Apricot Wine

Ingredients

• 10 cups apricots, halved and pitted
• 4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon yeast nutrients
• 1 1/2 teaspoon acid blend
• 1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme
• 1/4 teaspoon tannin
• 1 campden tablet
• 1 gallon water, hot
• 1 package wine yeast

Method

1. Place fruit in primary fermentor. Add water, sugar, nutrients, acid, pectic enzyme, tannin and campden tablet. Stir to dissolve sugar. Let sit overnight.
2. Next day, Specific Gravity should be 1.090 - 1.095. Stir in yeast. Stir daily for 5 to 6 days or until Specific Gravity is 1.040. Strain out fruit and squeeze as much juice out of it as you can. Siphon into secondary fermentor and add airlock.
3. For a dry wine, rack in three weeks, and every three months for one year. Bottle.
4. For a sweet wine, rack at three weeks. Add 1/2 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup wine. Stir gently, and place back into secondary fermentor. Repeat process every six weeks until fermentation does not restart with the addition of sugar. Rack every three months until one year old. Bottle.
5. If wine is not clear, or still has quite a bit of sediment forming between rackings, Fine the wine as follows:
6. Use wine finings or plain gelatin. Gelatin: use 1 teaspoon per 6 gallons of wine. Finings: 1/2 teaspoon per 5 gallons or as per package directions. Soak in 1/2 cup cold water for 1/2 hour. Bring to a boil to dissolve. Cool. Stir into wine. Let sit 10 to 14 days. Rack. If not clear enough yet, repeat process. DO NOT increase amount of gelatin or finings. The mixture will stay suspended in the wine, preventing it from ever clearing. Bottle once wine is clear.