What to do with all this dried fruit!!!

[Liam]

A neighbour of mine has offloaded about 20kgs of dried fruit on me and since I'm not going to be able to eat anything close to this without spending the rest of the week on the toilet, I've decided to try and turn it into wine! However I'm pretty new to this so I've no idea of proportions.

I'd like to make 5 gallons of blueberry wine from the dried blueberries, maybe adding some red grape concentrate if required? I also have about a kilo or so of orange and lemon peel. I was thinking something along the lines of a sparkling citrus wine? Possible? If anyone could help with a recipe that would be very helpful.

One complication! It seems that the fruit has been treated with potassium sorbate but I've heard this can be rinsed off. Is this true?

 

[Dutto]

Here's an explanation of Potassium Sorbate and its uses ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_sorbate

... and you're right, it might cause a problem because it helps to inhibit yeasts!

However, it is also a "highly soluble salt" so that possibly means that washing, steeping and rinsing the fruit with copious amounts of water would bring the level down to a where it becomes ineffective against the yeast during fermentation. Definitely a "suck and see" situation.

With regard to the types of wine to make there are multiple recipes available on the Forum so I suggest that you trawl through them and find one that fits the amount and types of fruit you have available.

The blueberry wine sounds a good idea and with a sufficient quantity it may not require the addition of any grape juice. On the down side, blueberries stain just about everything they touch (including teeth) so be careful when you are setting up the brew. Also, don't forget the strong tea (for tannins) and the pectolase (to reduce haze in the finished wine).

Personally, I would avoid a "sparkling wine" because it adds an extra dimension to what is already an "experiment".

Hope this helps.:thumb: