Red Pasteur Strawberry Wine (September 2016)

[jeskremer]

Day 1
NOTE: Based on past strawberry recipes, this is the one I'm settling on this time around, except that I am using Spring water from the store rather than city water that is boiled.

12c (3 1/2#) frozen strawberries that had been frozen in 2013. Thawed and mashed.
2 pts spring water
1 tsp acid blend
1/4 tsp tannin
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/16 tsp K-metabisulfite (potassium metabisulfite)

Let sit overnight to make a fruit liquor/slurry. This allowed pectic enzymes to break down fruit before adding yeast nutrient.

[jeskremer]

18 Hours After Start
Added 5 pints of spring water and 1 tsp yeast nutrient. Temperature was approximately 68 degrees. Added 2# (4c) sugar. Added an additional 1 cup to bring the mixture to 1.085. This meant 3# of sugar (5 cups) were used instead of the called for 2# in the recipe.

The addition of sugar has been typical in this recipe. Last couple of batches opened that started at 1.070 did not seem to have much alcohol, although the flavor was good.

Added 1/4 package of Pasteur Red yeast.

NOTE: Did not test the acid content yet.

[jeskremer]

Six Days After Addition of Yeast
I was gone a few days, but tonight the hydrometer read 0.995. Test for acid - 0.75%. A bit high. We'll watch it. Placed in secondary and the remainder was refrigerated in a tupperwear container for future top offs.

[jeskremer]

FOUR MONTHS AFTER START
Racked and topped off with about one cup of strawberry must in the refrigerator. Degassed with a drill.

Good strawberry flavor!

[jeskremer]

Bottled March, 2017
Good strawberry flavor. Not acidic/tart.

Drew up some wine and added 1/16 tsp potassium metabisulfite to kill off any yeast and max 1/2 tsp wine conditioner potassium sorbate/gal, the minimum to stabilize, but not sweeten.

Bottled and degassed each bottle twice with a plunger. Drew off a bunch of CO2.

Experimented with added flavoring. Max recommended per bottle is 5 fluid oz./5 gall or 1/gal. 1 fluid once of flavoring is 6 mL. Two bottles had 6 mL added, two bottle had 4 mL and one had 2 mL.