How many wine makers do we have here?

[nellynelly]

bottles only explode when you mess up.

 

[kuntrygirl]

My fig wine is coming along ok, I guess.

Peach wine should be ready soon.

I started grape wine this weekend. Grapes were on sale for $1.00 a pound. I couldn't pass that up.

 

[wekiva bird]

My fig trees are loaded with figs. what is the best recipe? (sweet) thanks

 

[kuntrygirl]

My fig trees are loaded with figs. what is the best  recipe? (sweet)  thanks

I get a lot of my recipes from this site.

I will copy and paste a few recipes to look at to see which one you prefer. I must say that I was VERY nervous when I started making this wine because I thought that NO WAY that figs could make enough "liquid" to produce wine. But I am very surprised at how it's coming along. The jury is still out on the color but the taste is nice and smooth! Keep me posted when you start.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques6.asp

Figs are interesting in that they are used in dozens of recipes, but almost always as dried fruit. Fresh figs are rare in recipes, and a "pure fig wine" is rarer still. However, I have one for you and you can multiply it out for 3, 5, 6-1/2, or as many gallons as you have the fermentation containers for. One package of wine yeast will handle from 1 to 5 gallons of wine.

Fresh Fig Wine

4 lbs figs
7 pts water
1-3/4 lbs granulated sugar
3-1/2 tsp acid blend
1 crushed Campden tablet
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 pkg Montrachet wine yeast

Chop or feed figs through mincer. Place in large, finely woven nylon straining bag, tie top, and put in primary fermentation vessel. Stir in all other ingredients except yeast. Check S.G. (should be 1.085 to 1.100; if not, add up to 1/2 cup more sugar, stirring very well before re-checking S.G.). Cover with cloth. Add yeast after 24 hours and stir daily, pressing pulp lightly to aid extraction of juices. When liquor reaches 1.040 (3 to 5 days), hang bag over bowl to drain, lightly pressing to aid extraction (do NOT force or you will cloud the liquor). While pulp drains, siphon liquor off sediments into secondary. Add drained liquid and discard pulp. Fit airlock to secondary. Ferment to dryness (S.G. 1.000 or lower -- in about 3 weeks). Rack into clean secondary, top up to 1 gallon and reattach airlock. Rack again in 2 months. Rack again and bottle when clear. This is a good dry wine. If you want it sweeter, add 1/2 tsp stabilizer per gallon after last racking (but before bottling), then add 1/4 lb dissolved sugar per gallon. Bottle. This wine can be drank young (after 3 months in bottle), but will improve immensely with age.

You really should consider drying some of the figs for use in other recipes calling for dried figs. They add considerable body to thin wines, but may impart a brownish color that some find objectionable. Not here. To me, that brown color means the wine should be aged four years before drinking, when it will have taken on an almost sherry quality. This is the value of dried figs....

Ingredients (for one gallon
2 1/2 lbs. Figs
2 1/4 lbs. Sugar (or S.G. 1.090 - 1.095)
1 Gallon water
1/2 tsp. Super Ferment Yeast Nutrient
1 1/2 tsp. Acid Blend (or acid to .65% )
1 Campden Tablet (crushed )
5 drops Liquid Pectic Enzyme or 1/2 tsp. Pectic Enzyme Powder
Wine Yeast (try Cote des Blancs or Lalvin 71B-1122)

Sanitize all equipment with a solution of sodium metabisulfite before proceeding (1 tsp. per pint water/2 oz. per gallon).

1. Use only sound ripe fruit. Mash fruit, including skins. Add all ingredients except yeast and pectic enzyme in a primary fermenter. Add hot water and stir to dissolve ingredients.
2. Cover, and when cool (70-75° F), add the pectic enzyme. During the first 24 hours it is important to stir the must 3 - 4 times to purge the SO2 from the must. Otherwise, your yeast will not "kick off!"
3. The next day rehydrate yeast by sprinkling onto 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a sanitized glass/jar. Cover with plastic wrap. After 15 minutes, pour onto surface of must.
4. Stir several times every day to push pulp "cap" under surface. After 5 - 6 days of fermentation, strain pulp and syphon into secondary fermenter. Attach the fermentation lock.
5. Rack in three weeks and again once a month for three months. Bottle when fermentation has ceased and wine is clear. *

*Wine may be sweetened to taste before bottling. Forty-eight hours prior to bottling, add 1/2 tsp. stabilizer (potassium sorbate) and 1/2 campden tablet per gallon to prevent re-fermentation. Then sweeten to taste with a simple syrup consisting of 1 part boiling water and 2 parts sugar (fructose works best).

