Oct 25, 2019

How To Make Fruit Wine With Fruit Purees

There are many ways to make wine with the Vintner's Harvest Fruit Purees. It comes down to personal preference. The Vintner's Harvest Fruit Puree one gallon recipe (see chart) calls for one can of puree with enough sugar to bring the original gravity to 1.090 or higher. This produces a wine with an alcohol level of 12% by volume and will remain stable for a long time.

To make a fruit wine with the purees that is comparable to making wine with the 96 oz. containers of Vintner's Harvest Fruit Base, use two cans of Vintner's Harvest Fruit Puree per five gallons and enough sugar to bring the gravity to 1.090 or higher. You can also add natural fruit flavoring enhancers to bring out the flavor and give more aroma.

When adding sugar to the puree, either initially or for sweetening, it is important to add it gradually. Add 1/2 of the sugar called for in the initial recipe and then take a gravity reading. If you are sweetening the wine post fermentation we recommend the same course of action. If you need to, you can always add the remaining sugar called for in the recipe. This will ensure that your wine doesn’t come out too strong or too sweet. Once fermentation is complete it will stop automatically, but wine must be stabilized with Potassium Sorbate if you want to sweeten with sugar after fermentation. If you do not, the added sugar will result in renewed fermentation. This will create more alcohol, and burn off all of the sweetness you were trying to add to the wine. You may also want to add Acid Blend, Yeast Nutrient, white (table) sugar, and Wine Tannin depending on the fruit puree you are using.

Guidelines for additions to Fruit Puree Kits:

Puree Type

  • Apricot: 1-1/2 tsp. acid blend, 1 tsp. yeast nutrient, 1-1/2 lbs. sugar, 1 tsp. pectic enzyme, 1/4 tsp. wine tannin.
  • Blackberry: 1/2 tsp. acid blend, 1 tsp. yeast nutrient, 3/4 lbs. sugar, 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme, no grape tannin.
  • Blueberry: 2-1/2 tsp. acid blend, 1 tsp. yeast nutrient, 2 lbs. sugar, 1 tsp. pectic enzyme, no grape tannin.
  • Cherry: 1-1/2 tsp. acid blend, 1 tsp. yeast nutrient, 1-1/2 lbs. sugar, 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme, 1/4 tsp. grape tannin.
  • Peach: 1-1/2 tsp. acid blend, 1 tsp. yeast nutrient, 1-1/2 lbs. sugar, 1 tsp. pectic enzyme, 1/4 tsp. grape tannin.
  • Raspberry: 1/2 tsp. acid blend, 1 tsp. yeast nutrient, 1-1/2 lbs. sugar, 1 /2 tsp. pectic enzyme, 1/4 tsp. grape tannin.

Vintner's Harvest Fruit Puree Instructions

  • Use an open plastic bucket as a fermenter. (For one gallon batches it is best to use a Two Gallon Bucket and for five gallon batches, use a 7.9 Gallon Bucket.) Sterilize your fermenter and any equipment that will come into contact with the Wine Must.
  • Dissolve the sugar and additives in a quart of warm water.
  • Add the fruit puree and enough water to equal one gallon total volume.
  • Take a gravity reading with a Hydrometer. The must should be between 1.090 and 1.100. If it is lower, add enough sugar to bring the gravity up. Approximately 4 oz. of sugar will raise the gravity 10 points in one gallon of water.
  • Make a yeast starter using Red Star Cote Des Blancs or Lalvin 71B-1122 wine yeast and add the yeast starter to the must.
  • If your bucket does not include a lid, cover the fermenter with cheesecloth or a Fine Nylon Mesh Straining Bag. This allows the must to breathe.
  • Stir the must every day for 5 to 7 days (until the gravity is about 1.030).
  • Rack into a sterilized One Gallon Jug or 3 Gallon Glass Carboy (depending on the volume of wine you made).
  • Attach an Stopper & Airlock to the carboy and ferment for another 2 to 4 weeks or until fermentation has completed. Once fermentation is complete the gravity reading should be 1.000 or lower.
  • Rack wine off the sediment into another sterilized gallon jug or glass carboy.
  • Add a Fining Agent following the directions on the packaging and let it set for 4 weeks.
  • For a sweeter wine, dissolve 2 to 4 teaspoons of sugar in 1/4 cup warm water.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon Potassium Sorbate to the wine and then add the sugar mixture to wine.
  • The wine can be bottled when it is clear and stable