Lidl 100% Apple juice - wine recipe help.

[Cully]

Just seen a bloke on YouTube making wine from apple juice, but he gives no amounts. He uses the 100% pure apple juice and sugar. Is this viable and would anyone know how much juice to use in 1 demijohn please?

Should I add raisins, and if so how much?

[DeadFall]

Sample the apple juice with a hydrometer or refractometer to get it's current gravity. If you search around you will find a tool that will tell you how much sugar to add to get your required gravity, it's called something like chapitalization if recall correctly. My hydrometer came with a chart that I use to figure this out. I'd aim for around 11%.

I'd also use a yeast that's good with apples, one of the lavlin ones is pretty nice, it's been a while since I've made any wine so I can't remember which one. I wouldn't add raisins, just yeast nutrient.

Apple and cranberry makes a good wine, but I'd add honey and aim for around 14%. 3 parts apple to 1 or 2 parts cranberry.

[Cully]

Would you advise pectolaise? And how about Tanin and citric acid?I have used them all with apple wine from the fruit before. Oh and hom many ltrs juice per 5 gal demijohn is it safe to use?

[oldbloke]

The juice will have something like 110gm sugar per litre, maybe a bit less - it;s on the pack.
Wine wants about 1.2kg sugar per gallon, so see what's in your juice and subtract from that to get how much sugar to add
If you add raisins (good idea) knock off a bit more - about a quarter of the raisins' weight
With most shop juice you don't really need pectolase, but it can't hurt if you have some.

[oldbloke]

The juice probably has enough acid, maybe a small amount of tartaric. half a tsp? A bit of tannin will help, sure.
You want as much apple as you can get (just like cider) so fill the demi to about 3.5 or 3.75 litres then top right up with more juice after 5 or 6 days (this should avoid the escape-through-the-airlock syndrome)

[danbrew]

I'm a bit late to the party i know but 3.8l of juice to make 4.5l wine is a really good base to start experimenting from in my opinion. Perfectly balanced acidity for a dry white table wine. Use 600g sugar, pectolase, nutrient, vit b and yeast.

You shouldnt need the pectolase in theory but i have had these go cloudy on me before so i always add it now...

I would start from there and then experiment with future batches to suit your taste...

I know the video you mean, he doesn't tell you how much oak he puts in either.