BeerSmith™ Recipes and Web Editor

Taste Notes

A fruity wine that ferments and ages quickly. Easy and fast to make and pleasant to drink. Sweeten to taste with 2-6 cups of white table sugar just before bottling. Fruit of choice is triple berry blend frozen in 2lb bags. Mix and match to your own taste. Added tanin is a little to much for me. Cut it in half or eliminate all together.

Notes

Step 1: To a cleaned and sanitized seven gallon (or larger) primary, add in this order: • 1 bottle (48 oz each) 100% Lemon Juice (ReaLemon in the green bottle): More or less lemon juice can be added to your taste, (i.e., if you want to reduce the acid level use less lemon juice). The acid added here will help balance the final wine. Substitutes include any other kind of citrus juice (orange, lime, etc.), or use no citrus at all for a very soft, supple blush. • Water to about four gallons 20 cups of white granulated sugar (you will be looking for a SG of around 1.075 after filling to 6 gallons below. This will give you a finished alcohol by volume of about 10%-11%): Add more/less sugar for high/lower desired final ABV. Stir sugar until completely dissolved. • 1 tsp. tannin (stir) • 3 tsp. yeast nutrient (stir) • 1 tsp. yeast energizer (stir) • 3 tsp. pectic enzyme (stir) • Top water to six (6) gallons* and stir well • Test SG with hydrometer (remember, you are looking for a SG around 1.075) Note: The natural sugars from the fruit (below) will slightly increase the final ABV, so be careful how high you drive up the SG at this point! • 6 lbs. of Triple Berry Blend (raspberry/blackberry/blueberry--available in most grocery store freezer sections), frozen then thawed, in a fine mesh nylon bag (tied shut), placed in primary (add any extra juice from the fruit as well): Give the bag a couple of squeezes to work in pectic enzyme. You may also toss the fruit directly into primary, but this makes for a "messier" fermentation and subsequently will require more clearing time and further racking. Dozens of variations on this recipe have been created by simply substituting different or combinations of different fruit. • Cover primary: Do not snap down the lid or add an airlock. Cover the lid with a cloth or towel. • Place brew belt (if desired): Keep temp in 68F-80F range. A higher temp will result in a faster fermentation, and a sharper tasting, more colorful wine. A lower temp will produce a paler blush with more fruity aroma and a smoother taste. • Let sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours... Step 2: To the primary fermenter, add: • 1 packet of EC-1118 Yeast (follow yeast manufacturer’s directions): Sprinkle yeast into one cup of warm water (100F), let sit for 15 minutes (no longer), stir and add to primary. Other yeast strains also work well. Experiment! • Stir Primary Vigorously! Step 3: Each day, do the following, in this order: • Uncover primary • Check and record temperature • Check and record specific gravity • Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter and remove fruit pack (The Presser Method):Temporarily place in sanitized bucket or bowl. • Stir primary vigorously: To introduce oxygen into must, suspend the yeast, and drive off CO2. • Replace fruit pack in primary • Cover primary Step 4: When the SG drops to <1.000, do the following:> • Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter; remove fruit pack: Discard fruit. Note: When the specific gravity (SG) has fallen below 1.000, and the fruit bag has been removed, discontinue stirring daily but check the SG and temp daily as before. Proceed from here only when the wine’s SG has stabilized below 1.000. A stable SG means that the SG for three consecutive days reveals no change in the SG. • Uncover primary • Rack (siphon or drain) the wine into a cleaned and sanitized six gallon carboy, leaving the gross lees (the stuff in the bottom of the primary) undisturbed. • Add 1/4 tsp. Potassium Metabisulfite (dissolved in half cup cool water) and stir • Add 3 tsp. Potassium Sorbate (dissolved in half cup cool water) and stir • Degas wine very thoroughly: I cannot emphasize this enough! Gas in the wine will prevent it from clearing quickly. • Add Sparkolloid* (or other clearing agent) per package directions (stir for 2 minutes): *1 tbs in one cup of water simmered (boiled) for about 5-10 minutes. Add hot mixture directly to carboy and stir. • If the carboy is not full, add enough cool water to bring the level within two inches of the top opening: Adding a like wine rather than water is preferred. A cheap white zinfandel will work well. • Add a bung and airlock (filled half way with sulfite solution) • Allow to clear undisturbed for no less than 1 week. Step 5: When wine is clear: • Carefully rack off one gallon of wine into a cleaned and sanitized container, and set aside. • Carefully rack the remainder of the wine off of the lees into a cleaned & sanitized six gallon carboy. • Add 2-6 cups of white granulated sugar (stir until sugar is completely dissolved): This is where your personal taste comes in. Different people like different levels of sweetness in their wine. My DB is made with ¾ of a cup of sugar per gallon. Remember! The sugars will blend with the lemon and berry flavors over time, and the sweetness will come forward. Do not over-sweeten! • If carboy is not full, top up within two inches of top of carboy opening with some of the spare gallon of wine • Replace bung and airlock • Allow wine to sit quietly for another week. Step 6: If the wine is completely clear: • Filter if desired • Bottle in clear bottles (because it's beautiful) • Note: Never bottle cloudy wine! NEVER! • Enjoy! This wine is great right from the start! It will, however, improve over time in the bottle. The first few weeks brings a noticeable improvement as the flavors blend and meld, while months will make it smooth and delightful. Be warned, though, it will go quickly. So, get some more going, fast!