David Rance wrote:
On Sun, 6 Aug 2006, Mike Lyle wrote:

I'd never boil, though: for my taste, it spoils the flavour. I've never
bothered with measuring OG, either: I just work on the principle that
every quarter-pound of sugar in a gallon, if fermented right out,
raises the alcohol by 1%. So for most fruits, three pounds or so, added
in two or three stages, plus some grape juice or concentrate, is about
right.

Quarter of a pound of sugar will produce 1.5% alcohol in every gallon
(source: Peter Duncan and Brian Acton - forgotten the name of the book
as I don't have it here in Normandy).

Yes, you're right: sorry. I find even my own notes say so. I haven't
done it for two years. Memory like, er, what do you call those things
with holes in?

And adding three pounds of sugar all in one go is likely to inhibit the
yeast and the fermentation will possibly have difficulty in starting.

Yes: hence my suggestion of adding it in two or three stages. Like
yours, my target is, or was, about 12%.
[...]

And you're right - never, NEVER, boil the fruit for wine-making,
especially if it contains pectin. If you do the haze will never clear.

Another poster has mentioned the question of sterilisation. Sulphur and
bleach, or fancy proprietary products (also chlorine-based, I suppose),
are the only methods I know about: copper sulphate's allowed under
organic rules in Bordeaux mixture, so I don't see why a sulphite
shouldn't be allowed for sterilising. In the old days, I think they
used to sterilise casks by fumigating them with burning sulphur.

To stabilise finished wine, Campden tablets (sodium metabisulphite) are
usual; but some people react to it, so ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can be
used instead -- though I've never tried it. I wouldn't be surprised to
learn that sulphite isn't organically acceptable as an additive in the
wine itself: producers probably rely on good hygiene to protect the
wine in bottle. But when your only customer is yourself, you can bend
the rules.

--
Mike.