Wine from Grapefruit Juice

[twissty]

I just aquired about 30 litres of pink grapefruit juice. It's the shelf stable kind, just past its expiration date, but still tastes ok. There's no sorbates listed in on the label, so I think I'm good to go.

A quick googling turned up a few recipes, but they all seem to use the skins or zests for part of the flavour.

I'm thinking about the following.

30 litres juice, water to 54 litres (the size of my demi-john), white sugar to about 1.100 SG.
Either some tannin or oak chips in the primary, yeast nutrient, and probably
lalvin EC 1118

I figure around 14% alcohol to balance the acid in the fruit. It'll probably need close to a year ageing for things to come together.

Alot of recipes call for tannin. I dont have any, but i do have some toasted oak chips.



comments, suggestions?

 

[non-grapenut]

Grapefruit is very acidic, so I would invest in some type of acid test kit, if you do not have one already. I recently made a batch of pink grapefruit wine and didn't keep on top of the acid levels..I ended up blending some of it with a strawberry wine and was able to "save" it. After about 5 days of fermentation, my must took on a spoiled, musty smell that I have been battling with now for a couple months. After consulting with this forum, we think that maybe the type of yeast I used (a champagne type) might have tainted it...I, also, wonder about the acid level...the resulting wine is quite tart (very complimentary to the sweetness in my strawberry wine.) Good luck, twissty

 

[twissty]

Thanks;

Maybe I'll try something a bit less agressive than the EC 1118 yeast.

I re read the label on the juice, and it's sweetened with apple, pear, or grape concentrate.

http://www.sunrype.com/viewproduct.php?variety=35

 

[Luc]

Have you tasted it.

I think they balanced the acidity to have it right for
the human palate. So I think the acidity might
be at the right level.
I presume this because they have added other juices
to balance it.

So getting it up to 14% might be too much

I would invest a few dollar in an acidity testing kit.

Luc

 

[twissty]

I'm really not in a rush right now because all my fermenters are full.
It'll take me a week or so till i can get to a Homebrew supply to get a test kit.
The juice does taste pretty good. Its sweetened and less acidic than average fresh grapefruits.

Another approach i was considering is to make a wine cooler, probably 7-8%, then backsweetened, and carbonated in a keg. Maybe I'll do this with half the juice.

 

[twissty]

I mixed it up today.
17 litres of bottled juice
water to 23 litres
white sugar to 1.080 S.G.
1¼ tsp pectic enzyme
4½ tsp yeast nutrient
Ec 1118 yeast (only kind I had on hand)

I haven't been able to get a test kit yet, but it tastes ok, so I'll let it ferment out and see what I get.

 

[non-grapenut]

I wished I would have filtered my must about the 4th day...it started tasting and smelling funky around the 5th...the grapefruit "jewels" floating on the top got foamy..I have a feeling the grapefruit debris had something to do with the funkiness of mine...Good luck, twissty

 

[texteditor]

For Tannin make a strong cup of tea, (two teabags)
texteditor.