Strawberry Country Wine
Strawberry wine is a classic country wine that punches above its weight at festivals and farmers' markets. The fruit is delicate and the resulting wine more rosé than red — pale pink, lightly aromatic, often back-sweetened. Color and aromatics fade quickly, so this is one to drink young rather than cellar.
Ingredients
| 5 lb | Fresh or frozen strawberries |
| 2.25 lb | Cane sugar |
| 1 gal | Water |
| 1.5 tsp | Acid blend |
| 0.5 tsp | Pectic enzyme |
| 1 tsp | Yeast nutrient |
| 5 g | Wine yeast (71B) |
| 1 tab | Campden tablet (crushed) |
Equipment
- 2-gallon primary bucket
- 1-gallon glass carboy
- Airlock
- Hydrometer
- Straining bag
Steps
- Day 0
Crush + steep
Crush strawberries in straining bag, add hot sugar-water, cool to 70°F.
- Day 0
Add Campden
Crush 1 Campden, stir in. Wait 24h before pitching yeast.
- Day 1
Pitch yeast
Add pectic enzyme, nutrient, then yeast.
- Day 1-8
Primary
Punch down fruit cap twice daily for 5-7 days. Strawberries throw a lot of foam.
- Day 8
Press + rack
Squeeze straining bag gently; rack to glass carboy under airlock.
- Day 8-28
Secondary
Ferment to dryness (SG <1.000). Strawberry color fades fast — protect from light.
- Day 28-60
Stabilize + age
Rack off lees, add k-meta + sorbate if back-sweetening (most strawberry wines benefit).
- Day 60
Bottle
Bottle and rest 30+ days. Drink within a year — color and aroma fade.