No more bottles - use bags !!

[Cellar_Rat]

I may have commented somewhere before that I am not a fan of bottling. It is a washing up event where some wine also gets bottled.

So... for Apple juice season I have been looking for an alternative to bottling and pasteurization.

Please read the following and see if you can find an problems or improve it.

1. press thawed apples to get juice normally.
2. sulphite accordingly 50ppm
2. pour juice in 1 litre vaccy pack bags
4. expel most of the air and seal with bag sealer (not a vaccy packer) I bought this for £12 off ebay. see link below.
5. freeze flat.
6. When you want it. Thaw it out - cut off corners and pour!


There is of course no reason why these couldn't be pasteurized I guess - no need to freeze them then.

Might also try this with some Seyval white wine. Party wine bags anyone?

I guess it is similar to 'bag in a box' only without the box (and the cost!)

This could be a cheap alternative to bottling (it could also be terrible) - what do you think?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PACKER-P200-C-IMPULSE-HEAT-SEALER-/250658528798?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Packaging_Materials&hash=item3a5c699e1e

[NorthernWiner]

Just my opinion but...

Freezing has an adverse effect on most wines. Those containing tartaric acid will have much of the acid drop out of solution. I also feel like the freezing process causes wines to just sort of "fall apart" (if that makes any sense).

Have you considered using a beer/soft drink kegging system? Many wineries store their barrel top up reserves in corny kegs, and it keeps just fine for up to a year.

However, for long term aging, I don't feel anything improves on a glass bottle with a cork.

[rjb222]

Just my opinion but...

Freezing has an adverse effect on most wines. Those containing tartaric acid will have much of the acid drop out of solution. I also feel like the freezing process causes wines to just sort of "fall apart" (if that makes any sense).

Have you considered using a beer/soft drink kegging system? Many wineries store their barrel top up reserves in corny kegs, and it keeps just fine for up to a year.

However, for long term aging, I don't feel anything improves on a glass bottle with a cork.

i totally agree. I sell a bag system I have customers that love the system to take wine with them for camping boating etc. I find this works OK but lacks the proper ageing the wine gets in the bottle.

[Cellar_Rat]

Sorry chaps I have not been clear here.
The idea is for the apple juice - I then started rambling about on about wine too. Sorry.

If I bagged wine, I would consider it stable any how (never thought of freezing wine - well thats not strictly true - but that was for other reasons)

..Which begs the question: If I am sulphiting the apple juice do I need to freeze it? is sulphite enough ?

[grandmawoods]

I find the sulphite to be a temporary deterrent with fresh juice. Maybe it is our hot humid weather.
I try to convert juice to wine as quickly as possible (no room in the freezer).

[David]

I find that when defrosting either fruit or juice frozen in bags, the bags tend to leak juice.

So I've quite a few 1 & l.5 litre saved Tetra Pak cartons into which I insert a freezer bag then funnel the juice in, tie and tuck the bag ends in. Easy to use a marker pen on and they stack nicely in the feezer.

When they are defrosted for use (or pasteurising when I've built up enough for a session) they can be stood in warm water unlike frozen bagged juice which is prone to leak.

My daughter saves the empty 250ml juice cartons from her packed lunches for me to insert a 'value' freezer bag and freeze small portions of juice at only 1p a time.

[lockwood1956]

That's a top tip David

thanks for sharing

[Her Lushness]

I freeze my juice in (new) plastic tubs - the takeaway kind - and if it's been steam juiced, I'll freeze the equivalent of a weight of fruit; ie 1lbs of strawberries steam juiced = 500ml juice (don't take this literally coz the amount of juice varies) so when weighing out a recipe I've already got the fruit juice waiting. These also stack nicely in the freezer.

I also usually chuck in the frozen blocks straight into my primary as they then help drop the temperature if I've used hot water to dissolve the sugar.