Hi… Just wondering if your liqueur flavorings could be added to a fruit wine.. for a little stronger flavor… Our peach, this year, is not real “peachy”…. and wondered if this would give it a flavor boost…
Thank you,
Sandy M.
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Hello Sandy,
These liqueur flavorings where originally intended to be used for taking an inexpensive spirit such as everyday Vodka and turning it into something special such as Amoretto, French Brandy, Peach Schnapps or dozens of other popular liqueurs. They are used in conjunction with thickening and/or sweetening Liqueur Bases to produce these lush cordials.
Having said this, we discovered long ago that these bottles of liqueur flavorings can do great things when added to a homemade fruit wine. Quite often we recommend using them to add additional flavor and aroma to homemade fruit wines that are in the situation you described. So yes, absolutely you can use these liqueur flavorings to enhance your wines flavor. This is one of my favorite wine making tips because it’s so easy to do.
One bottle is probably the max you will want to use in a 5 or 6 gallon batch of fruit wine, and sometimes even less than this is best. These little bottles of contain an unexpected amount of flavor in them. Adding too much to your homemade wine can be worse than adding none at all. Doing so can bring an unwanted bitter astringency to the wine that will later need to be masked with sweetening of some sort.
Starting with a half of bottle of liqueur flavoring in 5 gallons of wine is a safe way to go about it. You can use a measuring syringe to help you control the amount you are actually adding to the wine.
You can also expect somewhat of a delayed reaction with these flavoring. There full affect is not immediate, particularly the aroma. They need some time to mingle with the wine before their full affect can be experienced. I usually let the wine sit overnight before making and determinations.
Happy Winemaking,
Customer Service
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Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.
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My white wine has a decidly sulfer smell, what can I do to fix it, and what did I do wrong……..
I am an amateur home wine maker. I have recently procured the oak wood shelving from you. I would like to know how to use them to improve the fruit wines.
shishir, the chips should be boiled for about 10 minutes to sanitize them. Then they can be added directly to the fruit wine. It is important to note that not all fruit wines should be treated with oak. Stick with the darker berries. Length of time will vary greatly. Check the flavor every 2 months. The remove the chips when optimal.
Is there a chart showing what flavors go best with what fruit?.. and is it required to add any bases?
MBrander, unfortunately we do not have any such chart. Part of the reason why is because there is no single best answer to any situation. So much of it has to do with personal taste. But in general, you want to keep the flavors as close to the same as possible. As for your second question, you do not need to add the bases when using these flavors in wine. The bases are only needed when making liqueurs with them.
At Christmas Time I make different liqueurs. I am interested in locating Strega Flavoring. If you have this flavoring, please advise size of bottle and price. I cannot find this flavoring locally. Thank you for your assistance.
Al, I sorry but we do not have a Strega flavoring or anything even close to it. I have not seen anything recently for this flavor either. Decades ago we did have this flavor, but the company that made it has since gone out of business. Sorry we were of not help.