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Cran-apple wine
#1
I'm thinking about, for my next batch, making some of the recommended cranapple wine. Having a look at the ingredients, I noticed that about every brand of cranapple juice at the grocery store had a very small amount of juice and a large amount of sugar. As a juice, that makes it of lesser quality than a pure fruit juice, but this might not be the case for fermenting. However, I do happen to have some cranberry and apple juice already on hand, home made from the fruit, without any of the additives or sugar. A general rule of thumb with cooking is that, if you start with higher quality ingredients, you'll get a better product; and I assume in this instance there's a good chance I might at least get a better fruit flavor, since my beverage will have more juice per liter to start.

Obviously people do enjoy the off the shelf cranapple wine; anyone know if I'd be likely to get a higher quality product by mixing the juices and adding sugar myself?
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#2
You certainly can. You'll have to make your own recipe along the way but you very well could wind up with a far superior product.
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#3
I've been using EZ caps since a friend gave me a set and a yeast vial as a gift. She told me to only get organic, all natural, or not from concentrate juices. My first batches were mixes of cranberry, tart cherry, apple, and pomegranate juices, and they turned out well. The only problem I had was the sugar level. Don't add too much trying to get a high proof or to compensate for the tart flavor of cranberry juice, or you'll get alcoholic syrup (which isn't that bad, I liked it as did my very drunk compatriots!). Since then I started to make simple syrup (1 part hot water & 1 part sugar by volume), and add about 2 tbs. of it per day after the first week, if you do this it's easier to get higher proofs and a better sweetness balance. I expect to hit that 17% upper limit much more regularly from now on! The tart flavors and acidity of the cranberry pairs well with other juices in my opinion, and my tart flavored wines get rave reviews from friends.
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