10 replies to this topic

[VJ1]

I am a new forum member, interested in connecting with others who have made Ver Jus or non-fermented green juice. My wife and I have been testing various processes (both heat and cold stabilization techniques to kill yeasts) over the past three years. Our current batch, combinaiton of gamay and cab franc grapes, ended up fermenting in the bottle after filtering. Any others out there who have found effective steri filter and bottle washing techniques to prevent organism growth?

[Tomer1]

I dont think it can be done without flash pastourising or microfiltation\cross filtration.
Using a low oxygen permiable seal like a screw cap is also a good idea.


You best choice will be to get it through the clearing process under very low temp preventing bacterial groth and wild fermentation, then bottling and freezing.
This will give you at least 6 months of shelf life if not much more.
Frozen pails are sometimes sold two-three years after they are frozen at discount price so no reason it shouldnt keep.

[VJ1]

I dont think it can be done without flash pastourising or microfiltation\cross filtration.
Using a low oxygen permiable seal like a screw cap is also a good idea.


You best choice will be to get it through the clearing process under very low temp preventing bacterial groth and wild fermentation, then bottling and freezing.
This will give you at least 6 months of shelf life if not much more.
Frozen pails are sometimes sold two-three years after they are frozen at discount price so no reason it shouldnt keep.

Are you refering to making VerJus?

[Tomer1]

Im refering to making unfermented juice in gerneral,
The fact that the grapes are unripe and very low in ph wont change the fact that it can ferment and\or spoile.

[VJ1]

Im refering to making unfermented juice in gerneral,
The fact that the grapes are unripe and very low in ph wont change the fact that it can ferment and\or spoile.

[VJ1]

Interesting. This past year, 2009, we tested about 200L of gamay grapes, 10.9 brix level, cold stabilized (at 30F) for 6 months (much longer than originally anticipated), double filtered, followed by a sterifilter and bottled (all bottles rinsed well with metabisulfite). Our test bottles are still in good shape. No fermentation, no growth in the VerJus.....only a modest amount of sediment build-up in bottle.

This year, we only filtered once, vs the second filter, followed by the sterifilte and bottling. Soemhow, this year, we did not kill the wild yeasts....
Any thoughts on this process?

thanks

[bret]

I do not have any experience bottling unfermented grape juice, but I plan to, so I will be following this thread with interest. My thoughts were to add potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate and bottle in standard corked wine bottles like I would regular wine. If any body else has thoughts on that I'd like to hear. -Bret

[bret]

P.S., Why would you bottle with a brix that low? Wouldn't it taste better when fully ripe? -Bret

[Victorwine]

Basically Verjus is a vinegar (or lemon twist) substitute (made from unripe grapes with high TA, you don’t necessarily want to drink it). But to some chefs its much more than that it’s a major ingredient in some sauces and other recipes. Some of the boutique wineries on the East End of Long Island produce a Verjus (taking some of the fruit that was "green harvested"” during the summer to keep yields down. Like Tomer says once the juice is pressed from the grapes it must handled as cold as possible and quickly stabilized to prevent fermentation. Basically the wineries use centrifuges and separators to quickly clear and settle the cold juice and than it is filtered, might go through a flash pasteurization. VJ1 you mention that the bottles are rinsed well with k-meta, is the juice itself dosed with the appropriate amount of k-meta (according to its pH)?

Salute

[gregorio]

TOPIC MOVED TO FOOD RECIPES

We have made Verjus a couple times for local restaurants as well as our own kitchens. We view it as a seasonal item and consume it rather quickly. It is harvested, pressed and then chilled durring settling. We bottle in the same bottles as our vinegar with a T-top cork. No filtering or stabilizing used but we do require it to be refrigerated and recommend that it be used in 30 days.

[Tomer1]

(according to its pH

I would imagine it will be really minimal dose even when targeting .8 molecular so2.
Whats the common ph of this unripe juice? 2.8-3?