How to make Plum Wine Recipe by Brewbitz Homebrew

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

For maximum juice/flavour/colour extraction, my method is slightly different. I mix the pectic enzyme powder with the sugar(s) and mix that with the fruit. I allow this to stand for 24 hours. The high concentration of sugar prevents fermentation at that stage, keeping things safe. Osmosis is a wonderful thing: the sugar draws out a lot more juice out of the mushed-up fruit and the pectic enzyme promotes that as well as cell walls are being broken down by the enzyme. Once those 24 hours have elapsed, I transfer the entire mess to another fermenter and in a brewing/straining bag. I then add my other ingredients: water/juice, tannin, yeast nutrient, spices, peels, whatever the recipe calls for to create a must with the ingredients my recipe calls for, at the desired gravity. I then add my yeast of choice, close everything up, place my airlock. Twice a day I either stir or swirl to avoid any mould growing. After 3-7 days depending on the type of fruit I will fish out the brewing bag. I do this before fermentation is done, but when the fruit has broken down to a level that I’m confident the fibres and skins have given off their flavour to my satisfaction. Variables such as how hard the fruit is, the presence of berry seeds etc factor in as seeds can contain a lot of tannin and this can over-extract. I will either simply fish out the bag and close things back up, or I will rack into a new fermenter (demijon, wide mouth fermenter…) andif need be/desired, I’ll top up with juice/sugar water/honey solution at the same gravity as my original, unfermented must has if I feel there is too much head space. Once fermentation is done (as shown by separate hydrometer readings several days apart that are identical) I will rack off the lees and allow to clear more. I rarely use finings. More often than not, there is no need. This is the stage at which I’ll often add extras: oak chips, cocoa nibs, vanilla, citrus zest, extra spices, … Once the wine, mead or cider has cleared, I rack, balance the flavours, back sweeten and depending on the alcohol tolerance, I will stabilise either chemically or I will pasteurise. I’ll let it stand some more under airlock because stabilising will often cause a bit more clearing. Of the flavours need tweaking, this is when I do so (fruit in secondary, acidity/tannin balancing, etc), just before this last ‘clearing’ stage. Once that’s over, I bottle and store. Most of my wines and meads hover around 10-14% alcohol percentage. I allow them to age pist-bottling for 3-6 months before doing a first proper taste test. I always have several 330-375 ml bottles to do tastings at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and a year. I don’t always test all those stages. It depends on the fruit and the alcohol percentage. Quince wine needs a year. A berry-flavoured mead might only need 6 months (although it’s usually much tastier at a year old).

[@katecaiger8266]

Just wanted you to know, bottled some blackberry wine on 10/09/29; couldn’t resist any longer and opened a bottle tonight; it tasted amazing!! Lovely colour and better than any bought stuff I’ve had recently!! I am a total home brew convert!! Thank you so much for your videos, advice and Brewbitz website!! Great to have such a rewarding hobby!! Many many thanks!!!! 😁😁

[@katecaiger8266]

Whoops, date should read 10/09/20, wine could be a little stronger than I thought....🤔

[@Brewbitz]

Happy brewing. Glad you love the wine!

[@steverickard1996]

Thanks so much for posting this. Love your videos (nice filming James!) I’m giving this a go and have done many of your other wines. Great distraction during lockdown.

[@Brewbitz]

Thanks and J says thanks too. Happy brewing

[@vanessaschofield7927]

thankyou for this video it was the easiest explantion and the clearest explanation to follow thankyou

[@delisefoods6116]

Great learning and thanks for the value added tips.

[@steveday4797]

Great video as usual, well impressed you managed to avoid any innuendo 😁

[@Brewbitz]

Hahaha. I thought they would flow in the comments. Lol

[@richardwilson4721]

Davin you just threw the stone from the last plum into the bowl! Great video I will try to get my hands on some plums!

[@Brewbitz]

oops - i did fish it out.

[@mc-yt2rc]

great stuff! I enjoy brewing beer, wish I had the patience for wine...

[@Brewbitz]

You can do it!

[@chrisbardell]

Thanks, great vid. Explained the various steps really well.

[@Brewbitz]

Glad it was helpful!

[@chrisbardell]

@@Brewbitz Your KZbin channel is actually what led me to order my initial homebrew setup from you guys. On my third brew now, kinda caught the bug. KZbin channels are a great promotional tool, and these vids are pitched perfectly. Great work, already subscribed. Looking forward to more.

