umm good apple wine

My apple wine came out just great,I made it on 11-08-09 so it's just about 7 months old.Its very good cold,and everyone that has had some just loved it.Alc. is about 14 percent. I used about 7 cups mash per gallon and a few rasins and some cim. sticks.
Thanks to all the guys that helped on this forum.Their all nice people.
I just made another 2/5 gallon carboys of apple and 2 of grape.
An easy way and a little faster is to make your wine in 1 gallon carboys,it seems to ferment faster so you know how it comes out.
Hope that everyone has a nice Summer and has fun with their wine,either making it or Drinking it.
John

Good job Johnny and thanks. Just put on first blackberry for year plan on another batch next week. If it comes out as good as last year it will be a favorite around here so I have to do more than 2 gal. We are already down to our last bottle. The wife keeps looking for it but I am doing my best to save it for Christmas.

Well bob I hope that you can save it till Christmas.Would you know how many pounds of blackberries you used per gallon?I just bought some 5 Dewberry vines/bushes.Also bought 5 more blackberry bushes.Well they have to grow for about 2 years, ha ha hope that Im around. lol well 62 and a bad ticker.
Just having some of my apple, ummm good. But the sad thing is that im almost out of it. hee hee hee.But I have more cooking.
See you later,and have a nice day/night/
Johnny

I shoot for 6 lb of berry per gal and add a tsp tartaric acid per gal and so far I have had to add a little water to cut the acid so I end up about 2.5 gal with 12 lb of berrys. I also add banana liquor from 1 lb of banana per gal and a little grape concentrate(1 can per gal). I forgot the rasins this time but I dont think I had put enough in to really make a difference last year. Heading out next weekend , shooting for 4 more gal of berrys. I thought about buying blackberry bush's but I can just see them getting out of control.

Hey Bob1, how do you make your banana liquor? Also, are you using white grape concentrate or red?

Thanks,
Mark

Slice banana cover with water bring to a boil and simmer 20 min , then mash banana up a little and strain liguid allow liguid to cool and add to fermentation vessel , white I dont like welchs red i think it has a funny taste one day when I can afford it I would like to use red merlot.

Thanks so much! The grape concentrate sounds great.....just a little scared of the banana.

I hate to keep chiming in on this post but I had one more thing to ask. Are you keeping the peel on the banana when you simmer? I have read on other post to keep the skins on it.

I learned to peel them then simmer, but I have seen like on jack kellers site he does not. Dont worry about the banana you cant taste it. I was really worried about trying to make a blackberry with a decent body and I tell you I nailed it. You need some banana and grape with it. I also used the d-47 yeast which also is supposed to add mouthfull to wine. I decided to use 212 on this batch I just started to see how much it may have affected it.

I'm trusting you on this one. I like banana but was afraid it would be over powering. What are you straining away? You do put some of the banana in the primaty? Correct?

Thanks,
Mark

all i do is simmer it without peels for 20 min(when it comes to a boil there will be some foam skim it off) then kind of mash it up real good with a spoon. Then take a plain ol strainer and work it through with a spoon, the strainer will eventually clog with the pulp just turn the pulp and press it with spoon as much as you can until you think what your getting out is not wort the effort anymore. It should smell like banana but wont taste like it. I would like to know if I am over working it I see some of Jacks recipes he just puts the banana in?

Thanks so much for everything. I'm new at this and am sure more ?????'s will follow.