Supermarket Juice Wine How To guide and Recipes.

[Dempoe]

Sorry this has probably been asked before but how stong is the standard WOW ? i have made a few and loved all of them, and i recently made a waitrose merlot and welches red juice with 1 kilo of sugar ...... probs wayyy too much sugar but i was just trying to up the strength a bit, anyhows it took about two weeks to finish fermenting and on the initial reading it read ABV 16% but after topping up with water i am thinking that would have knocked it down a bit. Im going to be bottling it later today or tomorrow and the little sip i had was very nice if a little sweeter that usual ( probs because of too much sugar ), so can someone tell me roughly the best amount of sugar to use to get the strongest brew using youngs super wine yeast and youngs yeast nutrient.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

bottling it later today or tomorrow and the little sip i had was very nice if a little sweeter that usual ( probs because of too much sugar ),

There are a couple of reason it may have been sweet, it may not have finished fermenting or the there was too much sugar for the yeast to get through (or a combination of both)

The general rule of thumb is if you have a total sugar content of 1100g (in a DJ) it'll be around 13%.

 

[kelper]

In 4.5 litre demijohn, about 1kg of sugar seems about right but you should include the sugar quoted for the fruit juice. A litre of supermarket juice will quote grammes of sugar per 100ml so multiply by ten for each litre. Are you using a hydrometer? Where did you get your "16%" from?

My WOWs come out at 12 to 15% when fermented down to 0.995 or lower.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

"How to make wine with high alcohol content"
(link at bottom)

First of all, when making a high alcohol wine, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you are fighting an uphill battle. This is because wine yeast has been bred for decades to produce wines that are 10 to 13 percent alcohol, just like the wines you'll find at the store. So when you attempt to make wines that are beyond 13%, you must understand that it is necessary to nurture the fermentation along.

You must also have a realistic view of how much alcohol you can expect to make. There have been times on rare occasions when 19 or 20 percent has been obtained, but in reality 15 or 16 percent is closer to the norm and 17 or 18 percent is usually considered a godsend. Also, be prepared for fermentations that just can't do much beyond 13 or 14 percent. Different fruits, mix of nutrients and overall fermentation environment contribute to the unpredictability of a fermentation.

https://eckraus.com/wine-making-high-alcohol/

 

[Chippy_Tea]

In 4.5 litre demijohn, about 1kg of sugar seems about right but you should include the sugar quoted for the fruit juice. A litre of supermarket juice will quote grammes of sugar per 100ml so multiply by ten for each litre. Are you using a hydrometer? Where did you get your "16%" from?

My WOWs come out at 12 to 15% when fermented down to 0.995 or lower.

The bog standard original WOW recipe suggested two cartons of juice and 800g of sugar so 1000g to 1100g depending on the sugar content of the cartons, to be honest i dropped the total down to 900g soon after i started making supermarket juice wines as SWMBO said it was too strong (not alcohol taste wise but more go to sleep wise)

 

[Dempoe]

In 4.5 litre demijohn, about 1kg of sugar seems about right but you should include the sugar quoted for the fruit juice. A litre of supermarket juice will quote grammes of sugar per 100ml so multiply by ten for each litre. Are you using a hydrometer? Where did you get your "16%" from?

My WOWs come out at 12 to 15% when fermented down to 0.995 or lower.

Just what my hydrometer said before i pitched the yeast ( i would have said specific gravity ) but i didnt have my glasses ............. you know those telephones with large numbers on for older peeps ? do they make hydrometers with big numbers on lol

 

[Dempoe]

There are a couple of reason it may have been sweet, it may not have finished fermenting or the there was too much sugar for the yeast to get through (or a combination of both)

The general rule of thumb is if you have a total sugar content of 1100g (in a DJ) it'll be around 13%.

im pretty sure it finished fermenting, no bubbles at all from the bubbler ( once i turned the heat pad off and the water levels in the bubbler leveled out ) and every other wow i have done usually is finished in a week, this one took two weeks give or take a day or so longer. I didnt concider the sugar content of the juices i just looked at what the hydrometer was saying at the beginning, ill look and see where its ended up when i bottle it. Im aiming for about 14% and thought the topping up might reduce it down from the 16% area to about 14%. Maybe i should stick it back on the heatpad for a few more days ? but i have added the quick clear now so would that make a difference?

 

[Dempoe]

"How to make wine with high alcohol content"
(link at bottom)

First of all, when making a high alcohol wine, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you are fighting an uphill battle. This is because wine yeast has been bred for decades to produce wines that are 10 to 13 percent alcohol, just like the wines you'll find at the store. So when you attempt to make wines that are beyond 13%, you must understand that it is necessary to nurture the fermentation along.