[@Brewbitz]

Cheers

[@drandrewclarke]

thanks. all these years I have been wasting my plums by eating them. no longer. you have made this alcoholic very happy

[@Brewbitz]

Glad I could help!

[@shortythepresident3913]

That was awesome !

[@katecaiger8266]

Also I didn’t add the fermentation stopper, swirl the demijohns or add finings as you suggest in this new video. What difference will all this new advice make? Guess I’ll find out when I taste the wine in a few months, but just curious as to the method/science behind it?! Great videos by the way, really informative and easy to follow; brilliant! Many thanks!

[@Brewbitz]

Its all about time. The yeast will naturally die off, the co2 will dissipate and the wine will clear. But it could take up to 6 months. This way, it takes just a few days.

[@katecaiger8266]

Ok, thanks for your speedy reply and explanation! I’ll use the fermentation stopper etc etc for my next batch!!😉

[@katecaiger8266]

Does that mean you can drink it sooner?!?

[@Brewbitz]

Sure does :)

[@katecaiger8266]

Aha....😁

[@lisacarruthers9649]

Your wine looks amazing! :D

[@Brewbitz]

Thanks

[@MrRasmusrosenberg]

Hey. I like your videos. You have inspired me to start brewing. I'm in the process of making elderberry wine with your recipe. I want to start making plum wine and I need some of the chemicals you recommend. But I'm sad to see that you don't ship to Denmark.

[@Brewbitz]

Hi Rasmus. Glad you like the videos. Sorry we do currently ship outside of the UK. but keep watching the vids. Cheers

[@InfamousVR]

Another great video. Should you always use fermentation stopper and finings in all fruit wines or just for certain fruits?

[@Brewbitz]

Hi and thanks. If you want to speed up the clearing process then yes. If you are happy for time to do the clearing for you, then patience works very well too!

[@TheBartboy007]

Great video, my neighbors also had a prolific plum harvest this fall so my girlfriend and I decided to follow suit. Started our batch last night, trippled the ingredients and because the plums were yellow (maybe japanese plums, not sure) adjusted the ratio of brewing sugar (which I'm assuming is dextrose (corn sugar)?) to 5lbs dextrose to 4lbs of granulated sugar. Had a mis-step by adding the pectolase and a single camden tablet to the must while it was still around 100°F (37°C) because of a misplaced stick on thermometer. After some research it looks like the pectolase will die in the heat so this morning I'm re-adding the pectolase and adding two more Camden tablets (my must is 3 gallons, so I'm thinking 3 tablets total should do her). Can anyone verify that the camden tablets will work at the temperature of around 100° F (76°C)? Anyways, hoping that the batch still turns out well. Appreciate these high quality instructional videos in America.

[@Brewbitz]

Hey. Thanks and yep, the pectolase and campden tabs need to be added when its a bit cooler. The campden tabs will do their job at 100°f. Let us know how it turns out. Happy brewing.

[@delisefoods6116]

Could we have the part 2 of the fermentation stage. So many thanks.

[@StephiLife]

Love the video so thank you for your recipes. i may have got carried away when squeezing the plums and squeezed them a lot more than you did, is this going to be a problem for my wine?

[@shiftyjesusfish]

I don't even strain them out. I just just hit them with the immersion blender for a few seconds and add the sugar and water and yeast nutrients and pectin enzyme directly to that at room temp, them top with boiled distilled water to warm it up.... give it a shake, wait 30.mins while the east starter does its thing. Mix the two and your off to the races. Kits make it seem so cpmicated. But if you use wild fruit you can just mash them and add water and call it a day.... consider just how long humans have been making booze :). Don't be intimidated, just experiment

[@davidwilliams-vr9rh]

Used this recipe several times now and makes a lovely wine. One question tho if i may.Would it be possible to mix the fruits?,ie plums and peaches or nectarines?

[@Brewbitz]

Hi. And thanks. Yes, though the peaches and plums might hide the flavour of the nectarines.

[@PL-ly8ts]

I made a mistake and added the yeast and nutrient at the beginning. What should I do to save it?

[@Brewbitz]

Just add the rest that was before except the campden tablet and catch up.

