Blackberry Mead and a Yeast Test

As you may know from my previous batches, I have been using 1118 yeast which is more of a high alcohol champagne yeast. This time I decided to branch out and try a few things different.
Basically I started with pretty much the same base bringing the specific graivity up to 1.096 ish and separated it out into 2 batches of 8 Litres each. I am trying 2 yeasts, K1116 and 71B 1122 Both by Lalvin.



I started the batches at the same temperature at the same time. Both were innoculated at 9:45 PM on June 25th, 2008. We shall see how this experiment goes. I will keep you updated

Sparkling Peach wine - The original Bellini

Peach has a great significance in different cultures. It can be of different colors such as red, yellow, pink, white or a blend of these colors. The tradition of making peach wine is popular in many countries. The Bellini is an Italian sparkling peach wine, which was believed to originate during 1930s at Harry’s Bar in Venice. It was named after a famous opera composer.

Peach wine is good for general health and making peach wine at home is an easy but wonderful hobby. In practice, peaches generally contain a very little character and a second ingredient is mandatory for giving it a delicious shape. Here is a recipe for making peach wine that uses raisins in it.



Peach With Raisins Wine

The first step for making peach wine is to select good and fresh peaches. Thoroughly wash 3 lbs of ripe peaches in cool water. You do not need to peel the peaches. Cut them into thin pieces and throw the stones aside. Now mash the peaches and mix ½ cup chopped raisins into the mix. Take 1 qt of boiled water and add 1 lb of sugar and stir it carefully to dissolve. Wrap it with disinfected cloth and let it sit until it comes to room temperature. Now mix cool water to make it equal to one gallon.

After that, add the juice of one large lemon and one crushed campden tablet into the mixture and let it sit for the next 12 hours. Now add ½ tsp peptic enzyme and set aside for another 12 hours. Mix 1 tsp yeast nutrient and blend it thoroughly. Now ferment the solution for next three to four days and stir it twice daily. Now pour all the mixture into a nylon-straining bag and squeeze it tightly so that the maximum amount of juice can be extracted.

Now it is the time to add more sugar to the solution. This is a crucial phase in making peach wine. The sugar not only gives the additional flavor, but it helps in further fermentation. Add ½ lb sugar into the mixture and stir well to dissolve it. Now move the mixture into secondary fermenter and make it airtight. After that the fermentation slows down and terminates.

Now, you are on your final phase of making peach wine. Within the next two weeks, you need to stir it for the final time and put it into bottles. If possible, age it for six months to one year to give it an aged flavor.

Source: secrettowinemaking.com

Watermelon Wine Made Easy

Of course, I wouldn't use the Campden, but other than that is sounds intersting.


Grapes are not the only fruit that can be used to make wine. Although they are the most common, the truth is that other fruits can be used to make wine as well. In fact, it is very easy to make wine with watermelon or other fruits, such as blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Not only is watermelon wine easy to make, but it also provides a nice contrast to the standard grape option. Give it a try and see for yourself!

Easy As One Two Three

Making watermelon wine is extremely easy in fact, it is one of the easiest wines to make. To begin, make sure that you have all of the winemaking equipment necessary to the winemaking process. Next, gather the ingredients you will need specifically for making watermelon wine. These ingredients are: 1/2 gallon Watermelon Juice, 1 Campden tablet, Water, 1/2 pound sugar, 1/8 tsp Tannin, 1 tsp nutrient, 2 1/2 tsp Acid Blend, and wine yeast.



Begin by cutting the watermelon into quarters and removing the rind as well as all the seeds. Then cut the watermelon into slices. Using a strainer bag, squeeze the juice from the watermelon into a primary fermentor. (Put the strainer bag into a primary fermentor as well.) Add all the remaining ingredients to the primary fermentor at this time, with the exception of the yeast. Stir the mixture, cover, and let it sit for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, remove the cover and add the yeast to the primary fermentor. After three to five days, pour the juice into the secondary fermentor. Squeeze the juice in the strainer bag into the secondary fermentor, and then discard the bag.

After this point, it is safe to continue with the normal fermentation process. Remember that this process takes time and that it is important to have patience. The longer you allow the wine to ferment, the better it will taste. Also remember that your easy-to-make watermelon wine will taste better if you let it age several months after it is bottled.

Fruity Fun

Easy to make watermelon wine is also poplar because the ingredients are easy to acquire. It is a great selection both for someone who is just starting to make their own wine, and for someone who has been doing it for years. Whatever the circumstances, this easy watermelon wine will make a great addition to your evening meal.

Goji Mead # 2 - Let's try this again

Well, the last experiment was rather interesting. I particularly liked the subtle rasberry like taste partway through the fermentation. The one major thing I learned from the last batch of Goji Mead was to check the specific gravity of the juice prior to adding Honey. The result in the previous batch of Goji Mead was a very high starting Specific gravity and a high alcohol content end product. Consequently, my wife was not too fond of the burn.

