Strawberry wine

[prowlin4reds]

So it was strawberry season here in sunny florida a month or so ago. My dear and lovely bride went out and picked 43 pounds of fresh berries. We cleaned them and froze them in 5# bags. I started the must at 1.120 with an EC1118 yeast and it fermented down to 1.010 and stalled. We tasted the must and it doesn't seem to have any strawberry flavor. It seems some fruits have this issue. I wondering what I am doing wrong and how can i get the flavor to show up better?

 

[meadmaker1]

I use a more mellow yeast (d47 or 71b) and plan to age and back sweeten.
How does it smell.
The clear juice from a gallon of frozen strawberries and sugar make an effective syrup for sweetening straw berry. Will need to clear after adding. I use to top up after stabilizing, until I get close by taste. will be 1.010 or sweeter for me on this one
My next batch will have an acid element, proably rubarb, that im hoping will ballance it a bit.

 

[prowlin4reds]

How much "juice" and sugar do you add? We are relatively new to making wine and it seems that flavor sometimes is an issue especially with strawberry.

 

[meadmaker1]

I make the syrup really sweet two cups sugar to a qt of clear juice then its a taste test
I generally will top off with suryp a couple times but ive added just juice and mostly sugar.
I let it sit 3 ish months between adjustments I think im at a final clearing rack with five gallons from last season so might bottle in a couple months
It seems to me the flavor is usually there, its just not always what we thought it would be.

 

[meadmaker1]

If yours finishes alcohol will be high for my taste on what will be my sweetest wine.
If you can stabilize it now it should be fine. I didnt do your math but can help you if you need. I shoot for 12% easily taken to dry by my yeast and end up around 10% after flavor pack or sweetening.

 

[pgentile]

So it was strawberry season here in sunny florida a month or so ago. My dear and lovely bride went out and picked 43 pounds of fresh berries. We cleaned them and froze them in 5# bags. I started the must at 1.120 with an EC1118 yeast and it fermented down to 1.010 and stalled. We tasted the must and it doesn't seem to have any strawberry flavor. It seems some fruits have this issue. I wondering what I am doing wrong and how can i get the flavor to show up better?

I have never made a straight strawberry wine. Your ABV is around 14.4 which is probably a little high for straight strawberry wine. Many feel fruit wines have more flavor between 10-12%. The hotness might fade and bring fruit out as it ages.

 

[PandemoniumWines]

Your abv is a little high for the more delicate flavor of strawberry. Try backsweetening with strawberry juice to increase the taste, and hopefully the “hot” will mellow with enough time.

I make my own juice by using frozen strawberries and sugar.

 

[Scooter68]

One question - how many pounds of strawberries did you use per gallon of wine must? Strawberries should be not less that 6-7 lbs, the more the better since their flavor is so delicate. Don't see any reference to number of gallons or pound of fruit per gallon. If you used all 43 lbs in a 5 gallon batch it should be good on flavor after it ages AND assuming the berries were truly ripe when picked. The latter point is important for flavor, berries not fully ripened are going to lack a lot of flavor.

At 1.010 you are already into what would be called a sweet wine, without any additions, but with 14.44% ABV you are pretty high and hot. Give it a few months to mellow a bit. I had a Black Currant, same issue but stopped at 1.005 with an ABV of 15.5 percent. My goal was actually a bit over 16% and then to backsweeten into a dessert wine. Since it stalled I tried it and while young it was still great but with that young wine edge. I bottled at 10 months with no additional sweetening or flavor. A bottle opened a year after bottling was great, edge gone, not "Hot" and not too sweet but definitely sweet.

Strawberries are a lot lighter on flavor you so depending on the pounds/gallon you may need, just as suggested, some flavor help and that's what folks have given you. First off though.... is waiting.... at least 9 -12 months before you try to backsweeten and return some flavor. Of course maintain your SO2 levels as it ages and add sorbate a week or two before you plan to add any flavor or sweetness to it.