One Gallon Red Current (May 9, 2019)

[jeskremer]

DAY ONE
DAY ONE
3.5# previously canned currents (from 2010)
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/16 tsp potassium metabisulfate

pH strip test 3.5

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

NOTES ON PH...

Unlike TA testing and adjusting, pH adjustments are not linear; if you add 1 g/L of acid to a wine or must you now have exactly 1 more g/L of acid in solution and a TA test will confirm this. However, if you add 1 g/L of Potassium Carbonate to a wine or must the reaction will vary from wine to wine and the pH will not shift in a linear, predictable fashion. This is why any attempt to adjust the pH should start with a bench trial! pH units are logarithmic; a pH of 3.0 is ten times more acidic than a pH of 4.0. So beware, a little shift goes a long way.

The effectiveness and amount of free SO2 needed to protect our wines is directly tied to wine pH: lower pHs require less free SO2, and higher pHs require more free SO2 to achieve the same amount of protection. Note: at pH 3.8 and higher, it is not chemically possible to maintain the amount of free SO2 in the wine that is technically required to protect it. So, if your wine has a high pH, then we highly recommend adjusting the pH down (using tartaric acid).

https://morewinemaking.com/articles/testing_wine_must

[jeskremer]

DAY TWO
Squeezed fruit by hand and discarded.

Added 1 tsp nutrient.

Added 7 pts spring water from Meijer.

Added 6 cups sugar to reach SG 1.090.

Tested pH at 3.8, kept adding acid blend until a pH of 3.55. It took 1 tsp. The recipe recommended none.

Added 1 oz. black current brewers extract because the currents did not seem to have much flavor.

Pitched 1/2 pack of Red Star Premier Cuvee yeast.

[jeskremer]

SEVEN DAYS AFTER ADDING YEAST
Good current flavor! Well balanced. Very light colored wine. Almost blush to white.

SG 0.90, placed into secondary and capped off. Saved remainder (off of yeast) and refrigerated for later use if needed.

[jeskremer]

THREE MONTHS
Racked. Topped with a couple cups of remaining current that was cold stabilized. Good flavor. A bit tart.

[jeskremer]

SIX MONTHS LATER

Sort of flat and a bit of an off-flavor, but then, after checking SG, the alcohol content would be 13.75%

Added 1/16 tsp potassium metabisulfite and the max allowed, 1 1/2 tsp wine conditioner potassium sorbate/gal, to stabilize and help sweeten... hopefully bring the flavor back from just alchohol.

Dissolved 3T cane sugar in 1/2 c distilled water to bring the SG up slightly to .99 if possible. Airlocked. Will test again in a few weeks.

[jeskremer]

EIGHT MONTHS LATER
Accidentally added another 1/16 tsp Potassium Metabisulfate. Added 2T wine conditioner containing fructose and Potassium Sorbate to sweeten and take harsh alcohol bite off and get some more flavor... hopefully. ph is good at 3.36.

[jeskremer]

After two years, hardly any fruit flavor. Just tastes like alcohol. Horrid.