Apple Cranberry Wine

started 9/5/2000
bottled 5/20/2001

Alcohol 13.9%
Initial SG 1.102
Final SG 0.995
pH 3.41 TA 1.1

Tasting Notes

5/7/2001 Light red to brownish yellow color. Apple nose is subtle. Taste is a little thin but very subtle cranberry (from concentrate) rounds it out to a nice light bodied wine.

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Ingredients

26 pounds of tart apples from neighbor's tree.
8 cans frozen Old Orchard Cranberry Juice concentrate (100% juice blend of pear, cranberry and aronia berry juice concentrates)
13.2 pounds sugar
3.5 gallons water
5 campden tablets
3 tsp Yeast Nutrient
3 Tsp Citric Acid
1 1/4 tsp tannin
50 drops liquid pectic enzyme
Champagne yeast

9/5/2000 The apples were cored and chopped fine in batches in the food processor together with a solution of 5 campden tablets in 2 quarts of water. The sugar was dissolved in water and added to the apples. Cranberry juice concentrate was added. All the other ingredients were added except the yeast. The cranberry juice concentrate volume added up to approximately 1 gallon. An additional 3.5 gallons of water total was added which includes the sulfite solution. It is expected that another 1/2 to 1 gallon of liquid will come from the apples. If not, the carboy will be topped up with sugar water of the same SG. After everything was mixed well, a sample was drawn off and the SG measured at 1.100.

9/6/2000 Yeast was pitched in. SG measured at 1.102

9/11/2000 Fermenting ok. SG measured at 1.072.

9/14/2000 Strained into a 6 gallon carboy. Filled to the top. Where did all this must come from? The apples must have had a lot of water. Filled a 2-liter bottle and placed in the freezer for topping up later. SG measured at 1.060. Does not seem to be fermenting. Noticed fermentation slowing the last couple of days. Added 6 crushed yeast nutrient tablets. Note, used the powder previously. After 4 hours, fermenting nicely.

9/18/2000 Still fermenting strong. Reddish-pink color.

10/1/2000 Still bubbling madly

10/6/2000 Still fermenting. Racked into the 6.5 gallon carboy with addition of thawed must that was previously frozen (2 liters). Didn't fill up, so racked back into the 6 gallon and a liter bottle. SG measured 1.009, acidity pH 3.0-3.3. Tasted slightly sweet and crisp. 12.3% alcohol.

11/2/2000 Still fermenting very slowly. SG measures 0.993. Nice flavor.

12/27/2000 Racked to a 6 ga. 2.4 g potassium metabisulfite added to the carboy. SG measured at 0.996. Acid measured at >1 g/L. Nice tart flavor &endash; full bodied.

3/25/2001 Racked. SG 0.996, pH 3.37, TA 1.1-1.2 - taste is nice, still a little harsh but mellowing. Acidic tasting. Getting very clear, but stirred up some lees in transferring. Alcohol 13.85%

5/20/2001 Racked into carboy with 2.4 g pot. Meta. Bottled. SG 0.995, pH 3.41, TA 1.1. Taste is really nice. Mellowing nicely. Filled 30 750 mL bottles.