INGREDIENTS: FIG WINE

2 lbs / 900 grams dried figs
2 1/2 lbs / 1,100 grams sugar
1 teaspoon pectic enzyme
1/2 pint honey
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 orange
Wine yeast
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient / energiser
8 pints / 1 gallon water
1 campden tablet

METHOD - WHAT TO DO

Boil water and add honey, stirring until it has completely dissolved. Simmer and remove any floating honey scum. Add to a clean fermentation vessel and allow honey mixture to cool. Roughly chop dried figs and add to two pints of boiling water, allowing them to cool for approximately 12 hours.

Strain the fig wine mixture and combine with the honey water in the winemaking fermentation vessel. Add all of the remaining ingredients, including the activated wine yeast. Stir each morning and evening for around four days and then strain the fig wine 'must', transferring it to a demijohn, attaching an airlock. Rack in around six weeks, and then three more times at regular intervals until one year old. Bottle and allow to stand for up to one year before drinking.

A sweeter version of fig wine can be achieved by adding extra sugar at the first racking. Fresh figs may also be used, although the quantity should be increased to around 6 lbs / 2720 grams for this wine recipe.

 

[wekiva bird]

Thanks, kuntrygirl starting to pick figs now hope to try it soon. Looking for wine kits now.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 Thanks, kuntrygirl starting to pick figs now hope to try it  soon. Looking for wine kits  now.

Great! Keep me posted!

 

[wekiva bird]

Well my DH got my birthday gift early the wine kit!!!!!

Hope i got everything to make fig and blueberry wine.

 

[Totalcolour]

Quote: This is incorrect. The k-meta, K2S2O5 (potassium metabisulfite) will not prevent fermentation if used correctly. I don't agitate my musts very much and have never had one fail. The sulfite will bind with the oxygen in the must preventing oxidation, and also getting rid of the nasty beasties that can make wine go bad (things like bacteria and such). Stirring the must will only add more oxygen into the must thereby making it possible for the wine to oxidize and go off colour.

 

[wekiva bird]

This is incorrect. The k-meta, K2S2O5 (potassium metabisulfite) will not prevent fermentation if used correctly. I don't agitate my musts very much and have never had one fail. The sulfite will bind with the oxygen in the must preventing oxidation, and also getting rid of the nasty beasties that can make wine go bad (things like bacteria and such). Stirring the must will only add more oxygen into the must thereby making it possible for the wine to oxidize and go off colour.

Thanks for info, so you maked this fig wine before?

 

[kuntrygirl]

My fig trees are loaded with figs. what is the best  recipe? (sweet)  thanks

Ingredients (for one gallon

2 1/2 lbs. Figs

2 1/4 lbs. Sugar (or S.G. 1.090 - 1.095)

1 Gallon water

1/2 tsp. Super Ferment Yeast Nutrient

1 1/2 tsp. Acid Blend (or acid to .65% )

1 Campden Tablet (crushed )

5 drops Liquid Pectic Enzyme or 1/2 tsp. Pectic Enzyme Powder

Wine Yeast (try Cote des Blancs or Lalvin 71B-1122)


Sanitize all equipment with a solution of sodium metabisulfite before proceeding (1 tsp. per pint water/2 oz. per gallon).


1. Use only sound ripe fruit. Mash fruit, including skins. Add all ingredients except yeast and pectic enzyme in a primary fermenter. Add hot water and stir to dissolve ingredients.
[COLOR=FF0000]2. Cover, and when cool (70-75° F), add the pectic enzyme. During the first 24 hours it is important to stir the must 3 - 4 times to purge the SO2 from the must. Otherwise, your yeast will not "kick off!"[/COLOR]

3. The next day rehydrate yeast by sprinkling onto 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a sanitized glass/jar. Cover with plastic wrap. After 15 minutes, pour onto surface of must.

4. Stir several times every day to push pulp "cap" under surface. After 5 - 6 days of fermentation, strain pulp and syphon into secondary fermenter. Attach the fermentation lock.

5. Rack in three weeks and again once a month for three months. Bottle when fermentation has ceased and wine is clear. *


*Wine may be sweetened to taste before bottling. Forty-eight hours prior to bottling, add 1/2 tsp. stabilizer (potassium sorbate) and 1/2 campden tablet per gallon to prevent re-fermentation. Then sweeten to taste with a simple syrup consisting of 1 part boiling water and 2 parts sugar (fructose works best).

This is incorrect. The k-meta, K[SUB]2[/SUB]S[SUB]2[/SUB]O[SUB]5[/SUB] (potassium metabisulfite) will not prevent fermentation if used correctly. I don't agitate my musts very much and have never had one fail. The sulfite will bind with the oxygen in the must preventing oxidation, and also getting rid of the nasty beasties that can make wine go bad (things like bacteria and such). Stirring the must will only add more oxygen into the must thereby making it possible for the wine to oxidize and go off colour.

I guess it works for the person that created the recipe.