Any reason why I can't make apple wine without a press?

[shearclass]

Hi

I think there is a local supply of free crab apples. I don't have a pulper or a press, but could i just do as i would do for other wine ingredients and, for example, jsut grate the apples?

Or would it be better to chop and boil them?

 

[Moley]

Yes, you can make apple wine without a press :thumb:

Google for recipes, or I can check mine tonight, but if you chop your apples, cover with cold water, add crushed CTs, pitch yeast the next day, use pectolase and ferment on the pulp for a few days, the apples will turn to mush and the pulp can easily be squeezed through a straining bag.

You only want about 10% crab apples though.

I would suggest 50-60% eaters and 40-30% cookers.

 

[shearclass]

Thanks Moley.

What would the taste be if they were all crab apples? I thought i woudl just use crab apples as i could get them for £free, which is the kind of price i like to pay.

I'm quite new to wine, I've done 1 kit, 1 WOW, 1 blackberry (picked from wild), 1 ginger (cheap), and 1 strawberry (the strawberries were on offer at tesco!).

I will soon be able to taste the wow and the kit, but the others are a long way off being sampled.

 

[Crastney]

the choices of apples is to get the right mix, not just flavours, but bitter, sharp, sweet, tannin, acid, etc.

Crabs, as far as I know, are high in tannins and acids, so keep the %age low. eaters are very sweet, but low in bitter sharp, and low in tannin. Deserts are different again. I'm not certain on this, so consult the might oracle that is google for a page on qualities required from different types of apples for making cider.
several pages of info here, and here

yeasts generally like a nice acid environment around pH 3 or 4 - too much or too little, and they die.

if you're making a single variety cider, you ideally need one that has a mix of all the right things. Very few will give you this, though the best that I can know of are Katy, Kingston Black, and Dabinet.

Hope this helps.

 

[Moley]

What would the taste be if they were all crab apples?

Eat one and take a guess.

 

[tonyhibbett]

On their own, crab apples won't produce anything worthwhile.

 

[shearclass]

shearclass wrote:
What would the taste be if they were all crab apples?
Eat one and take a guess.

From my limited knowledge of wine, i thought wine's only have a slight taste of their originating ingredients. I'll see how many i can collect this weekend and go from there.

Cheers

Crastney - thanks for your tips but i'm actually doing wine, not cider. Guess the same principles apply though.

 

[shearclass]

On their own, crab apples won't produce anything worthwhile.

Have you tried this? A quick google and I've found a few recipes for crab apples.

I suppose there is nothing lost other than a year of my life while it matures, and my son will enjoy collecting them with me (if I am not too late to collect them that is)

 

[shearclass]

OK i have located the crab apple where about, and I'll be taking several bags and a 6 year old boy with me tomorrow to collect them!

I can but try.