Strawberry Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads

Strawberry-Chocolate Wine

February 5, 2012
  • 4lbs fresh (or frozen sliced) strawberries
  • 2 lbs 4 oz sugar
  • 1 can Welch’s 100% White Grape Juice frozen concentrate
  • 4 oz (by weight) Dutched cocoa powder (see article following this one)
  • 1 tsp acid blend
  • 3/4 tsp pectic enzyme
  • 1/8 tsp powdered grape tannin
  • water to 1 gallon
  • 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  • Lalvin W15 or Red Star Côte des Blancs wine yeast

Wash and thinly slice the fresh strawberries, depositing them in a nylon straining bag. Tie bag and set aside in bowl. Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to boil. Place sugar in primary and pour approximately 1 quart boiling water over sugar. Stir until thoroughly dissolved. Stir in grape tannin, acid blend and yeast nutrient. Set nylon bag of sliced strawberries in primary and add remaining 2 quarts boiling water . Cover and allow to cool 4 hours. Place 2 cups cold water in blender. Turn on blender at its lowest setting and add cocoa powder one heaping tablespoon at a time. When all powder is in and mixed, add pectic enzyme and mix additional 10 seconds. Stir cocoa mixture into primary, around sides of nylon bag, while stirring. Cover primary and set aside 1-12 hours. Add activated yeast in a starter solution while stirring. Cover primary and set aside.

Stir and punch down bag 2-3 times daily. At end of third day of fermentation raise bag and allow to drip drain while gently squeezing bag. If any pulp escapes bag stop squeezing and drip drain only. Discard contents of bag. Add thawed grape juice concentrate, stir and transfer to secondary. Affix an airlock but do not top up. After additional 3 days of fermentation, check specific gravity. Mine was just a hair’s width below 1.000.

Check daily until s.g is at or below 0.994 and add a slurry of Bentonite and water, prepared according to manufacturer’s instructions. Stir well and set airlock. Stir hourly for next 4-6 hours. Bentonite will settle within 2-3 days but allow 5 just to be sure. Rack, stabilize with 1/2 teaspoon potassium sorbate and 1 finely crushed Campden tablet dissolved, top up and reattach airlock. Set aside 2 months. Rack again, top up and reattach airlock. Wait additional month and if there is a fine dusting on the bottom of secondary, rack, top up and reattach airlock. Wait additional month and check again for dusting of dead yeast. When no dusting is evident, you may assume all yeast are dead and can now sweeten to taste, either with sugar in a simple syrup, clarified strawberry juice or a strawberry mixer (Bacardi, Orchard Splash, Cocktail Dancers, etc.).

Whichever you use, do a trial first. Sweeten a tiny bit at a time, taking notes, and when it tastes too sweet go back two increments. For example, if you are sweetening a 100 mL sample and you are sweetening 1 mL at a time, if 6 mL is too sweet, go back two increments to 4 mL and scale that up to your overall batch. Why two increments instead of one? The wine will gain some sweetness as it ages. After sweetening, allow another month and then, if no tiny bubbles appear around the edge of the secondary, bottle. Allow at least 4 months before tasting, but 6-8 months is better. [Jack Keller’s own recipe]

Strawberry Wine (1)

April 5, 2001
  • 3 lbs. fresh strawberries
  • 2 lbs. granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. citric acid
  • water to make 1 gallon
  • wine yeast & nutrient

Place all ingredients except yeast in crock. Crush fruit with hands and cover with 5 pints boiling water. Stir with wooden paddle to dissolve sugar and simultaneously mash the strawberries. When cooled to 85 degrees F., add yeast. Cover and stir daily. Strain on 7th day, transfer to secondary fermentation vessel, top up to one gallon, fit fermentation trap, and set aside. Rack after 30 days and again after additional 30 days. Bottle when clear. Allow to age at least 6 months. Will improve to one year.

Strawberry Wine (2)

April 5, 2001
  • 3 lbs. fresh strawberries
  • 1/2 lb. chopped golden raisins
  • 2-1/2 lbs. light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. citric acid
  • 1/4 tsp. grape tannin
  • water to make 1 gallon
  • wine yeast & nutrient

Place all ingredients except yeast in crock. Crush fruit with hands and cover with 5 pints boiling water. Stir with wooden paddle to dissolve sugar and simultaneously mash the strawberries. When cooled to 80-85 degrees F., add yeast. Cover and stir daily. Strain on 7th day, transfer to secondary fermentation vessel, top up to one gallon, fit fermentation trap, and set aside. Rack after 30 days and again after additional 30 days. Add additional one cup sugar and 1/3 tsp citric acid dissolved in 1/2 cup water and ferment another 30 days. Rack, ferment additional 30 days, then rack again. Bottle when clear. Allow to age at least 9 months.

