Starfruit wine

[stressbaby]

This is my starfruit wine.  The recipe is from Jack Keller: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request202.asp

I made two separate 1 gal batches using 3# of starfruit each.  The starfruit was sliced and frozen prior to making the wine. 

This wine called for a lot more sugar than the recipe indicated.  I added enough to bring the starting SG to 1.095 and using Lalvin K1-V1116 it fermented like crazy after only three days to 1.040 and 1.000.  It went to secondary where after 3 weeks it continues to ferment.  I expect to backsweeten this one.  You can see by the pics that I figured out how to save the extra to use for topping off.  I've tasted this but only upon moving to the secondary and it was too yeasty to make any useful assessment.  But this wine is <1 month old and you can already tell it is clearing better than the guava wine in the other post.

[Mike T]

A old acquaintence used to make a fabulous sparkling starfruit 'champagne' and still starfruit wine.I would tank up and get smashed because it hardly tasted alcoholic, more like a lollywater/cider combination.I am the last person to quote song lyrics, but if it doesn't work on the 1st attempt, 'don't give up on it stressbaby, it's still worth one more try'.

[TropicalFruitHunters]

You mentioned in an earlier message that this will create a dry wine.  How do you make a more sweet wine?  I don't like the dry's.  Nice pics.  Will definitely keep this in mind!

[stressbaby]

Thanks Mike.  I won't give up, I'm a persistent little bugger.

Jay, I'm still learning but I'll tell you what I know.  The sweetness is determined by the amount of sugar in the wine after fermentation is done.  That amount of sugar can be controlled or affected in 3 ways. 

1. Load up with extra sugar to start with, then the yeast ferments the sugar until the alcohol level is toxic to the yeast and kills it.  This one is a bit of a crap shoot because some yeast won't tolerate over 12% ABV but others will keep going to 18% ABV.  The yeast that tolerates more alcohol will then give you a drier wine.
2. Start with extra sugar, then watch the fermentation proceed until the sugar drops to exactly where you want it based on the specific gravity, then kill the yeast to stabilize the wine.
3. Ferment it dry, meaning ferment all the sugar, then kill the yeast to stabilize the wine, then add sugar back to the desired sweetness.

#3 is done most often because it is the most controlled method from what I know.  You can precisely control the ABV by controlling how much sugar you start with; you can ust sit and watch it ferment to dry; and you can precisely control the sweetness by adjusting the amount of sugar you add back.

[bsbullie]

You mentioned in an earlier message that this will create a dry wine.  How do you make a more sweet wine?  I don't like the dry's.  Nice pics.  Will definitely keep this in mind!

As I stated in a post a while back (not sure if it was on here of teh other forum) making it in the style if ice wine will give you the most natural sweetness to the wine.  Fruit must be completely ripe (no green) and since you can't leave it on the tree to freeze naturally, you actually freeze the fruit to separate/extract the nectar from the water.

[natsgarden123]

AWESOME!!!!   What a great thing to do with all that starfruit

[Mike T]

I'll toast that and it could be a star performer.

[stressbaby]

You mentioned in an earlier message that this will create a dry wine.  How do you make a more sweet wine?  I don't like the dry's.  Nice pics.  Will definitely keep this in mind!

As I stated in a post a while back (not sure if it was on here of teh other forum) making it in the style if ice wine will give you the most natural sweetness to the wine.  Fruit must be completely ripe (no green) and since you can't leave it on the tree to freeze naturally, you actually freeze the fruit to separate/extract the nectar from the water.

This is true.  I think it is generally accepted that fruit wines are best if the fruit has been frozen.  Both batches were made with frozen fruit; the second batch was frozen, thawed, and refrozen again a second time.

[stressbaby]

I backsweetened this wine only to about 1.001.  ABV is 13.1%.

I'm going to age this at least another 6 months, but it is quite drinkable now...not as sharp as I thought it would be, great aroma, and a nice long finish.

[bsbullie]

I backsweetened this wine only to about 1.001.  ABV is 13.1%.

I'm going to age this at least another 6 months, but it is quite drinkable now...not as sharp as I thought it would be, great aroma, and a nice long finish.

What are the residual sugar and brix levels?

[stressbaby]

Rob,
I didn't do a direct measurement.  But it went from 1.094 to 0.994, so using a method like this: http://www.rochesterwinemakers.org/winemaking-information/winemaking-articles-by-members/guide-est-abv-and-res-sugar/ it would have had 0.8% RS prior to backsweetening.