Using sultanas rather than WGJ.

[Gorty]

If I use 250g minced sultanas in place of 1L of WGJ, do I leave them in the DJ until the end of fermentation or strain them out part way through which would mean leaving some of the sugar in the fruit not in the wine so calculations on the amount of sugar to add would be out. I know I've probably answered my own question here but are there any problems with leaving the sultanas in until the end of fermentation?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Have a look for a thread by tonyhibbet on this subject. :thumb:

 

[Gorty]

Oops! I'd totally forgotten that post!!! Thanks Chippy .... senior moment ... a VERY senior moment!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

:lol:

.........

 

[tonyhibbett]

Here is the latest update on the subject:
To minimise the fine pulp, the sultanas should be coarse minced. A manual (non iron) meat mincer is fine for small (250 g) quantities and an electric one for bulk use, provided the fruit has been mixed with some warm water to soften and lubricate it. Don't add sugar yet. Pulp fermentation in a bucket with yeast, nutrient and pectolase is best. After 3 days skim the floating pulp with a sieve, strain through a straining bag, discard the solids and return the liquid to the bucket. By this time most of the sugar etc. in the sultanas will have been extracted into the liquid. Now add the sugar, fruit juice etc. if required, as per recipe.
The next day, fine pulp will rise to the surface. Skim this and then put the must into the demijohn. More fine pulp will settle and then go into 'lava lamp' mode. Once it has settled down, stir it up and it will settle into a firmer and thinner layer. When the sg is down to 1010, rack and leave the must to slowly ferment to dryness. Allow the wine to sit on the thin layer of yeast for a couple of weeks before racking, stabilising, fining and bottling.
The important principles are that prolonged exposure to fruit pulp degrades the flavour but the reverse is true for a small layer of dead/inactive yeast.
Sultanas have a 73% sugar content, so 1.5 kilos should make a gallon of pure wine of 12% abv without adding sugar. However, a more interesting wine can be made with the partial substitution of other fruit/juice/nectars/flowers/honey.

 

[Gorty]

Thanks Tony, I wasn't sure how long to leave the sultanas in there as the last time I used them was probably twenty years ago! The memory is not what it was!

 

[tonyhibbett]

Just as well. Those old recipes assume you want very sweet wine.
Another approach is to treat sultanas more like fresh grapes. Soak them overnight with 3 parts water to re-hydrate them. Crush them underfoot then run them through a fruit press, or omit crushing and use a juice extractor. This vastly reduces the fine pulp problem.