Strawberry-Chocolate Wine

• 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]