Apple Wine

       I consider learning how to make wine an excellent skill if there ever comes a day I need to trade for something.  It's not hard to do.  I've been slowly gathering equipment.  I began making elderberry wine for medicinal reasons...and as a way to preserve my elderberries other than freezing.  Since then, I have been trying different country wines just to practice.   The elderberry wine came out fantastic this year! I made 3 gallons of it.  That is 15 bottles.

     Check out racking the elderberry wine here
     Check out getting ready to bottle the wine here
     Check out bottling the elderberry wine here


     This year I planted parsnips to try parsnip wine.  I haven't harvested them yet.  I didn't plan on making apple wine quite yet.  I don't have a wine press to make juice.  But there were so many apples this year I checked out apple wine recipes.  I found out there's recipes made just from the apples without juicing them so I jumped right in.  I actually crushed the apples in the meat grinder  of my  Kitchen-aide mixer.

First I cored the apples. 
Then I cut them in chunks into the meat grinder.
1 med-large apple = 1 cup chopped apple.

I crushed 16 cups of apples.

I dumped the apples into my primary fermenter,
and on top of that 1 gallon of hot water that I had dissolved
4.5 lbs. of sugar in.  Start with a big enough pot! (6 qt. or >)
1 lb. of white granulated sugar = 2 1/4 cups
(Make a metal note of that because all the wine recipes measure the sugar in #'s)

Apple Wine

16 cups chopped apples
1 cinnamon stick
4.5 lbs. white sugar (10 1/8 cups)
1 crushed campden tablet
1 1/2 tsp. acid blend
1 tsp. yeast nutrient
1/4 tsp. tannin
1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
1 pkg. of wine yeast


Don't peel the apples, but remove seeds and core.
Put in primary fermenter along with the cinnamon stick.
Pour hot sugar water over the apples.
Let sit for 24 hr. (covered)
Then add crushed campden tablet, acid blend, yeast nutrient, and tannin.
12 hrs. later add pectic enzyme.
12 hrs later sprinkle wine yeast on the top. (Wait to stir till morning)
Stir daily for 5-10 days until bubbling stops.
Pour the must (the crushed apples etc.) through a colander.
Pour the "wine" into a gallon size secondary fermenter, add airlock.
Rack every 30 days until clear and then bottle. (6-9 mon.)
(All of these ingredients can be found at a wine supply store.)






Ready to add the yeast tonight.
Tomorrow my house will smell like a brewery -- but not for too long.  :-)



.....dr momi

Linked To: Preparedness Challenge
Linked To: Homestead Barn Hop