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OT?: Winemaking
The message .com
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words: Larry Stoter wrote: [...] Mixed summer fruits works well, too - basically, anything that is around, boil it all up and add sugar to get the OG right. You do need a proper wine yeast. 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. Will soaked raisins do as well as grape juice? Janet G |
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OT?: Winemaking
Janet Galpin wrote: The message .com from "Mike Lyle" contains these words: Larry Stoter wrote: [...] Mixed summer fruits works well, too - basically, anything that is around, boil it all up and add sugar to get the OG right. You do need a proper wine yeast. 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 [[WRONG]] 1%. [[WRONG]] So for most fruits, [[WRONG]] three pounds or so [[WRONG]], added in two or three stages, plus some grape juice or concentrate, is about right. Will soaked raisins do as well as grape juice? Yes, but they have a characteristic flavour, which you may not want in ordinary wines, though it can be nice in a stronger dessert one. Sultanas may be a better everyday choice: more expensive ones are usually better, I'm afraid. A p.i.t.b. is that dried fruit is often lightly treated with preservative or liquid paraffin or both: a swish round in boiling water should get rid well enough. Once soaked, they need to be broken up: squdging with clean hands or a potato masher will do it. And _please_ note that my remark above about sugar is a bad bloomer. As David points out, you get 1.5% for each quarter of a pound of white sugar. For 12%, 2 lb sugar. Of course, you're doing well if you achieve that (and the theoretical maximum is a little higher). In a book, I've scribbled that sultanas and raisins contain between 50 and 75% sugar; so an average to work by is about 60%. Allow for that when adding sugar; but I really don't think precision is necessary. In the real world you won't get all the sugar out of the dried fruit anyway. -- Mike. |
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