Red Current (August 2022)

[jeskremer]

Trying this recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DutMeqycTfs since my other ones have been such high alcohol taste with little fruit flavor.

Someone did ask in his YouTube forum something that may make a difference:

If you dont mind me asking, why let the must sit for a week prior to filtering and pitching yeast? Does letting it sit for a week present any dangers to the must? I noticed this step seems to be omitted from the blackberry wine recipe?

Raspberries and currents are more delicate and so fermenting them will cause you to loose a lot of those flavours. This process is a gentle way of extracting all the flavours from them. And in my opinion seems to give a better finish than fermenting with the fruit.

Perhaps try is and see which method you prefer.

Day One
4.25 pounds previously frozen currents (recipe calls for 3 pounds).
Added 8 pints of boiling water to the currents. Sealed in a container. Will let sit for a week. There may be a slight amount of mold on top, but that is OK. We'll strain through muslin into another primary then.

[jeskremer]

DAY 7
Strained fruit out into another primary. Added 1/16 tsp potassium metabisulfate (1 campden tablet).

[jeskremer]

Day 8
Added 1 heaping tsp of yeast nutrient, 3/4 tsp pectic enzyme and 6 cups of sugar (approximately 3 pounds).

SG 1.095

Added 1/2 packet of Red Star Pasteur Red yeast (best by 2016)

[jeskremer]

Two Weeks Since Starting
SG now 1.018. Should be below 1.00 for a dry wine and at least down to 1.005 for a sweet. Will let sit in primary a bit longer.

pH tested at 3.6 on a test strip

[jeskremer]

Day 15
SG hit 1.005 today. Racked and put into secondary. Put an additional couple of cups in a glass quart jar in the refrigerator to top off at a future date.

[jeskremer]

3 MONTHS AFTER PUTTING IN SECONDARY
OK. Slightly earthly flavor. Semi-sweet. Still not a ton of fruit flavor, probably overpowered by alcohol.

Mixed 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate with a little bit of the wine and then added to the entire batch. Added 3 cups of apple/grape juice to back sweeten/add more fruit flavor + 2 3/4 cups current must that was refrigerated in a glass jar when filling the carboy prior to airlock. Stirred. We'll see what that does.

[jeskremer]

TWO MONTHS LATER
Tasted. Fruity, but maybe a little too sweet now? Try a little less juice next time. Maybe half the amount first.