[@bencranie4438]

Thanks very much for your fantastic video, really enjoying trying this myself. A quick question last week I transferred for the second fermentation but back into a bucket as I'm using a submerged heater to hold it at temperature in a shed. With 6 days passed its not bubbling at all on the air lock now ; would you recommend moving to the next stage or waiting for the full 2 week period? Thanks for the advice in advance!

[@katecaiger8266]

I recently made some plum wine following your nectarine recipe which is pretty similar to this one, except you say don’t stir the nectarine wine for 7 days, but with the plum you should. Just wondering what difference this will make? Am about to bottle my plum wine; it was really lively during second fermentation in the demijohns!😀

[@Brewbitz]

Hi. Nectarines & peaches tend to naturally break up during fermentation, but most plums dont. Also, you want colour from the plum skins, So a good squishing is needed and then stirring to keep the skins swapping around.

[@nicksingleton1071]

What is the sugar ratio per pound of fruit please?

[@Brewbitz]

Hi. Normally it is pound of sugar to pound of fruit. But if the fruit has a lot of sugar, this can result in a very strong wine. So best to use a hydrometer. See our hydrometer video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIOsp5iOYtSgd5Y

[@dtvking]

Thanks guys, its looking good. What would you recommend for a veggie wine finings alternative? Thanks

[@Brewbitz]

Time. Most finings are either made from fish, crustaceans or bones. There are a couple of vegan finings just coming to the market. Keep an eye them on our website.

[@shiftyjesusfish]

Just cold crash it in the fridge for a few days, and rack. And repeat till clear.... adding all that junk just ends up in your body, and really the answer is just to be patient (the finishing agent I should say, findings are inert, but also unnecessary)

[@carfvallrightsreservedwith6649]

A steam juicer would eliminate pitting the plums, and the pulp from the must.

[@Brewbitz]

Noooooooooooooooooo!

[@zacherynagy8445]

Lmfao!!!! Literally minutes after my 1 gal carboy exploded YT algorithm sends me this lmao

[@jwgitface]

If you haven,t tried plum wine you have got to give it a go , I make wine wine from all the seasonal berries and plum is my favourite.Some people say it is difficult to clear but it does take a while to finish fermenting and if you use those wine finings from places like Wilko , it will be a lovely rich colour.I add a touch of glycerine before bottling to give it a better mouth feel. A very under-rated fruit for wine.

[@Brewbitz]

Thanks for the comments. Please remember to try and use small independent homebrew shops like ours instead of large corporates that just add a tiny homebrew section without any knowledge or advice. Cheers

[@davidbrennan4077]

How much caster and brewing sugar to the recipe please

[@Brewbitz]

Hi. Here is the link to the full recipe on our website - www.brewbitz.com/pages/plum-wine-recipe

[@davidbrennan4077]

Thank you

[@garyfff4757]

Hi, could you please make a vid showing how to make wine from supermarket Grape Juice.

[@Brewbitz]

I'll see what we can do

[@springwell47]

Great video as usual. Noticed you used finings in this one. i have always been told that finings can affect the flavour of a finished wine, and that it should only be used if a wine fails to clear naturally? Is this still the case or have fining products advanced in recent years so not to affect the quality? Many thanks and looking forward to seeing your banana wine video when it is available. :)

[@Brewbitz]

When using finings, yes they can impart some flavour, but this usually diminishes in the bottle. But they do speed up tye process. If we could invent a high pressure filter for homebrewers, that would be awesome.

[@springwell47]

@@Brewbitz Ok thanks for the reply Davin. I have always preferred to let wines clear of their own accord, however i might experiment with finings next time and see how it goes. Many thanks and keep up the good work :)

[@debbiehaynes615]

Hey guys, I’m mid way through a rhubarb wine from your tutorial and ive come across some plums on offer at the supermarket. Was delighted to find you had a tutorial for this too. But…i realise that i will be on holiday during the two week fermentation so it’ll be nearly 3 weeks before i can get back to it….is that ok?

[@Brewbitz]

Hi. Yes, leaving it longer will be fine. In fact it allows lots more science to happen. Enjoy your holiday.

[@katecaiger8266]

Hi, I added some vin clear finings to my blackberry wine which actually seemed quite clear already, so was surprised to find a layer of what looked like sediment floating on top of my wine! After 3 days I swirled the demijohn around and some of the finings dissolved. Is this normal?

