Apple Wine Recipe
Nov 5th, 2007 by Erroll
I got my start in winemaking by fermenting apple juice. I bought 1-gallon glass jugs, filled with juice, for less than homebrew shops were selling them empty. This got me a collection of small secondary fermenters and some nice dry white wine. I still make apple wine, almost every year, from my own apple trees and store bought juice. The apple juice will be low in acid and fermentable sugar, so I’ll have to add both. I’m using honey as my sugar source this year, but ordinary table sugar works too.
Ingredients
4 lb 1.5 oz Liberty & Akane apples
1 Gallon Trader Joe’s Graventein Apple Juice
0.5 tsp tannin
honey to SG 1.090
acid to 6-7 g/L in the finished wine
sulfite to 50 ppm (equivalent to 1 campden tablet)
1 tsp pectic enzyme
Premier Cuvee yeast from starter
Procedure
Since the Gravenstein juice is pasteurized, there’s no threat from microorganisms. So I’ll chop & juice the apples and add all the sulfite to this juice, where it’s needed most. I’ll add the pectic enzyme to the Gravenstein juice, combine them, and measure the SG, pH, & TA. I’ll raise the SG to 1.090 by adding honey.
Here’s where the juicer
Measure sugar & acid and add the honey
The apples yielded 1 quart (just under 1 liter) of juice. Adding it to the one gallon of Trader Joes juice gave me 1.25 gallons. This combined juice had an SG of 1.050, a pH of 3.52, and a TA of 5.5 g/L. Added a cup of this juice to the 2 cups of starter (Niagra juice with Premier Cuvee yeast that I used to start the Merlot and Chardonnay).
Honey, with 18% water, has an SG of 1.417. Converting my 1.25 gallons to metric measures, I have 4.7312L of 1.050 must. Adding 0.5785L honey will yield 5.31L of SG 1.090 must. I’ll round and call it 0.6L honey.
I’ll wait to add the acid
My 4.7L of juice had 5.5 g/L of titratable acidity, or about 26 grams of acid in total. Adding 0.6L of honey brought the total volume to 5.3L. A typical white wine must would have about 8 g/L, so my 5.3L ought to have about 42 grams of acid. Assuming no contribution from the honey, I would need to add about 16 grams of acid to reach my goal. I think I’ll wait for it to ferment out, take another reading and adjust the acid then. Acidity often drops during fermentation, and I’ll aim for 6-7 g/L, as tartaric, in the finished wine.
Fermentation
The starter hadn’t quite um, started yet, but I tossed it in on 11/1. By 11/3 those microscopic winemakers were throwing a party and it was in full swing!
Update 9/29/08 I made apple wine again this year, but this time I didn’t buy juice. With 100% from-my-backyard apples, it will be my first “estate bottled” apple wine!
Thanks from Australia, we shall give the wine making a go. As we have an over abundance of apples from just two trees this summer.
Noel
How much does this yield?
Hi Cindy,
Right now, I’ve got a 1-gallon jug and a wine bottle full (about 4.5 liters) aging in the cellar.
Erroll
Ever done a batch from apple cider instead of juice? I bought two 1 gal. glass jugs of apple cider today with the intent of attempting fermentation of the cider like you suggest here with juice. I bought it so I could cheaply obtain two more 1 gal secondary fermenters. (Both you and Jack Keller are responsible for my hunting for 1 gal glass jugs of juice for these reasons, by the way, since you both state that you do it this way.) Is there anything you know about the differences between juice and cider which might prohibit my making wine from cider (or change my approach to it)? Thanks in advance! As you know I am still a newbie to this winemaking business, and all your advice is greatly appreciated, as well as is your blog.
Sincerely,
John
Hi John,
The short answer:
You can use the same recipe without modification.
The long answer:
In the US, fermented apple juice is called “hard cider,” and unfermented apple juice is called “apple juice.” Except when it is called “cider.” There doesn’t seem to be a hard and fast rule about when to call the stuff cider and when to call it juice. I think the cloudier it is, the more likely it is to be called cider. The clearer it is, the more likely it is to be called juice.
In most of the rest of the world, fermented apple juice is called “cider” - no adjective. Unfermented juice is sometimes called “sweet cider.”
If you add sugar and acid to apple juice then ferment it, you get “apple wine.”
Good luck with your apple wine!
Erroll
Erroll,
HELP! My Dad gave me 10 bushels of apples and one can make only so much with them. I remember coming across an Apple Wine made with applesauce. I didn’t know what to do with all the apples so I am making applesauce (16 gallons so far) and putting it in the freezer. I emailed Jack Keller (his site said you could make apple wine out of applesauce but could not find a recipe) and his email site said that it may be quite some time before he could get back to me. Please, if you have any recipes that or let me know how to substitute the sauce, I would be ever so grateful! Reeca in Kentucky
Hello Reeca,
Some people think I make some pretty odd wine, but it never occurred to me to make wine from applesauce. I really think you’d make a better wine by using the raw apples, but this is how I’d approach it if I had nothing but applesauce and a hankering for wine.