You must also have a realistic view of how much alcohol you can expect to make. There have been times on rare occasions when 19 or 20 percent has been obtained, but in reality 15 or 16 percent is closer to the norm and 17 or 18 percent is usually considered a godsend. Also, be prepared for fermentations that just can't do much beyond 13 or 14 percent. Different fruits, mix of nutrients and overall fermentation environment contribute to the unpredictability of a fermentation.

https://eckraus.com/wine-making-high-alcohol/

Thanks chippy ill look into that as well :)

 

[kelper]

To measure ABV you need the OG and the FG.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Maybe i should stick it back on the heatpad for a few more days ? but i have added the quick clear now so would that make a difference?

If you haven't used stabiliser it may work but the yeast may not be up to the job if there was too much sugar.

 

[Scottyburto]

Sorry this has probably been asked before but how stong is the standard WOW ? i have made a few and loved all of them, and i recently made a waitrose merlot and welches red juice with 1 kilo of sugar ...... probs wayyy too much sugar but i was just trying to up the strength a bit, anyhows it took about two weeks to finish fermenting and on the initial reading it read ABV 16% but after topping up with water i am thinking that would have knocked it down a bit. Im going to be bottling it later today or tomorrow and the little sip i had was very nice if a little sweeter that usual ( probs because of too much sugar ), so can someone tell me roughly the best amount of sugar to use to get the strongest brew using youngs super wine yeast and youngs yeast nutrient.

If u made it up to 4.5lt as the directions, lost 500ml to trub and topped up 1lt to 5lts. You would be about 12.8%. In the theory abv times original quantity divided by new quantity.
(16 X 4) / 5 = 12.8

 

[dwhite60]

Got mine on today.

Two liters of Welch's White Grape / Peach (has some apple in it too) 100% juice.
820 grams sugar (1100 - (8 * 35) = 820) 8 servings per bottle, 35 grams sugar per serving.
1 tsp grape tannin
1 tsp Fermaid-K
1 tsp Acid Blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme (Package said one teaspoon in 21 liters)
water to 4.5 liters

1 tsp Red Star Premier Classic (Formerly Montrachet) wine yeast.
OG 1.095. Should finish about 13% ABV.

Juice smelled awesome. Here in the states most juice in the grocery is in two liter bottles. You can get premium juice in one-and-a-half U.S. quart bottles but it's pricey.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[Joe Fox]

Just started a new experiment;

3 Litres Innocent Coconut water,
3 Tropicana Pineapple juice,
1400 grms sugar
Pineapple juice,
950 grms clear honey,
lemon juice,
black tea,
all topped up to 15 litres.

I’m curious to see how much of the coconut and pineapple comes through

 

[Chippy_Tea]

How much sugar total is that?

 

[Joe Fox]

How much sugar total is that?

Just noticed I listed the sugar twice!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Just noticed I listed the sugar twice!

:thumba:

 

[Joe Fox]

How much sugar total is that?

:thumba:

with the sugars in the juice it’s just a bit less than 3kg. Hydrometer read 1070, potential alcohol 11%

 

[johncrobinson]

I think it will end up tasting like wine.
Years ago wine buffs folk looked down upon country wines as not having been made by the grape
Just keep the abv between 10-14% and all will be fine

 

[dwhite60]

Got mine on today.

Two liters of Welch's White Grape / Peach (has some apple in it too) 100% juice.
820 grams sugar (1100 - (8 * 35) = 820) 8 servings per bottle, 35 grams sugar per serving.
1 tsp grape tannin
1 tsp Fermaid-K
1 tsp Acid Blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme (Package said one teaspoon in 21 liters)
water to 4.5 liters

1 tsp Red Star Premier Classic (Formerly Montrachet) wine yeast.
OG 1.095. Should finish about 13% ABV.

Juice smelled awesome. Here in the states most juice in the grocery is in two liter bottles. You can get premium juice in one-and-a-half U.S. quart bottles but it's pricey.

All the Best,
D. White

Today makes two weeks this has been working. Was surprised how cloudy it was after opening the fermenter.

Racked it onto sulphite and sorbate, degassed. I'll give it a few days and fine, if needed.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[DavieC]

Hi all, I've just looked at a couple of batches I made in October and let them clear on its own.one was a Rose'made with Tesco forest fruit and rgj and the other was a white made with apple and wgj concentrate.Both these were very cloudy but have now finally cleared, hope they will taste ok as I usually drink the Wow quite young.Will be bottling at the weekend all being well.