Primary / Secondary and juiced must

[TStarr]

Started winemaking with fermenting on fruit, then transfering to a dj - but recently I have been extracting juice with a steam juicer, not sulfiting, and going straight to dj, 3/4'er full until foaming stops, then adding rest of water/sugar. Is this wrong and likely to end in tears? Should I have taken the juice, sulfited, and used a primary ferment, as if on the fruit?

Appreciate any help.

[goldseal]

I don't think you are doing anything wrong. Steam juicing won't pasteurise the juice but the temperatures should zap most things provided you start the fermentation promptly.

[fatbloke]

I don't think you are doing anything wrong. Steam juicing won't pasteurise the juice but the temperatures should zap most things provided you start the fermentation promptly.

and it certainly gets hot enough to give "white/green" fruit a "cooked" taste.

Think apples, kiwi fruit, etc etc here.

red fruit is fine.

Plus, if you transfer the steamed juice from the juicer to a sanitised DJ while still warm (apart from the sensible approach of warming the glass first, to prevent temperature shock), then once it's fermenting, the CO2 produced by the ferment will exclude any oxygen in the airspace quite quickly.

regards

jtfb