Supermarket Juice Wine How To guide and Recipes.

[Chippy_Tea]

How much sugar was in the cartons and how much did you add, these figures are very high for a standard WOW.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have just started 3 DJ's of red grape juice and apple juice, i have never made this before so will update in a few weeks.

1 litre red grape juice

1 litre apple juice.

1 tsp youngs super wine yeast compound

1 tsp nutrient

1 tsp powdered tannin (mixed with some of the sugar to stop it turning into lumps)

1 tsp Pectolace

1 tsp Glycerine

 

[IOMMick]

How much sugar was in the cartons and how much did you add, these figures are very high for a standard WOW.

I'm using 3 litres of juice and 800g of sugar in each DJ, both the Pomegranate and Pineapple had an SG of about 1120. I didn't take note of the exact sugar levels in the cartons but I've tried to avoid sweeteners, so probably the standard 10-15g of sugar per 100ml.

I see you only use 2 litres of juice per DJ - I was scared that might make it a bit watery but I'll probably try tinkering with something like that in the future.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

How much sugar was in the cartons and how much did you add, these figures are very high for a standard WOW.

I'm using 3 litres of juice and 800g of sugar in each DJ, both the Pomegranate and Pineapple had an SG of about 1120. I didn't take note of the exact sugar levels in the cartons but I've tried to avoid sweeteners, so probably the standard 10-15g of sugar per 100ml.

I see you only use 2 litres of juice per DJ - I was scared that might make it a bit watery but I'll probably try tinkering with something like that in the future.

If you used the same juice i used that would work out at 1220g total, i have ran that through a calculator and it comes out at 16.5% :shock:

I always aim for a total sugar content (including cartons) of 1100g which gives just over 13%.

I always make mine with 1 litre of the main juice and 1 litre of grape juice if they are 100% juice, they don't turn out watery tasting in fact they are spot on. :thumb:

 

[IOMMick]

[quote="Chippy_Tea":7ppiubj8]How much sugar was in the cartons and how much did you add, these figures are very high for a standard WOW.

I'm using 3 litres of juice and 800g of sugar in each DJ, both the Pomegranate and Pineapple had an SG of about 1120. I didn't take note of the exact sugar levels in the cartons but I've tried to avoid sweeteners, so probably the standard 10-15g of sugar per 100ml.

I see you only use 2 litres of juice per DJ - I was scared that might make it a bit watery but I'll probably try tinkering with something like that in the future.

If you used the same juice i used that would work out at 1220g total, i have ran that through a calculator and it comes out at 16.5% :shock:

I always aim for a total sugar content (including cartons) of 1100g which gives just over 13%.

I always make mine with 1 litre of the main juice and 1 litre of grape juice if they are 100% juice, they don't turn out watery tasting in fact they are spot on. :thumb:[/quote:7ppiubj8]

Yeah probably why I've got the sweet one registering 16% and the dry one registering 17% :shock:

I got a day off today so I diluted the pomegranate from about 4 litre to 5 litre and then bottled. I'm having the excess (that wouldn't fill a bottle) in a glass now - and it's much more casually drinkable - doesn't feel like it's lost any body at all. I've also racked the mango and had a quick sip and it tastes like it's going to be very drinkable - I've a couple of mango-loving Asians in my office who have already claimed a bottle when it's finished :lol:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

doesn't feel like it's lost any body at all

Probably because you didn't use an equal amount of each juice,

 

[DrD]

A recipe I've made a couple of times and one of the wife's favourites.

In 5 L:

3 L WGJ - Asda
2/3 bottle Belvoir Elderflower cordial (500 ml bottle) - Asda
1stp tannin/nutrient/yeast (don't add citric acid, there is lemon juice in the cordial, add at the end if you want more zing)
This seems to taste best at 14-16% abv, so add sugar according to preference.

Comes out very pale yellow, good body and a good taste/smell of elderflower. A few weeks in the bottle helps but it is palatable fresh and I haven't managed to keep a bottle long enough/been doing this long enough to see how it ages over a long time. Can drop the EF cordial if you want it weaker, but the wife likes it strong, after being fermented out dry and served ice cold.

