do you have to use it? I've been told that i could adapt a goosberry wine recipe for use with kiwis, but the recipe calls for pectolase, some places says it clears the wine, others say it is for breaking down the pectin so come on (mkg) educate me.
this is my new obsession it was always robs hobby, but i've been stuck indoors with ill kids so have so fr this weeken got medlar wine,strawberry tea wine, summer tea wine and lemon hooch on the go (even witha home made emijohn, go me , now if i don't need pectolase or there is an alternative i could get the kiwi on the go as well.
i am a woman possessed
sarah x
the ever growing luvpie household currently contains, 4 boys, 4 chickens, 2 cats, 2 rabbits, 4 fish, an empty tropical fish tank waiting new arrivals, now are we daft to look at our broody hen thinking, if we got some fertilised eggs........
I'm not sure I can help but I think you only need pectolase if your fruit contains pectin. As gooseberries make jam I suppose they must. Do kiwi - I've never heard of Kiwi jam
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
The ONLY thing that pectic enzyme (pectolase) does is break down pectin. It's the effects of that breakdown which provide the different reasons for using it.
... Because the structure of the fruit is "softened" by the action of the enzyme, it can increase juice yield.
... Fruits having a high pectin content (kiwi fruit, for instance) obviously produce wine with a high pectin content. Sometimes (but not always) pectin held in the wine can coalesce around particles of just about anything - including yeast cells - and produce a haze. If it's really bad, the coalesced particles can grow quite large, producing the famous frog-spawn effect. Including the enzyme prevents this by reducing or even eradicating the pectin before a haze can form.
... If you've made wine from high-pectin fruit and not included the enzyme, and then been unlucky enough to get a hazy wine, the introduction of the enzyme after the fermentation has finished (but with all that alcohol around, it has to be a double-dose) is used to break the pectin down and therefore clear the haze.
So the answer to your question is that you never HAVE to use it - but it may be advisable to do so. The presence of pectin doesn't guarantee that a haze will form and, even if it does, it won't harm you or affect the wine in any way other than appearance.
Mike
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)
thank you, so i could feed my obsession by starting the wine off today and then if need be using the pectolase later if i get a haze, i'm really quite stupidly excited about having done these this weekend and my milk bottle demijohn hasn't exploded through the night :D :D.
although if there is a haze can it be strained out? i'm thinking very fine muslin?
the ever growing luvpie household currently contains, 4 boys, 4 chickens, 2 cats, 2 rabbits, 4 fish, an empty tropical fish tank waiting new arrivals, now are we daft to look at our broody hen thinking, if we got some fertilised eggs........
Most hazes are dealt with by fining, but there are a couple which finings won't touch - a pectin haze being one of them. If it goes as far as the totally unmistakeable "frogspawn", then straining will cure it. Normally, however, the particles are extremely small and will go straight through any kind of strainer or filter.
Having said that, I'd still start your wine as there's a good chance it won't develop a haze anyway. If there is a haze at the end of fermentation, you can stir in a heaped teaspoonful of the enzyme (the "pre-fermentation" dose is a level teaspoonful per gallon) and leave it in a cool place for a week or so, then rack.
Mike
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)
cheerrs mike i feel suitably educated, kiwi wine (witth a touch of apple) is on the goi dont 5think it is a candidate for my milk bottle demijohns as robs fermenting barrel has had to be opened twice today to release some of the gases as the lid was looking decidedly curved, :D
the ever growing luvpie household currently contains, 4 boys, 4 chickens, 2 cats, 2 rabbits, 4 fish, an empty tropical fish tank waiting new arrivals, now are we daft to look at our broody hen thinking, if we got some fertilised eggs........
I'm a stay at home mum with no social life this is the closest i get to excitement!!!
i have been enjoying the look of disgust on the kids face when i got them to sniff deeply as i opened the lid :D :D :D
the ever growing luvpie household currently contains, 4 boys, 4 chickens, 2 cats, 2 rabbits, 4 fish, an empty tropical fish tank waiting new arrivals, now are we daft to look at our broody hen thinking, if we got some fertilised eggs........
glad to be of service mike, next time i do it i will try and video them as the faces are a picture!
the ever growing luvpie household currently contains, 4 boys, 4 chickens, 2 cats, 2 rabbits, 4 fish, an empty tropical fish tank waiting new arrivals, now are we daft to look at our broody hen thinking, if we got some fertilised eggs........
I too am a stay at home mum who derives excitement from wines, jams and other selfsufficientish related topics so I totally understand why making things easier and less hassle is not always the bets option.
Your post did make me laugh though as I've never come across someone who so unashamedly admits it in such a way
Think I may try the kiwi wine and the milk bottle demijohn idea!
, now if i don't need pectolase or there is an alternative i could get the kiwi on the go as well.