[@Brewbitz]

Hi. Yes.

[@cathrynheywood4259]

I'm keen to get a batch going, but I don't have any rohapect. Will it make much difference if I leave it out? I'm using wild damsons.

[@Brewbitz]

Hi. As long as you have pectolase, it will be fine.

[@cathrynheywood4259]

@@Brewbitz Thank you! I have. I'm making a bit of a pigs ear of this process. I added the pectolase before I'd let the mixture cool, so I added more later. Then I forgot to take a hydrometer reading until 14 hours after I'd pitched the yeast. So I did one at that point. It was 1.105. I figured it was better than not doing a reading at all!

[@Brewbitz]

@@cathrynheywood4259 Don't worry. You did the right thing. Pectolase can work happily up to 40C, but putting more in won't cause any problems. Plum can be very high in pectin, so I sometimes have to add more post fermentation. Happy brewing

[@katecaiger8266]

Just one more question.... so I’m going to bottle my plum wine next week and have ordered some fermentation stopper and finings from you, should I add this before bottling, or will it be too late in the process?? Thanks for your help!!

[@Brewbitz]

Yes, these need to be added before bottling

[@katecaiger8266]

Ok, thanks! Have put in the fermentation stopper, will add the finings tomorrow! If I leave it for another couple of weeks, then bottle it, how soon do you think I can drink it??

[@robertsouthernsouthern5524]

Nice one david

[@Brewbitz]

Cheers Davin

[@trumplostlol3007]

My purple leaf plums are just juice with very little meat. LOL I can't do that.

[@briain_odonnghaile]

How much yeast was in that sachet please, I've just got wine yeast in a container.

[@Brewbitz]

Use your yeast as per the instructions. In these packets is 5g or 1 teaspoon.

[@steventhompson9319]

Is Oxidation not a thing in wine making - as with beer?

[@Brewbitz]

In both beer and wine, yeast need dissolved oxygen to grow, so some level of oxygen is desired in both. However, with wine it can help with chemical processes that actually improve some wines. However saying that, keeping the oxygen out is needed to prevent oxidisation. This is one of the reasong in a lot of wines we use a campden tablet as this reacts with some of the dissolved oxygen that created sulphur dioxide which then sits as a protective layer on top of the wine must until fermentation begins which creates the CO2. Usually in the first part of the fermentation the amount of co2 created keeps any oxygen touching the wine must. This is why once the fermentation slows, it's important to move it to a demijohn with an airlock. There is a lot of reading on the web re this subject and it does depend on a lot of factors as to how regimented you need to be, but in all my time making wines, I've not found oxidisation a problem. Hope this helps

[@andersnystrom7166]

I apologize if this is a stupid question, but I have a really difficult time to get enough liquid without pulp for my initial gravity test before pitching the yeast, as the mashed fruit is floating around in the juice. Is there a trick to filter off the pulp for the test, as the hydrometer seems to stick to the pulp in the test glass?

[@Brewbitz]

Try pouring some into a jug lined with a coarse straining bag. Then squeeze out the juice. Hopefully this will work for you. Cheers

[@markthompson8511]

Hi how much sugar should we use per pound of plums ? Thx

[@Brewbitz]

Hi Mark. Normally you would use 1lb of sugar to 1lb of fruit. But it does depend on how much sugar is in the fruit, so you may want to adjust the sugar so as not to have a wine this reaching 20% ABV. Check out our video on how to use a hydrometer and they shall show you how to check how much sugar is in your fruit and water infusion before you add the sugar. Hope this helps.

[@briain_odonnghaile]

Just racked mine on Sunday, came out at .990 like yours, but this morning there is/was no further sign of fermentation. 🤷‍♂️

[@Brewbitz]

The yeast have eaten all the sugar. Be patient, the yeast still have things to eat and make flavours.

[@scottwalker861]

I'm trying this wine with my own plum tree fruits. However the reading before adding yeast was on the 110 mark on my hydrometer. This seem really over suger content, what could I do to bring it back? Can I add water during fermentation?

