will be making good time!

Jack - our persimmons are often ready long before a frost. I had ~20# collected prior to our first frost this year. From my reading, the "first frost" thing is a myth and my experience certainly confirms.

 

[kfrinkle]

I cannot seem to match up the vines and leaves to anything by picture.... As formthe persimmons, no frost here yet it SE oklahoma, but i have picked a ton, and they are very sweet and mushy. I only pick off the ground though.

 

[kfrinkle]

Just a quick question... How do you guys measure the S.G. with the sludge that you start with? I am going to be very careful with a large batch in the next couple of weeks, and am not sure how to get a decent reading.

 

[Stressbaby]

Spin it, spin it, and spin it again.
And take multiple readings.

 

[kfrinkle]

Spin it, spin it, and spin it again.
And take multiple readings.

I shall give it a go. I am about a week out from starting I think. I got another 5 gallons this AM. So right now, if my freezer I have at least 17 one gallon zippies in various stages of frozenness. I think adding about 10 gallons of water to that might get me to about the 22-24 gallon mark on my 30 gallon primary, which is about as full as I will go with this fruit due to the crazy cap size I have experienced in the past.... I think each gallon bag is probably somewhere in the neighbourhood of 6 lbs....

 

[kfrinkle]

Ok, so I started the process. I have 17 one-gallon zippies of persimmons that I threw into my 30 gallon primary. I then added 10 gallons of H20. This was Sunday night. Monday night, I added the requisite amount of sodium bisulfate. This afternoon I added some pectic enzyme. The sludge is up to about 55 degrees F at the moment. I tried getting a S.G. reading, and without sugar added I think it is at about 1.045 or so, it was tough to tell. I am thinking I will have to add some more sugar but I want the pectic enzyme to do its job. Tomorrow night it will be closer to 65 F at which point I can add some sugar if needed and then Thursday morning I will throw some Champagne yeast on top! It was nice not putting 17 gallons of persimmons through my rice strainer, saved me hours of work, I hope it comes out!

 

[Stressbaby]

kfrinkle,
Keep us posted. We would love to see some pics.
My 1 gal bags aren't full, but I get 4-5#/bag. I have around 10 bags frozen but I'm not starting mine for a couple of months yet because I have plum and sweet potato to make first.

 

[kfrinkle]

So i added 9 more lbs of sugar this evening. Temp was up to 60F. I pitched three packets of champagne yeast on it as well. It was tough still getting a SG reading. I pushed a strainer down into the mess and used a wine thief to get some liquid without pulp into my s.g. Vessel, still no idea what the real SG is though, i am thinking about 1.07. I actually had a question: should i stir the yeast into the must since it is so thick, or leave it on top?

 

[Stressbaby]

I would leave it on top for 12 hours then stir well.
It is a familiar sight!

 

[terroirdejeroir]

Has anyone ever tried using raw sugar with persimmons? I am starting a new batch soon and am considering going with raw cane sugar. I really like what it did to my dried apricot wine.

 

[kfrinkle]

Actually, i always use raw cane sugar, never the white granulized stuff. Always turns out fine for me.

Also, persimmon picking has just gotten crazy, got over six gallons worth this morning.

 

[Stressbaby]

I went out this past weekend after the wind died down and got 13# in about 30 minutes before the back got sore!
I think my tree still has probably 75# on it but when you get home after dark it is hard to get them!

 

[kfrinkle]

I went out this past weekend after the wind died down and got 13# in about 30 minutes before the back got sore!
I think my tree still has probably 75# on it but when you get home after dark it is hard to get them!

Yeah, this time of year there is sooo little light. Luckily for me, my work is very flexible on when I get stuff done, so on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I can actually go out picking first thing in the morning and then head into the office after lunch. It is well worth it.

 

[kfrinkle]

So the cap on this batch was about six inches thick this evening. Egads... I added one half gallon water to this must, it almost seems to be thickening up! Fementation is also not going ridiculously fast either.

 

[Snafflebit]

Was out picking today, saw lots of persimmons, and these blue berries on a vine. Any ideas what they might be?

I am thinking this is wild grape, but there are no leaves so it is difficult to tell. Or you could ferment up a batch of poisonberry wine for when the in-laws stop by. I wonder what those two other orange colored fruits are.

 

[kfrinkle]

Naw, it is poisonous, i have a botanist colleague who identified it for me. Sadly, no vino from it.

As for the persimmon wine, even in a thirty gallon primary, the cap is getting out of control. My wife was peeking in on me stirring it and asked if there was even any liquid in the fermentor.

 

[Stressbaby]

Wow. Any off odors? What is the temp?

I racked a bunch of wine today; my last persimmon batch used some apple concentrate and is coming right along! It is plenty "appley." I dropped in a vanilla bean. I opened a bottle of unoaked straight up persimmon from last year and it was also very good.

 

[Gowers Choice]

Actually, i always use raw cane sugar, never the white granulized stuff. Always turns out fine for me.

Have you noticed a difference in taste or flavor using the raw cane versus the white granulized sugar?

 

[kfrinkle]

Wow. Any off odors? What is the temp?

I racked a bunch of wine today; my last persimmon batch used some apple concentrate and is coming right along! It is plenty "appley." I dropped in a vanilla bean. I opened a bottle of unoaked straight up persimmon from last year and it was also very good.

Sorry for the slow response. No off odors at the moment, and temp is at 60F. This is the coldest fermentation temp i have had for persimmon. I am thinking of going to a three times a day must breaking schedule over Turkey Break.

 

[kfrinkle]

Have you noticed a difference in taste or flavor using the raw cane versus the white granulized sugar?

I prefer the raw sugar, it does impart a different flavor and color, be forewarned. I personally think it really adds an extra level of complexity to the taste. But hey, each to their own right?