Black Currant

[memojo]

Does anyone have any experience with making black current wine?? I started with a gallon of Trader Joe's Black Current juice. I added about a half teaspoon of calcium carbonate for the high acid. It's done fermenting. I've tasted it and it doesn't taste right, makes you want to pucker up. I've tried adding 2 cups of water and some sugar and it still doesn't taste good. I've never tasted black current juice before but this wine is extreamly tart to say the least. Anyone have any suggestions??

Thanks

[Hippie]

You will need to sweeten at the next racking after you stabilize. Black currants are very sour.

[lockwood1956]

WOW
just checked here

http://www.winesathome.co.uk/downloads/sugarandacid.pdf

Blackcurrants are 32 ppt Acid measured as TA and the main acid is Citric so difficukt to precpitate out, Hippie is right (of course) memojo you will need to sweeten or perhaps blend with another wine to adjust the acid levels.

on a side not its always better to adjust acid before fermentation, by either dilution with sugar syrup or blending different ingredients, use the above chart as a guide, but an acid test kit is a fantastic aid to making better wines
there is a tutorial on how to use it here....you will need to scroll to the end of the thread

http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=886

they cost around £5 to £6 from most home brew stores....a sound investment

EDIT: OOPS I see you are stateside, well the test kits are around $12 I think, and there you measure acid in parts per thousand (or grams per litre) as Tartarric

hope this helps
regards
Bob




hope this helps
regards
Bob

[lockwood1956]

Here you go

http://morewinemaking.com/view_product/6548/102798

it can be a little difficult to see the colour change with really dark coloutred musts like blackcurrant, but as you add each new addition take a drop of the sample and place it on a piece of white card this can help determine the colour change beter, or iff you have a PH meter then when the PH reaches 8.2 you have added enough reagent.

(see article)

http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=886

regards
Bob

[medpretzel]

Black Currants taste very good with a somewhat blander type of wine, if you decide to blend. I have used various different blends for my black currant wine, but if you're up to it, make a strawberry wine to blend with. Another consideration is to mix it with a store-bought Cab-Sav. It makes for a delightful combination.

[StockeyDAW]

These are my experiences and opinions. Yes, black currants are highly citric. However they make wonderful wine on their own or blended. There are a number of fruit wineries throughout the Okanagan Valley and black currant farms nearby that are pick your own or mechanical harvested. My best experience with black currants other than the black currant wine made at the fruit wineries is a nearby Meadery. They have a sparkling black currant Mead that is outstanding. I am currently trying to duplicate that.
My tip for making black currant wine is this: you want to knock down the highly citric nature of the black currants. This is done by (before fermentation starts) by adding 10-20% of a red Malic fruit - cherries, apricots although not red, blackberries, mulberries or boysenberries or nectarine or peach would work by the color of the currants would be lessened. These Malic fruits will help to put into check the overly high citric nature of the currants. I like to freeze the currants first, the skins are quite tough and the freezing helps break down the skins and let the fermentation process get inside to the pulp. Also the mechanical harvesting of the black currants leaves a great deal of leaves and stems attached to the currants. This debris must be removed prior to fermentation.
My experience with black currants if a still learning process - I will be able to tell you more as I progress through the Sparkling Black Currant Mead that I am making. I know that it can be done - I have tasted and experience them. Cheers DAW

[memojo]

Thanks for all the good information, I appreciate all your responses.
MJ