strawberey wine, first time ever

[mufasa]

So my wife and i got really excited at the thought of making wine because it seems really easy! Im waiting for my father in law to teach me how to make moonshine and help me build my own still, so this was a fun way to tie us over until then.

I bought an air tight 6.5 gallon food grade fermenting bucker and mixed together-
3 gallons of water
9 lbs of cane sugar
10 lbs of mashed strawberries
1 packet of red star Wine yeast

Now ive been doing more research on the internet and it led me to this site. And after looking at some threads im wondering if im actually going to come out with drinkable wine lmao. Anyone who has done this a few times have any thoughts?
Starting to think its not as simple as i originally thought.

Thank you!

 

[crabjoe]

Haha.. like your post.

As a new winemaker myself, I'll say it's really easy to make a drinkable wine.. but drinking able doesnt mean anyone's going to like it.

So far I've been lucky.. I did a lemon wine (Skeeter Pee) and a Apfelwein. Both came out decent enough where some people have asked for more, but I did get some criticism.. The lemon wine being 2 sweet for some and one person saying it had an odd aftertaste. The Apfelwein.. some said too light in body, but all said it needed more alcohol. Live and learn.

IMHO, you're on the right track.. I hope you took a hydrometer reading before pitching the yeast, so when its finished you know the abv. Outside of that, this think of this as a baseline for your strawberry wine.. you'll know with the next batch what changes you'll need to make to get a better wine... assuming you don't like what this batch ends up like.

Good luck!

 

[bshef]

Your sugar might be a little high for 10 lbs of fruit, however, if your yeast is working, let it go.. I've used 3 lbs of strawberry and 2 lbs sugar per gallon and had a very nice light rose. Usually I back sweeten a tad with simple syrup after fermentation to bring out the fruit flavor. Stir twice a day, keep covered with a towel, take hydrometer readings (get one if you don't have one - though you can cheat and rack when active fermentation ends) and when 1.000 SG, rack it to a carboy or gallon jugs and fit with airlocks. Rack every 30 days until it clears then bottle with some potassium sorbate or keep chilled to prevent re-fermenation. I've had strawberry fizz slightly which is a read treat. Some say age it but I say if ready, drink it next summer.

 

[mufasa]

Haha.. like your post.

As a new winemaker myself, I'll say it's really easy to make a drinkable wine.. but drinking able doesnt mean anyone's going to like it.

So far I've been lucky.. I did a lemon wine (Skeeter Pee) and a Apfelwein. Both came out decent enough where some people have asked for more, but I did get some criticism.. The lemon wine being 2 sweet for some and one person saying it had an odd aftertaste. The Apfelwein.. some said too light in body, but all said it needed more alcohol. Live and learn.

IMHO, you're on the right track.. I hope you took a hydrometer reading before pitching the yeast, so when its finished you know the abv. Outside of that, this think of this as a baseline for your strawberry wine.. you'll know with the next batch what changes you'll need to make to get a better wine... assuming you don't like what this batch ends up like.

Good luck!

Wow, lemon wine! That sounds incredible!
Yeah the hydrometer indicated 13%~

 

[mufasa]

Your sugar might be a little high for 10 lbs of fruit, however, if your yeast is working, let it go.. I've used 3 lbs of strawberry and 2 lbs sugar per gallon and had a very nice light rose. Usually I back sweeten a tad with simple syrup after fermentation to bring out the fruit flavor. Stir twice a day, keep covered with a towel, take hydrometer readings (get one if you don't have one - though you can cheat and rack when active fermentation ends) and when 1.000 SG, rack it to a carboy or gallon jugs and fit with airlocks. Rack every 30 days until it clears then bottle with some potassium sorbate or keep chilled to prevent re-fermenation. I've had strawberry fizz slightly which is a read treat. Some say age it but I say if ready, drink it next summer.

Yeah i was thinking my sugar was a bit high as well, but since we were kinda winging it i figured more is better than not enough.

Now, you sort of lost me in the bottom half of your post... i was under the impression that im supposed to let it ferment for 3-12 months, whenever it stops bubbling out the airlock, amd then strain it until clear, and then bottle it. Is that not right?