Strawberry Wine (3)

April 5, 2001
  • 3 1/2 lbs fresh chopped strawberries
  • 1/4 lb. chopped golden raisins
  • 1/4 lb. chopped dates
  • 2-1/2 lbs. granulated sugar
  • 1-1/2 tsp. acid blend
  • 2 tsp. pectic enzyme
  • 1/4 tsp. grape tannin
  • 1 crushed Campden tablet
  • Champagne yeast and nutrient

Place chopped fruit in nylon jelly bag, tied. Place jelly bag and all other ingredients except Campden tablet, pectic enzyme and yeast in crock and cover with 5 pints boiling water. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Cover. After two hours add crushed Campden tablet. After additional 10 hours add pectic enzyme and 12 hours later add yeast. Cover and stir daily. On 7th day remove jelly bag and hang over bowl to collect juice. Allow to drain thoroughly without squeezing (about two hours). Pour all liquids into secondary fermentation vessel, top up to one gallon, fit fermentation trap, and set aside. Rack every 30 days. After 3rd racking, bottle when clear. Allow to age at least 1 year.

Strawberry Wine (4)

April 5, 2001
  • 3 1/2 lbs. fresh wild strawberries
  • 2-1/2 lbs. granulated sugar
  • 1 gal. water
  • 1 tsp. acid blend
  • 1 tsp. pectic enzyme
  • 1/4 tsp. grape tannin
  • 1 crushed Campden tablet
  • Champagne yeast and nutrient

Place fruit in nylon jelly bag and tie. In crock, crush fruit with hands. Add all other ingredients except Campden tablet, pectic enzyme and yeast in crock and cover with 3 quarts boiling water. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Cover and add crushed Campden tablet when tepid (about 2 hours). After additional 10 hours add pectic enzyme and 12 hours later add yeast. Cover and stir daily. On 7th day remove jelly bag and hang over bowl to collect juice. Allow to drain thoroughly without squeezing (about two hours). Pour all liquids into secondary fermentation vessel, top up to one gallon, fit fermentation trap, and set aside. Rack every 30 days until wine clears (3-6 months). When wine clears, bottle. Allow to age at least 1 year.

Frozen Strawberry Wine

April 5, 2001
  • 3 lbs. frozen strawberries
  • 1 11-oz. can Welch’s 100% White Grape Juice Frozen Concentrate
  • 1 lb 14 oz. light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. citric acid
  • 1/4 tsp. grape tannin
  • water to make 1 gallon
  • 1 tsp. yeast nutrient
  • 1 sachet Red Star Côte des Blancs wine yeast

Thaw strawberries and grape juice concentrate. Dissolve sugar in 5 pints water and bring to boil. Strain juice or syrup from fruit and save liquid. Put thawed fruit in nylon straining bag in primary and crush fruit with hands. Pour boiling water over fruit, cover primary, and set aside to cool. When cooled to 80-85° F., add grape juice concentrate, tannin, acid, yeast nutrient, reserved juice or syrup, and 1 pint water. Stir well to blend ingredients. Add activated yeast, cover and stir daily. Do not further crush, mash or squeeze bag of strawberry pulp. Remove bag on 7th day and allow to drip drain, saving drippings. Return drippings to primary and transfer to secondary fermentation vessel. Top up to one gallon if required, attach airlock and set aside. After 45 days, rack into secondary containing 1 Campden tablet dissolved in a little wine and reattach airlock. Rack again after additional 60 days. Stabilize wine when clear and rack after additional 45 days. Bottle and age at least 6 months. [Author’s own recipe]

Strawberry-Rhubarb Wine

April 5, 2001
  • 4 lbs. freshly picked (or frozen) ripe strawberries
  • 2 lbs. fresh (or frozen) red rhubarb stalks
  • 1 cup Welch’s 100% White Grape Juice frozen concentrate
  • 6 pints water
  • 1-1/4 lbs. finely granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. citric acid
  • 1/4 tsp. pectic enzyme
  • 1/8 tsp. powdered tannin
  • 1 crushed Campden tablet
  • 1 tsp. yeast nutrient
  • 1 sachet Red Star Côte des Blancs wine yeast

Trim all leaves from rhubarb. Do not peel, but wipe clean and cut into thin, quarter-inch lengths. Lay slices in bottom of primary and sprinkle sugar evenly over them. Cover with clean cloth and allow to sit 24 hours. The juice from the rhubarb will have largely turned the sugar to a syrup. Using a sanitized spoon or spatula, scoop the rhubarb slices into a nylon straining bag containing the strawberries (sliced if fresh, thawed and chopped if frozen). Tie closed and lay in primary. Stir in all remaining ingredients except pectic enzyme and yeast. Cover primary for 12 hours, then add pectic enzyme and stir. Recover the primary and allow to sit another 12 hours. Stir must again to ensure all sugar is dissolved and add activated yeast. Recover primary and set aside. Punch down cap twice daily for 5-7 days. Remove bag and allow to drip-drain (do not squeeze) for at least 30 minutes. Combine drippings with liquid in primary and transfer to secondary, topping up if required. When fermentation in secondary stops (3-8 weeks), rack, top up and refit airlock. Rack again every 6 weeks until wine is clear and no longer dropping sediment. Stabilize and sweeten to taste if desired. If no renewed fermentation in 30 days, bottle the wine. Age 3-6 months, but no longer than one year. [Author’s own recipe]