[@Brewbitz]

Hi for future winemaking, you may want to check the amount of sugar you have in your plums before you add the extra sugar. To do this followed the usual recipe at the beginning but don’t add the sugar. Take a hydrometer reading and use this to work out how much sugar is already in your plum juice liquid and then add extra sugar to bring it up to your desired ABV. Hope this helps. Happy brewing

[@kingofdeath5600]

Hi, what will happen if the pips are left in the damsons? I'm about to buy my first bits of equipment from your website but want to know do I really need to de stone damsons as they aren't very big like a plum.

[@Brewbitz]

These stones can add a strong bitterness. So yep, sorry, stoning is needed

[@Huberman1234]

Question - what's the difference between Campden Tablets and Fermentation Stopper? I've used the former for my wine and never had an issue.

[@Brewbitz]

Campden tabs are sodium metabisulphate. This stops cells multiplying. But only for a short while. It also works as a de-oxygenator to help prevent oxidisation. Where as fermentation stopper is potassium sorbate which kills yeast & bacteria.

[@Huberman1234]

@@Brewbitz Thanks for the explanation. I've just gone off and done some research furthing on from what you said and arrived at the following things: 1 - Sodium Metabisulphate is effective until a large amount of oxygen is introduced into the wine, whereupon a second tablet would need to be added to remove the new oxygen. 2 - Potasium Sorbate doesn't apparently work on bacteria, but will stop yeast and fungi from reproducing. It doesn't do anything to prevent oxygen from spoiling the wine. It also apparently deteriorates over time to create pineapple flavours... which is weird...

[@mickdownes9265]

Hi just following your method to make plum wine, have added the yeast so we've got 7 days of stirring to come. Could I ask a quick question, what fluid did you put in your airlock???

[@Brewbitz]

Its a small amount of sodium metabisulphate in water. Or you could use cleaner/steriliser.

[@mickdownes9265]

@@Brewbitz Ta v much, got 2nd lot on the go now!

[@Dredd1912]

I have seen many recipes that say don't squeeze the mesh bag. I have seen this on mainly strawberry recipes. I can't seem to give a reason behind this. Any ideas?

[@Brewbitz]

usually cause you can squeeze to hard and it split the bag. It can also add some more pulp to the brew.

[@andersonec1]

The instructions on the Camden tablet container state that you should put in the tablets at the 'end' of fermentation, but you are putting it in 'before', ????

[@Brewbitz]

Hi. Camden tablets do a few different things and so can be used at multiple stages during the fermentation and brewing process. Using at the beginning causes any natural yeast and bacteria to stop replicating. This allows you to add your desired yeast so you get the flavours and desired fermentation you wish. As soon as the alcohol level reaches a certain percentage this is enough to kill any bacteria, and those yeast that have been subdued can do their thing in the background adding their own unique special flavours to your fermentation while your preferred yeast does all the hard work. Camden tablets can also prevent oxidisation and this is why they will be used at the end as well as at the beginning. Whilst your are siphoning/transferring your wine to another demijohn/bottles, It can cause splashing and introduce air and in this instance the Camden tablets reacts with oxygen and creates sulphur dioxide whilst subduing any bacteria that could infect the wine at this stage turning it to vinegar and that sulphur dioxide also creates a protective layer

[@andersonec1]

Thanks, cleared that up then😊

[@bboranora]

Is it okay if the plum is little raw?

[@Brewbitz]

Hi. Simple answer is yes however, it may make it too acidic.

[@Fletchlie]

Next door neighbour's plums are out, they're hanging over our fence. They're yellow but a bit squishy now.

[@Brewbitz]

Grab em and get brewing!!!

[@katecaiger8266]

Hi, love your videos! Just a question; each time I rack my wine I obviously lose some wine, should I top up the demijohns with cooled, boiled water to avoid the risk of oxidation? Many thanks for your great videos!

[@Brewbitz]

Hi. No dont top up. To avoid oxidisation, add a crushed campden tablet.

[@katecaiger8266]

@@Brewbitz Ok, thanks!

[@jamesjones-yn1sv]

in your video you said your start S.G was 994 [it can't be 994 with all that sugar.] and your finish S.G. was 990. For a 15% a.b.v.your start S.G. shoud have been 1110.

[@Brewbitz]

Ooops. Good spot. I think it should have been 1.094

[@alicepretty7785]

Been told NOT to stir every day(?) And NOT to trust men who wear flipflops!

[@Brewbitz]

Dont believe everything you are told. Perhaps best to form your own opinions - hahaha