Apple Wine
Apple Wine
- 6 lb mixed apples
- 1 lb sultanas
- 1 1/2 lb sugar
- 1 teaspoon nutrient
- 1 vitamin B1 tablet
- 2 teaspoons pectolase
- Hock type yeast
- Campden tablets
- Water to 1 gallon
- Dissolve 1 crushed campden tablet in 4 pints of cold water in a sterilised fermenting bucket.
- Chop or slice the apples thinly and put them quickly into the sulphited water. Add the washed, minced sultanas, the pectolase, yeast nutrient and vitamin B1 tablet.
- Stir, place an upturned plate on top of the fruit and cover the bucket. Leave for 24 hours.
- Make sure the yeast starter is fully active before pouring it carefully into one side of the bucket. If the yeast starter is kept to a small area of the bucket an active yeast colony will quickly become established, and can then be stirred into the bulk must. When it is fully active a fruit cap will form on top of the must; this should be kept submerged with a plate to enable a quicker and better extraction rate and to exclude as much oxygen as possible. The cap should be broken up 2 or 3 times daily depending on the activity of the fermentation.
- Ferment on the pulp for 4 days.
- Strain off the liquid, pressing the pulp lightly and pour into the sterilised demijohn adding the dissolved sugar. ( The demijohn should not be more than 7/8ths full to minimise waste from excess frothing. )
- Fit an airlock and stand the demijohn in a warm place. Top the jar up after a few days with any surplus must or a little cold water.
- When the fermentation ceases ( usually 2-3 weeks ) syphon the clearing wine from the sediment into a clean demijohn and move to a cool place.
- After 1 or 2 days rack again, adding 2 campden tablets and topping up with a little cold water.
- After 2 weeks rack again, adding 1 more campden tablet.
- Replace the airlock with a cork bung. Rack again when a heavy deposit forms. If care is taken there should not be any need to add further sulphite for dry table wines but if in doubt another campden tablet may be added. NOTE If you like there to be a little residual sugar in the wine, you should rack it when the S.G. drops to 1.000. Remove to a cool place or refrigerate for 24 hours before racking and adding the campden tablet. To safeguard this medium dry wine an extra campden tablet should be added during the maturing period.