 

[minpin]

Hello, I made the basic Pineapple wine about 2 weeks ago. It fermented out really quickly, and has been racked once, but not degassed, stabilised and fined. Anyway, as it tasted very nice I drank about 2 thirds of a bottle yesterday and had the most awful headache (still got it a bit now). What I'd like to know is which of my omissions (degassing, fining or stabilising) is the most likely culprit? Or is it just too young? I found some info on here a while ago about the 'science' behind the fermentation and what causes headaches, but I can't find it today (probably due to the 'head!)
Thanks

 

[DrD]

Hello, I made the basic Pineapple wine about 2 weeks ago. It fermented out really quickly, and has been racked once, but not degassed, stabilised and fined. Anyway, as it tasted very nice I drank about 2 thirds of a bottle yesterday and had the most awful headache (still got it a bit now). What I'd like to know is which of my omissions (degassing, fining or stabilising) is the most likely culprit? Or is it just too young? I found some info on here a while ago about the 'science' behind the fermentation and what causes headaches, but I can't find it today (probably due to the 'head!)
Thanks

Fruit pectin is enzymatically degraded during fermentation, methyl groups released during this degradation are converted into methanol, methanol gives you a blinding headache even at low concentration.

Grapes don't have much pectin, other fruits do (esp apples), although I don't think pineapple is one of them. Adding pectolytic enzymes (pectolase) makes this worse, so I don't add it unless I have to. This is the reason why some ciders commonly give huge headaches.

Other things could be various aldehydes and fusel alcohols (long chain hydrocarbon alcohols) and other byproducts of normal fermentation, these can give you headaches. Fermentation temperature (don't go too high), oxygen level during fermentation and the presence of solids in the must (if protein, amino acids break down into compounds used to make fusel alcohols) in the wine during fermentation will affect the production of these compounds. Something like Pineapple ferments quick so gets warm and has lots of pulpy material floating about, so could be that. Certain yeast strains make more than others too.

 

[Moley]

Well basically, yeast breaks down sugar and rearranges it to form alcohol plus carbon dioxide, but in the process they make other stuff such as esters and aldehydes, then they clean up their mistakes.

If you try to push them too fast (brew is too hot) then they make more mistakes. If you try to stop a wine before they have finished, then they can't do the clearing up after you have killed them.

I'm sorry, but this sounds like a bad case of impatience, pure and simple.

Is it even clear? I don't see how that is possible yet, so all that yeast might also play havoc with your guts.


Doc types faster than me

 

[Chippy_Tea]

What I'd like to know is which of my omissions (degassing, fining or stabilising) is the most likely culprit? Or is it just too young? I found some info on here a while ago about the 'science' behind the fermentation and what causes headaches, but I can't find it today (probably due to the 'head!)
Thanks

Basically you need to leave the wine 7 days after it has stopped bubbling so the yeast can clear up after itself, rushing it will give you a bad head and bad guts, this is from Moleys guide -

Eventually, the bubbling will slow right down and stop, and here’s where you have to start to learn one of the hardest, but one of the most important lessons in winemaking - patience. Don’t try to rush it, leave it for another week. Here comes the science:

Yeast turns sugar into alcohol plus carbon dioxide, but in between it makes other chemicals called aldehydes. If you try to rush it you will get an alcoholic drink which will get you plastered but might upset your guts and leave you with a headache. Give it a bit more time and the yeasties will finish clearing away those aldehydes and you should end up with a wine which you can be proud to share with your family and friends.

 

[minpin]

Thank you to DrD, Moley and Chippy_Tea. I think it's just down to my impatience-I have learned my lesson.

 

[DrD]

Thank you to DrD, Moley and Chippy_Tea. I think it's just down to my impatience-I have learned my lesson.

