In Gina's thread about grouping varieties, Martin posted a UC Davis study, and in it I found the Brix of a few varieties.  BRIX = Sugar Content, and every wine maker counts on their refractometer to tell them when to pick the grapes.

I would love to make pure fig wine, but the brix needs to be high, so what would you suggest?  I'm talking extra sweet here!  UC Davis didn't have them all, and I'm certain there are more!

Suzi

Suzi, I've read that Hollier has a very high sugar content.
 
 Pete

Hollier is going on my wish list!  Thanks Pete!

Suzi,

Here is a link with more info: http://www.hawaiifruit.net/index-figs.html

Thanks Ruben!  I'll go through that link!  Lots to look at!

Suzi
PS, your Verte is very perky and happy here on the kitchen counter!  My deep gratitude to you!

My pleasure. I bet it has a high brix score when the time comes ;-). It's up there with Celeste for me.

My nephew eats the figs from his tree before they are ripe.  He pulls them not too long after they change color.  I asked him why he doesn't wait until they are ripe.  His complained they are too sweet.  This year I managed to get a few ripe ones from his tree.  He's right... partially.  The problem with the fruit from his tree is they are sweet w/out much flavor. 

First things first: it must be a good fig... if they are not sweet enough, you can sprinkle them with some sugar.

~james

James, putting sugar on a fig to make wine is cheating!  That's why I want to have a few cultivars that are dead sweet when ripe on their own.  Why do wine grapes make good wine?  Their brix ranges from 25 to 30.  No sugar added.  No water.  Pure fruit and the juices from that fruit. 

The thing that drives me nuts about most fruit wines is the fruit is NOT sweet enough, so everyone must add water and sugar to get the yeast to ferment.  It would take tons of figs to make really pure fig wine, but I'd love to try it, or maybe add some of the wine grapes from our vineyard to help it along, but no sugar and no water!

This is the reason I'm looking for the really high brix varieties of figs.

:-))
Suzi

I'm sorry Suzi.  I usually eat my figs fresh.  I tend to forget others use theirs in different ways.

Apparently, there are some on that site in that range, Susi.

I am going to guess that if you look at the cut fig (live or in pictures), if it has a nice "jammy" consistency, it is high in sugar.

I would also say, find figs that seal eyes with honey, and you've got a high brix fig almost by default.  

Suzi,

We do not have a refactometer. So, cannot attest to the brix of Bayernfeige Violleta.

But, last year, in it's third year we noticed that the main crop was so sweet it was attracting tons of flys. The individual breba crop fig for that year, was very large. But, was not as sweet. 

This year we are finding the breba crop to be very sweet also. Now this year, we have had to provide fly protection, for the breba crop also.

We have Marseilles Black VS ripening at the same time as the breba, on Bayernfeige Violetta. But, it does not have any fly problems, at all.

I have not tasted enough different figs to say for a fact that this is a fig that would be classified as very sweet. But, to me it has been the sweetest fig I have ever tasted. Plus, it is very juicy. Kind of like eating the syrup from canned figs.

So, because of it's high sweet taste and it juciness, it might be a good fig for making wine. Or at least deserve more reseach to see if it Could be a fig for wine making.

Bob Zone 5 Connecticut