We save up all our fruit scraps in a bag in the freezer – apple cores, anything in the fruit bowl that has past its best-by or product from the garden that, ahem, maybe the bugs enjoyed a little too much. When we have about a kg there (more or less) we add a couple of jars of cheap jam and hey presto – some pretty drinkable wine.
Of course you don’t need scraps, you can substitute the scraps for any sort of fruit, canned frozen or fresh (or even veges, flowers or any combination of the above etc) or another jar of jam. If using more jam decrease the sugar by 200g.
1kg various fruit and vege scraps. Ideally frozen and thawed. You can even add old bread if you want to! - although maybe limit it to a couple of slices.
2 x jars of jam. Check on the label there are no preservatives (citric acid (E330) is OK). We prefer dark jams as they clear easily by themselves. But knock yourself out experimenting!
600g plain white sugar or a combination of white sugar and any fermentable high sugar food eg honey, maple syrup, demerara, molasses. Adding even 20-100g of some other sugar-type ingredient adds body and complexity. Or try our fabulous fair trade organic raw sugar - only available in 10kg or 25kg.
Optional extras: oak, spices eg cloves or cinnamon stick, orange peel, tannin etc
4 litres or so of water (2 additions).
Potassium metabisulphite for sterlising equipment and must
¼ teaspoon Fermaid AT (or Fermaid O)
Finings (optional – we have found this wine made with dark jam clears well by itself)
Or you could try one of our prepacked home winemaking ingredients kits.
1/ Sterilise your equipment. Instructions are here https://www.makewine.co.nz/instructions-and-recipes (see Potassium Metabisulphite (PMS) instructions near the end of the page).
2/ Put your frozen scraps and empty your jars of jam into the bucket. Add any optional extras eg oak, spices etc Add a jug of boiling water. Stir. Wait for scraps to thaw and water to cool to room temperature. Add 1 teaspoon of 10% PMS solution Instructions are here https://www.makewine.co.nz/instructions-and-recipes (see Potassium Metabisulphite (PMS) instructions near the end of the page) and 1 teaspoon of pectolase.
3/ Leave for around 24 hours. Dissolve sugar in a jug of boiling water. Cool to room temperature and add to your bucket.
4/ Stir in half the fermaid.
5/ You may if you want, take a hydrometer reading now and adjust your sugar if you like. If you don’t have a hydrometer this does not pose a problem – your wine will be about 10-12% if you leave it to fully ferment.
6/ Rehydrate yeast in 50mls of boiled, cooled water for 20 minutes. If using Go-Ferm Protect add this to the rehydration water BEFORE the yeast. Stir rehydrated yeast into room temperature wine. HACK: this is not recommended but we do it (ssshush don’t tell anyone ). Sprinkle the dry yeast on top of the must to rehydrate. Stir wine in 20 minutes. Leave your bucket somewhere warm – ideally around 22-28C. Once actively fermenting unless where it is is very cold, it should generate sufficient heat to keep itself warm.
7/ Within 24 hours the must should be obviously fermenting. The pulp will be pushed to the top, it will smell yeasty and there is foaming and/or bubbles. Contact us if this has not happened for free advice if you purchased your ingredients from us. Stir 2x daily.
8/ Once sugar is depleted by 1/3 make the 2nd addition of Fermaid. If you don’t have a hydrometer to check about day 2 of an active ferment is usually about right.
9/ Once the must has stopped fermenting, usually 1-3 weeks depending on a range of factors including temperature, strain into a carboy and let sediment (lees) settle. Then siphon off into another carboy. Taste and correct. Usually drinkable straight away so you can bottle or HACK (not recommended but it is what we do) just pour straight out the carboy if you’re going to finish drinking it within say 2-4 weeks. Wine doesn’t like being exposed to oxygen post fermentation (the gap at the top of the carboy) so keep an eye on it that it doesn’t deteriorate and if it looks like this is happening add 1 teaspoon PMS solution / 5 litres and bottle.
Can be scaled up to any volume of wine. If the batch is smaller than 25L you still only need 5g yeast. Any more than 25L use 5g yeast/25L or part thereof. Eg 35L use 10g yeast, 50L use 10g yeast.
