Simple recipes??????

[mccrob]

I'm fairly new to wine making and so far have had good luck with just berries,surgar and yeast.No other additives.20lbs of berrys/30 cups of surgar(20 in the must,10 in the carboy when must gets transferred) and a pack of Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast for a 5 gallon batch,interested in the pros and cons of keeping it simple or using additives?
Right now I have 2 blackberry,1 blueberry and 1 plum(with a hint of rasberry) on the go and have finished a batch of strawberry.

 

[Gowers Choice]

That's all we ever do. Just fruit, sugar and yeast. Infact I have cousins and uncles who don't even add yeast to their wine, preferring to rely on the natural yeast in the fruit.

 

[saramc]

Many people make their wine per your method. But I personally think if you learn how to use the adjuncts that are available to us now, your wines will improve. But, then again your wines made the way you make them may be the best ever!!

It is quite simple to research and read about:
PECTIC ENZYMES, YEAST NUTRIENTS/ENERGIZERS, TANNINS, ACID BLEND-Malic Acid-Tartaric Acid-Citric Acid, K-meta/Campden tabs, Sorbate, Various FINING AGENTS

BUT, the bottom line is: if you are happy with the wine the way you make it now, and it ages in the carboy/bottle without issue, then why change? But, how about taking a walk on the wild side and make a batch using the additives you are so curious about?

As far as working with wild yeast vs. known yeast strains---wild yeasts are geographical and you never really know WHAT they will bring/do to your wine while known yeast strains, well all you have to do is read about them to see what they can do for your wines.

 

[jswordy]

The thing about "additives" is this: Once you ruin one batch of wine, how many hours do you have in it? If it is found to have turned to vinegar or caught a bacterial infection or been occupied by a nasty tasting wild yeast or any number of other very common wayward behaviors of "good wine gone bad," (as joeswine likes to say) and you have caught that just prior to bottling, you conceivably have tied up your resources that could have been used elsewhere and your time investment for months. Add to that the fact that you may never find out exactly what ruined it.

For example, what if my 25 gallons of strawberry went bad and I had to toss it? My gosh, I spent 9 hours just prepping the 150 pounds of berries to go in it! Not even counting the time to go to the farm and get them. Then there's the time in primary, stirring twice every day and testing. And the time in secondary, racking and racking and racking again. And the time in cleaning equipment as each phase passed through.

To me, those are all the most compelling reasons to use modern chemistry.

They're also compelling reasons to add the second most important virtue a winemaker can employ: Habit. Patience is Number One, and Habit is Number Two. If you habitually clean, sanitize and sterilize, and you habitually produce your wines in successful ways, you are not often going to be disappointed from a cause you have unwittingly invited.

Now the question becomes, how to do that cleaning, sanitizing and sterilizing? I know folks who clean by hand with dish soap, rinse well, then run all the equipment through the dishwasher with no soap at the hottest setting. Then there are others who just clean and call it good. My grandfather used to just let the wild yeast do their work for him.

I am really in tune with artisanal winemaking, and one day I am going to try it. But for me in everyday life, my time is precious, so I want to invest it in successful efforts and do all I can to ensure a good and consistent result. If that means adding a small amount of cheap and readily available chemicals, I'm going to do it.