 

[mufasa]

Thanks again for taking the time to respond everyone.

 

[bshef]

Once you get it to the secondary, you should rack after 30 days or so, then let it go 30, 60, or 90 days. I would rack at least a couple time in several months, as you see any sediment starting to settle. The air lock will quit bubbling after fermentation slows (sometimes after the first racking) so that is not a good indication of anything except co2 escaping. I never strain or filter wine, time clears everything. Once your hydrometer shows no change in SG and the wine is clear (at least 3 to 6 months after starting) you should be good to bottle. You'll get a feel for it.

 

[mufasa]

Once you get it to the secondary, you should rack after 30 days or so, then let it go 30, 60, or 90 days. I would rack at least a couple time in several months, as you see any sediment starting to settle. The air lock will quit bubbling after fermentation slows (sometimes after the first racking) so that is not a good indication of anything except co2 escaping. I never strain or filter wine, time clears everything. Once your hydrometer shows no change in SG and the wine is clear (at least 3 to 6 months after starting) you should be good to bottle. You'll get a feel for it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help.

What is racking?
And by SG you mean... Sugar?

 

[bshef]

SG is specific gravity; if you have a triple scale hydrometer the numbers from 1.100 to .900. If you have potential 13%, whatever was equal to that. (I don't have a hydrometer handy to explain better).

Racking is the siphoning of the clear wine off the sediment or lees. You'll need to do that from the bucket to something smaller to eliminate head space. Don't leave more than an inch or so of head space in the secondaries - I suggest one gallon clear jugs. I believe racking eliminates the need to filter. I think filtering strips flavor and body (I'll get slammed for that remark).

 

[mufasa]

SG is specific gravity; if you have a triple scale hydrometer the numbers from 1.100 to .900. If you have potential 13%, whatever was equal to that. (I don't have a hydrometer handy to explain better).

Racking is the siphoning of the clear wine off the sediment or lees. You'll need to do that from the bucket to something smaller to eliminate head space. Don't leave more than an inch or so of head space in the secondaries - I suggest one gallon clear jugs. I believe racking eliminates the need to filter. I think filtering strips flavor and body (I'll get slammed for that remark).

Ahhh that all makes total sense! So when fermenting is done and its stops bubbling, take a SG measurment with my Hydrometer, and then bottle into smaller containers, leaving a very small amount of empty bottle in each one.

Ok ok i think im catching your drift.
So, this wiukd be what people keep calling secondary fermentation? And in this case your calling it racking.

So so the second containers need airlocks, or no? And with these second containers, im assuming im going to end up with more sediment afymter they sit. So how long do i give them? What do i look for? After that i can bottle and cork in a third set of containers?

 

[bshef]

Racking is the action of siphoning. Secondary fermentation is what takes place after you siphon the new wine out of the bucket (primary) into smaller vessels. You doo need to airlock the secondary and every container until you finally bottle. You watch for the cloudy new wine to become clear.

Here is a link to a wine making guide: https://eckraus.com/wine-making-steps/

You may want to siphon it more than they suggest. Also you didn't add any Campden tablets (one per gallon) at the start so I would add the first dose when you siphon the first time.

 

[sour_grapes]

A
So, this wiukd be what people keep calling secondary fermentation? And in this case your calling it racking.

Yes and no! So, there are two different kinds of fermentation, alcoholic fermentation (sugar-->alcohol) and malolactic fermentation (malic acid --> lactic acid). These are often abbreviated as AF and MLF, respectively. In addition, they are often referred to as "primary fermentation" and "secondary fermentation," respectively.

However the first of those, AF, needs to be conducted in two steps: initially, in an open bucket (so foam can dissipate) and, later, in a more closed container (to limit oxygen exposure). These could properly be referred to as one's "primary fermentation vessel" and one's "secondary fermentation vessel." That is, it is the vessel that is changing between these steps, not the fermentation. However, with familiar use, we say things like "I'd move that must from primary to secondary, if I were you," meaning to move it from an open bucket to a glass carboy.

I admit it can be confusing.