Strawberry Wine Revisited

It was this same day last year that I posted "Award Winning Strawberry Wine" after so much feedback and interest at the 2010 WineMaker Magazine Annual Conference. We have won two more medals for our strawberry creations since and the number of people who ask about it and are working on batches of their own has grown.

This year's conference had me recognized as "Strawberry Wine Guy" several times. We didn't win for it in the 2011 WineMaker Magazine Competition, but that doesn't say anything about how well it drinks with good friends. Everyone who we shared it with had something positive to say about it. An incredible honor to be sure.

Brant Burgiss and I had several conversations about the recipe and his attempt at making it. Clearly I led folks astray a bit last year leaving out some key steps in the process. Brant and I met in 2010 on our first day at the conference in Washington. We had talked on several additional occasions last year and talked wine for quite a while at the swap meet this year. Brant was kind enough to share my passing along of some tips in a recent Grapestompers.com publication which has now generated more interest. You can sign up to receive the monthly newsletter which is full of events and tips at their web site. Here is the Grapestompers.com June 2011 Newsletter containing the mention and a full recap from the conference from Brant.

Here are the tips I shared with Brant that can be used with the recipes found in the post linked in the first paragraph:

(1) To create your 6 gallon initial volume I used a combination of white grape juice and water looking for a starting gravity around 1.080 or so which you will need to mix well to achieve in stages. The fruit sugar adds more so any higher isn't better.

(2) I back sweeten my finished wine with a combination of white grape juice, water and frozen berries. I steep the berries in hot (boiled, but off the heat for a bit works) water adding the juice after the berries have broken down. This creates a nicely aromatic, colored and flavored syrup to finish the wine with. I do have to strain it and then let it clear for quite a while, but I assure you it is worth the wait.

I hope this challenges you to try your own batch of strawberry wine real soon. Picking season is right around the corner in NH, and believe me I will be looking to get back winning some medals with our 2011 batches!

Cheers!

Jason