All about production of strawberry wine, plum wine and apricot wine

Concept note and production method of strawberry wine, plum wine and apricot wine

Process detail

                  Basically, the preparation of fruit wines is similar to the grape wine production.  Wine making from fruits like plum, apricot and strawberry is economical and unique in quality characteristics in consistence with the type of fruits. Unlike the grapes, the fruits of strawberry, plum or apricot are highly acidic in nature.  Besides this, these fruits are pulpy and they possess colour to make wine of appealing colour. They have characteristics flavor and the same is imparted to the wine. But these fruits have lower sugar content than the grapes thus, ameliorating the pulp to the desired level is essential.

               Like plum, strawberry fruits are also highly acidic in nature and to make a palatable   wine, dilution  of  pulp  with  water   is   the alternative  available. Filling of carboys was done up to 75 per cent capacity. Specific details are given below:

 1 (a): Strawberry

For the preparation of  red strawberry wine,  several  processes     like     crushing,     carbonic maceration, thermovinification  and fermented on the skin  are  practiced.

Thermovinification of wines                                                                                        

  Berries are destemed and washed.   Heating is done  at 65-70^oC in 50% water for 5-6  minutes.   The free run juice  is  collected and  must  is  prepared.  The SO₂ in the form  of potassium  metabisulphite  was added at the rate of  50  ppm.  The  ‘must’  is  kept overnight before  inoculation  with  the active  yeast  culture.  Liquid culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were prepared by inoculating a loop of the yeast cells from the slant into 100 ml of nutrient broth containing yeast extract, peptone, dextrose and heat sterilized and cooled to ambient temperature. The culture so prepared was further transferred to 500 ml flask contain plum must having TSS of 15^oB. After incubation for 48 hours, the culture is ready for inoculation into the must.  Fermentation is carried out at a temperature of 27 ±1^oC  in 5 litre flasks, fitted with air  locks and  initiated  by  addition  of  active  yeast  culture   of  Saccharomyces  cerevisiae var. ellipsoides at the rate  of  5 per  cent.   When there is no further loss  in  TSS,  the fermentation  is  considered as completed.  Air locks are fitted in the mouth of glass near the end  of  fermentation. It is followed by siphoning/racking and filtration.   The wines are racked initially after  every  15  days  and then, after one  month.   During fermentation, fall   in   TSS  (^oB),  titratable   acidity    and   ethanol concentration  were  monitored at  appropriate  intervals  of time.   The prepared strawberry wines are filled  in  clean glass   bottles  upto  the  brim  adding  50  ppm   potassium metabisulphite.