Sweet Apricot Wine

This recipe makes a sweet apricot wine. For a 5 liter batch I always make 7 liters to account for around 1 liter of trub and 1 liter extra to top up the carboy after siphoning to prevent oxidation. As always, sanitize all the equipment and work in a clean way.

Method:

Step 1: dissolve all the sugar in a part of the water. If needed use a little heat to help it dissolve. Coarsely chop the apricots and put them in a sanitized fermentation bucket. Add the dissolved sugar and rest of the water. Then add the grape juice, acid blend, pectic enzyme, tannin and the Campden tablet (or sulphite). Do not add the yeast and yeast nutrient yet. Cover the bucket and let it stand for 24 hours.

Step 2: dissolve the yeast nutrient in some lukewarm water. Add the yeast and wait for 15 minutes or until the yeast shows activity. In the meanwhile take an SG reading. Then add the yeast to the mixture and fit the bucket with a lid and airlock. Vigorous fermentation will start and last for a few days.

Step 3: when vigorous fermentation stopped, indicated by less bubbles in the airlock, strain the contents into another sanitized bucket and press lightly to extract remaining wine. Then take an SG reading, siphon it into a glass carboy and leave only a little space in the top to prevent oxidation.

Step 4: after a month check how clear the wine is. If it has cleared up significantly, siphon into another sanitized carboy, take an SG reading and top it up. Repeat this step until the wine is totally clear. If required stabilize it and then bottle it.

Step 5: Enjoy drinking the wine, but let it mature for at least a few months before drinking it.