I need to know how much liquid a given amount of applesauce will yield, and how much sugar is in that liquid. So I would “juice” the applesauce by adding pectic enzyme - maybe one teaspoon/quart or something like that. Let it site overnight, then strain off the liquid with cheesecloth and a colander. Use measuring cups to determine the volume and a hydrometer to determine the specific gravity of the juice.
If the specific gravity is greater than 1.090, then add water until you get to 1.090. If the SG is less than 1.090, then make a sugar syrup (1-2 parts sugar to 1 part water, boiled and cooled) and add it to the juice until you hit 1.090. Keep track of how much water/syrup you add, and measure the final volume. Now you have an idea of how much water/syrup added to a given quantity of applesauce yields your final volume of must.
Say you added 1 tsp enzyme to a quart of applesauce, for example, and got a pint of liquid. You then added one cup of syrup to get three cups of 1.090 must. Now you know that 7 quarts applesauce, 7 tsp enzyme, and 7 cups syrup will get you about 1.3 gallons (7 pints = 14 cups liquid + 7 cups syrup = 21 cups) of must. 1.3 gallons of must is a reasonable target for every gallon of wine you want to make. Scale it up or down as you like.
I would add the enzyme to the applesauce, wait overnight, add the syrup, sulfite to 50 ppm (about a campden tablet/gallon), and pitch the yeast. Notice I didn’t say to strain it this time; I think that would be too much work at this point. Racking after it has fermented out should be easier. Measure the acidity after the first racking, and adjust as necessary. From here on, it’ll be like an ordinary wine.
Good luck!
Erroll
Hi, Erroll.
I have another question for you about the apple wine. In all your experiences with the creation of apple wine, did your batches (or any of them) simply not get a “head” on them during primary fermentation? My batch has yet to form one. All my other wines formed a head within the first few hours, but I pitched Montrachet yeast in my apple wine on 9-2-08 and still no head. Curious, I think. It is fermenting pretty vigorously, as when I stir it it fizzes like a shook-up soda. My thought is that the juice doesn’t have whatever (a protein chain?) binds the bubbles together like my blackberries (for example) had. What say you?
As always, your input and blog are greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
John
Hello John,
I’ve had lots of foam on some fermentations and almost none on others, but I haven’t noticed a pattern. It must say something about two fermentations if one is foamy and the other isn’t. I just haven’t thought about it very much until you brought it up. I always focused on questions like, “Is it fermenting?” and “Is the fermentation healthy?”
I know that homebrewers add crystal malt to aid in head retention. They also strive to keep their equipment and glassware free of soapy residue, either by not using soap or by thoroughly rinsing, because soap can prevent a head from forming. The yeast strain can make a difference, and Montrachet is known to produce more foam than others. So there are some clues, but I don’t think I can say anything definitive.
At any rate I’m glad you have a healthy fermentation, and I hope you let me know how it turns out.
Erroll
I have made apple wine, from applesauce as well. It came when I was making the applesauce, and got way too much liquid when the apples cooked down. I then added yeast, pectic enzyme and a bit more sugar, and made a beautiful ice wine type.
How I forgot to mention this, I have no idea. Erroll, I hope you will endulge me the opportunity to use your blog space to warn people of a danger I came across when making my apple wine. I can’t remember where I got the suggestion to mix 1/4 tsp of Potassium Metabisulphite with 5 tbsp of water to make measuring the correct ammount for one gal batches easier (1 tbsp solution/ gal. must), but I feel it is necessary that I tell others about the inherent danger in doing so. I was not warned, and it almost cost me my life - literally. I had this solution mixed up and in an air-tight jar for over a month, and being curious to a fault sometimes I decided to see if it had any kind of odor and proceeded to smell the contents. This led to immediate burning in my nose, sinuses, and constriction in my lungs to the point that I thought death was imminent. The nurse at poison control told me that there was a danger that it could consrtict my bronchial tubes completely shut, and they would have to intubate. Fortunaltely, I was given “steam therapy” for about an hour and I obviously pulled through. I hope by this someone else out there will learn from my mistake and be kept from harm. If you decide to make this solution DO NOT BREATHE THE FUMES! They can kill you.
On a much brighter note, my apple wine has fermented to 13% +/- in only 6 days. I am considering killing fermentation now as it has a rather pleasant sweet taste; racking off the lees and fining. Is there something I don’t know that might necessitate a longer secondary fermentation? I racked it to secondary last night, by the way. My potential abv was 15.5% when I started, but now I don’t know if I want it that high. The sweet flavor it has now is quite desireable to me and to my wife… a quandary, I suppose. My lack of experience is showing, I know. What to do, Erroll? Pot. Meta. and finish/fine? What would you do here?
Hi John,
Sounds like you had a close call - I’m glad you’re Ok! I actually make sulfite solution like that (I use 5 teaspoons of water per 1/4 teaspoon sulfite, not 5 tablespoons of water). I use this to add sulfite to my wine because it’s easier to measure. I have inhaled the fumes, though not deeply, and thought they were a little irritating. I’ve never had a reaction like yours though. Maybe I, maybe we all, should be more careful.
