Crabapple Wine

• 4 lbs ripe crabapples
• 2 lbs granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp tannin
• 1/2 tsp acid blend
• 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 7-1/2 pts water
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• Champagne wine yeast

Clean and crush the crabapples as above. Boil the water and dissolve the sugar in it. Pour over crushed crabapples in primary. Cover with cloth and allow to cool to lukewarm. Add all ingredients except yeast and set aside for 12 hours. Add yeast and recover. Stir and knock down cap 2-3 daily for one week. Strain through nylon straining bag and let drip drain (do not squeeze). Let stand additional 24 hours and rack off sediments into secondary. Top up if required and fit airlock. Rack every 2 months. After third racking, check specific gravity and taste. If dry, stabilize, sweeten to taste, wait 10 days, and rack into bottles. Allow to age at least a year. [Adapted from Terry Garey’s The Joy of Home Winemaking ]