Supermarket Juice Wine How To guide and Recipes.

[Chippy_Tea]

As chewie says 2 litres of 100% juice to a Demijohn (DJ) with 800g of sugar will do the trick, if you add more juice you need to subtract the amount of sugar in the carton from the 800g, if you get a 23 litre fermenting vessels multiply the 4.5 litre recipe by 5 for 22.5 litre, you can get away with only using 3 teaspoons of yeast but use 5 teaspoons of all the other ingredients.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I've tried a couple of wows using 3L of juice per DJ and we didn't think they were as nice as those made with 2L of juice per DJ.

I have never tried adding more juice at the begging so am glad it doesn't improve it, i have taken to topping up using equal amounts of apple juice and water in each DJ, we find this does improve the taste.

 

[dublin12]

Thanks for all the replies. Its bubbling away big time at moment - still just short 1L of juice. Since I have the room and need to top up at racking I will put in a 50/50 mix of RGJ and AJ and hopefully retrieve it most of the way back to the original recipe. Both juices are clear so hoping I won't need to worry about pectin hazes at the end.

Edit : Started it Sunday. It is Now early Tuesday and all foaming has stopped (fridge working wonders keeping temp pegged to 20c) so I added in the missing juice.
Still room at the top in case it decides to go mad again.

Update:
3x11.5L of RGJ / AJ:
Bottom Left (lidl RGJ and lidl AJ) was made Sunday, bottom right Tuesday, top right Friday.
Top right has has M&S red grape/pomegranite/ blackberry juice (3L for €7) - on this it is taking a while for the yeast to drop into the mix)
Top left : 1 AJ and Pineapple Juice (just made this earlier this evening).

 

[dublin12]

So mine have been on the go for over 3 weeks. The first one I put in had a SG of 1090 and now about 3.5 weeks later it stopped trap bubbling 2 days ago but I can see small bubbles continue to rise v slowly through the clear plastic, the SG remains stubbornly at 1.003. Not sure if I should go for next stage now or waaaaaaait.

The level has gone down a bit because I kept out the 2 hydrometer samples for tasting. Not too shabby actually. At moment it is sweet, alcoholicy and slightly fizzy. At the top there is some sort of separation visible also.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If its been fermenting for 3 weeks it should be lower than that, keep checking and when you find it the same over a 3 day period it has finished.

 

[dublin12]

Cheers, appreciate the advice.

This was my very first of the 4 and I slightly messed up the quantities (thought was UK gallons but it was US) so put too little of everything in it initially. If it is 1.003 tomorrow morning I will move on !!

I think the pineappleapple one is done - will test it now.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You may find it a little sweet, they normally get down to .995 - .990 when finished.

 

[dublin12]

Cheers - so first one in (bottom LHS too little yeast) is 1.003 - no dodgy smells. Second one in (bottom RHS approx 2 days later) is 1.001. Third one is the M&S fresh red juice - tastes sweeter and is at about 1010. The pineappeapple (all vitafit stuff) is actually at similar 1010 ish. Also tastes like it will be drinkable.

As I am brewing at 20c dead it's possible I just have to wait longer than if I was using ambient summer temps.

I can see what you mean about not a huge difference between concentrate vs fresh - might not be much difference when all is said and done.

I am well impressed how well they all taste - certainly I can imagine quaffing that back instead of horrible 7 euro petrol station wine.

So next step after confirming they no longer move on the hydrometer is to rack, campden / stabilise, degas, then add kwick clear, topup and leave for 48 hours?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Let us know how you get on.

It might not be a bad thing its on the sweet side as i was not keen on the .990 ones when i started out as i found them too dry being used to drinking cheap medium sweet wine from the supermarket, my tastes soon changed and i now like them on the dry side.

 

[dublin12]

Ok I took them all into the kitchen and did more accurate measuring. The three rosé are actually at 1.001, 1,002, 1020, and the pineapple is accelerating past the last rosé @ 1015. I can only guess that having them locked to 20c in the fermfridge is making the whole process slower than ambient summer temps of 18-23c. All look ok, no dodgy smells. Will take another reading tomorrow.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

20c is fine and i would have expected them to have been finished in 10 days, did you use nutrient?

 

[dublin12]

Yep - divided your recipe by 4.5 and multiplied by 11.5
Used Young's dried active yeast and Young's yeast nutrient.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Have you checked your hydrometer in water at 20c? (its 60f in the video so ignore it)


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9RZSZwatpU[/ame]

 

[dublin12]

Great idea. Just did that - its accurate at 20c. Perfectly level at 1.00. Just have to wait longer.
If you are using compound you are using a bit more nutrient but a little less yeast ?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I use a teaspoon of youngs super wine yeast compound and a teaspoon of nutrient in every DJ.

 

[Personal91]

I use a teaspoon of youngs super wine yeast compound and a teaspoon of nutrient in every DJ.

what could you substitute/add in addition to the nutrient ? i have a tub of yeast nutrient but was just wondering :)

i remember something about marmite ?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have heard of marmite and i think tomato puree but why use those if you have nutrient?

 

[dublin12]

I just looked it up :

"A Specially formulated recipe containing Bentonite, Wine Yeast, Yeast Nutrient, Vitamins and Minerals. Used or making high quality wines, speedy fermentation and clearing"

Perhaps this explains the difference so. Will order some for next time !

 

[Chippy_Tea]

As you have pointed out the Youngs Super Wine Yeast Compound has nutrient in it but i have always added a teaspoon of nutrient to be on the safe side.

 

[Sgreen]

I get what is a resonable red wine, easy drinking rather than rich from:
Welschs purpel grape 1l
Cherry good 3l
Tea and lemon
So around £1/l

I might try subing a litre of the cherry for another pgj in the future.