For a sweet wine, I would ferment to dryness, then stabilize and sweeten. The thing about sweetening a wine is that you’re adding the yeast’s favorite food, but you don’t want them to eat it. The most reliable way for a home winemaker to do this is to make sure that all fermentation has stopped, then add sorbate and sulfite (not one or the other but both and only after fermentation has stopped) with a boiled-then-cooled sugar syrup.
I once had a fermentation stick and remain at the same SG (1.020, I think) for three years. I split that batch, stabilizing and bottling half then racking the other half onto oak chips. I’m glad I stabilized before bottling because the oaked half started fermenting again! And no, it wasn’t the oak. I had the oak chips in a 400 degree broiler for 30 minutes before using them. Don’t underestimate your yeast!
Erroll
Hello Ross,
When life gives you lemons (or runny applesauce) make lemonade (or apple wine)!
Erroll
Hi! We have just moved to a property in Kitsap with very old apple and pear trees (50+ years). We are thinking apple wine and cider but don’t know anything about making it. HELP! We don’t want the fruit to go to waste.
Hi KlovesG,
First things first - you need a way to juice the apples, and for a large amount of fruit that’s an apple mill and a press. A homebrew shop, like Olympic Brewing Supply in Bremerton, should be able to help you with that.
Once you’ve got juice, making cider can be as easy as adding a yeast starter and letting it ferment. If you’re new and really pressed for time, you might give the simple approach a shot. Experienced cider makers carefully control the blend of apples they use, and the sugar and acid levels of the juice. You can learn about those things for next year.
You can also make wine from the juice by scaling up my own apple wine recipe. That will be a little more work, as you’ll have to adjust the sugar and acid before you pitch the yeast.
Good luck, and please come back to let me know how your cider/wine turns out!
Erroll
Dear Erroll,
Greetings… What a gift to find your blog, thank you for being so generous with your knowledge! Like the post above by KlovesG, I’ve got a nearly infinite number of apples at my disposal. I’m sauced, pied, buttered and jammed out. I’d like to wine for a bit instead. I have a wonderful Champion juicer, and can whiz through apples quite well. Would you be willing to share some more specific information on the easiest sweet apple wine I could make, being a first-timer? Also, I dont have any glass jugs. Could I do something dispicable like buy some plastic garbage cans or something? I must sound like an idiot, please forgive me, but everyone has to start somewhere I guess. If you have the time and are willing, please email me.
Thank you so much, and I hope your latest batch cheers you on these upcoming winter evenings!
Daleth
Hey, just thought I’d let Daleth (above) know my answer to his question. I don’t mean to step on your toes, Erroll. As you know, I defer to you on all things winemaking, but I happen to have a resource Daleth can use and I figure he would appreciate having it at hand.
Daleth,
If I was just starting out like you are, I would not put wine in a plastic trash can. You can get primary and secondary fermentation vessels for cheaper than a trash can anyway. Go to http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=27 and get their cheap-o 1-gal jugs. Then you can locate a local homebrew shop and purchase bungs and airlocks for your secondaries. This is just my suggestion, so take it for what it is. I just think you’d come off cheaper and better off getting the proper equipment. Hope this helps.
Erroll,
As always, your blog is greatly appreciated.
- John
Thanks for the pointer to Specialty Bottle, John. It looks like a good resource, and I’ve just bookmarked it.
Daleth,
John’s right about getting proper fermenters. Primary fermenters are often plastic, but always food grade. They’ll typically have a wide opening so you can stir, add fruit, and so on. Secondary fermenters are meant for aging. They usually have a narrow opening and neck to make them easily stoppered and to minimize air contact.
There is one special case where garbage cans are ok. The gray, white, and yellow Rubbermaid Brute containers are food grade (only those colors and only Brutes - not Roughneck, not any other model). In fact, if you ask for a “primary fermenter” at one of my local homebrew shops, they will sell you a white Rubbermaid Brute. I have one and it makes a good primary fermenter.
I think this apple wine recipe can be scaled up and is pretty simple. You can substitute sugar for honey (dissolved in water, boiled briefly then cooled) if you find that easier. You’re the second one to ask about sweetening wine recently, and I’ve just sweetened a cherry wine. So, I’m planning a post on how to do that.
The quick answer is, ferment the wine to dryness and rack off the lees. Make sure the wine has finished fermenting and that there is no sediment (I think its best to do this after it has aged a bit, cleared and is no longer dropping sediment). Prepare a sugar syrup (boiled and cooled) with the amount of sugar you would like to add to your wine. Combine it with sorbate and sulfite, according to the directions on the sorbate that you bought, and add to a clean sanitized secondary fermenter. Rack the wine into this fermenter. Take a specific gravity reading, then wait two months and take another SG reading. If they match, then you’ve done it right and fermentation has not restarted - you can bottle when ready.
Erroll