If I "reread" your post correctly - you haven't fined, stabilised or degassed yet? Were you drinking slightly fizzy, murky and yeasty wine? Sounds a bit gross :shock: .

If you haven't stabilised yet, leave it another few weeks before stabilising and fining, or a good few months to settle out naturally.

 

[minpin]

Hello-yes, it was certainly murky but not yeasty or fizzy. I had taken hydrometer readings and it appeared to have fermented out. It tasted fine, but as you can see, I'm no connoisseur...

 

[CalverleyWinery]

Bottled a few weeks ago an apple 1l, breakfast juice (orange/grapefruit) 1l both tesco basics and 1/2l of pineapple. On bottling was quite over powering and harsh but after a few weeks in the bottle is a good wine with a bit of depth to it, very pleasantly surprised

 

[niccolo]

I wonder if you can help.

I have just made 2 * 1 Gallon Batches of WOW.
Here are my ingredients.

• 1 litre Orange juice 100% from concentrate[/*:m:3mk86z0a]
• 1 litre White Grape Juice (WGJ) Batch 1 and 1 litre Red Grape Juice (RGJ) Batch 2. 100% C, [/*:m:3mk86z0a]
• 750g Sugar.[/*:m:3mk86z0a]
• 1/2 a mug of strong black tea.[/*:m:3mk86z0a]
• 1 tsp Yeast (youngs super yeast)[/*:m:3mk86z0a]
• 1 tsp Nutrient.[/*:m:3mk86z0a]
• 1/2 tsp Pectolase.[/*:m:3mk86z0a]
• 1 Vit B1 tablet.[/*:m:3mk86z0a]
• Make up to 5 litre with water.[/*:m:3mk86z0a]

I did not use citric acid as I guessed the OJ would be loaded with it.
I planned to add 1 tsp Glycerene at bottling.

At first Racking
1 Camden Tablet & 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate.

On 25th Feb 2014: starting SG = 1.074 RGJ WOW and 1076.9 WGR WOW.
On 14th Mar 2014: finishing SG = 0.992 RGJ WOW and 0.992 WGR WOW => ABV 11.14% and 11.5%.
There are still very small amounts of bubbles forming but these wines really went for it., I have tried to upload a small video to show this on the 21 Feb 2014. It was going at ~ 90 Bloops Per Minute and topped out at 148 BPM.

I have just racked it this morning, it is still very cloudy, tiny amount of bubbling and a dense but relatively thin sediment, I got all but last 1/2 cm out with a siphon and tilting.

So here are my questions, it taste very bland and thin and I was pretty disappointed. Have I done something wrong? Will it improve with age?

 

[JhnMcK]

What would you say the best juice proportions are? 2:2, 3:1, 2:1 (water making up the rest). I made a Pomegranate + WGJ and a Cranberry + RGJ using a 2:2 proportion (2 cartons of both juice). Can't decide whether I like the flavour or not yet.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If its 100% juice 1and 1, I wouldn't want it any stronger.

 

[niccolo]

What would you say the best juice proportions are? 2:2, 3:1, 2:1 (water making up the rest). I made a Pomegranate + WGJ and a Cranberry + RGJ using a 2:2 proportion (2 cartons of both juice). Can't decide whether I like the flavour or not yet.

I used 1 carton of GJ & 1 of OJ, making the rest up with water, which are the proportions Chippy_Tea mentions. See my post just before yours. It tasted thin and bland, hence my question about does it get better - still hoping for an answer to that.

As CT says make sure it is 100% juice. I was going to try a Pomegranate and RGJ but discovered the Pomegranate was diluted. Look for "Juice Drink" as a warning. I have got a bottle of POM Pomegranate juice which is 100% but only 70cl at £.70 a bottle it is a bit pricier than I would normally use.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I found the original wow to be fairly unpleasant even after a couple of weeks, I have not made it again.
My favourite at the moment is one litre of wgj and a litre of 100% apple/raspberry, I used to like cranberry or pomegranate based wow but they went silly expensive and they were under fifty percent so I had to use two to one of wgj.