Today I am doing things quite abit differently. First of all, I checked the specific gravity of the Goji Berry juice and found it to be around 1.050. Once I added the blackberry juice and water it dropped substantially but it was still at 1.021. Here is the recipe:

2 - Litres re-consitited Goji berries Blended in a blender
6 - Cups steamed unsweetened blackberry juice
3 - Litres water
3 - Cups Clover Honey
1 - Pack of 1118 yeast

Innoculated at 8PM on Friday Decemeber 7th
Specific gravity = 1.071

I will ferment this batch of Goji Berry Mead to dry. Once complete, it will be mixed with the previous batch of Goji Berry Mead which will hopefully result in a more palitable Mead. By fermenting it to dry with a lower specific gravity, I will also gain a better understanding on the effect of complete fermentation. I will still pasteurize the Mead upon completion.

I did an experiment and found 1 cup of honey to equal an increase of about 0.015 on the specific gravity scale.

Kiwi Wine

I haven't tried this one, but I'm thinking I would probably turn it into a mead.


Ingredients

2 kg Kiwi Fruit
1.5 kg Sugar
1 tsp Citric Acid
1 gallon Water
0.5 tsp Tannin
Yeast
Yeast Nutrient


Peel and chop fruit and place in bucket with sugar. Add boiling water and mash fruit. Leave overnight. Add tannin, pectic enzyme, yeast and nutrient. Leave about a week, covered and stirring daily. Strain into demijohn up to shoulder level, and fit air lock. After fermentation is less vigorous, top up with water to neck. Rack off lees at monthly intervals.

Goji Berry Mead - Now for something completely different

OK, so I think I may now have officially lost it. Well at least I'm not making wine out of onions or something crazy like that.

Goji berries, also known as wolf berries have quite the long history and as with just about anything medicinal from the orient there are claims it will make your penis bigger (Maybe not quite but something to do with sperm production). Hey Boner wine, why not :P

I started out with about 4 or 500 grams of dried berries. I added just enough water to re-hydrate them then I crushed them up in the blender. The result was about 2 litres of juice, pulp and seeds. (I think I'm going to save the seeds to see if I can grow the fruit here.

I added 1 litre of blackberry juice, 2 litres of honey and 3 1/2 litres of water. The end result was a specific gravity of 1.130. Pretty bloody high as the Goji berries are naturally full of sugar. unless you want fire water or deathly sweet Mead, you may want to try a little less honey.

As if using Goji berries to make Mead wasn't strange enough, I decided to try something different as far as yeast went. You see, I saved up some active yeast from the bottom of one of my blackberry batches and kept it in the fridge. Ya nuts I know.




So here is the recipe


Start time: 4:30 PM November 14th 2007
Specific Gravity: 1.130

2 - litres honey
2 - litres re-constituted Goji berry pulp (AKA Wolf berries)
1 - litre steamed blackberry juice (Unsweetened)
3 1/2 - litres spring water
3/4 - cup Recycled yeast pulp




POST PRODUCTION NOTE:

Although this mead has a very interesting taste, both my wife and I found it to be far to strong. To remedy this situation, I started out another batch with similar juice and water proportions but with quite abit less honey and a lower potential alcohol level. Here is the link GOJI BERRY MEAD #2

Cranberry Mead... well sort of

OK, so I picked up just over 11 pounds of fresh "organic" cranberries. According to the Polish farm guy some old guy in the area "with nothing better to do" grows a small crop of them organically.... Personally I think it was just a sales pitch but who am I to argue.

So I got home and dumped them into my handy steam juice extractor and began the process of pulling out the juice. I guess it shouldn't really be that much of a surprise, but that 11 some odd pounds of Cranberries resulted in only about 2 litres of juice (Including pulp). Typically the steam juicer is great at leaving the pulp behind, but after about 2 hours of waiting for only a small amount of juice I got impatient and started to crush the berries. Must be the results driven Kraut in me.

You might be wondering why the long background story, well that is to explain why this is sort of a cranberry Mead. You see, with only 2 litres of juice and 2 litres of honey already in the pot I needed to make up the space with something other than 4 litres of water.... Ah blackberry juice. So here is the recipe



2 Litres Honey
2 Litres Cranberry juice & pulp
1/2 Litre Apple Juice (Pure reconstituted no sugar added stuff)
1 Litre steam extracted Blackberry juice
2 1/4 Litres Spring Water
1 Cup Mushed up cranberries
2 Packs of 1118 Yeast
2 Teaspoons Nutrient

Measurements:
Specific Gravity: 1.112
Pot Alcohol : 15% Approx
Innoculated at 8PM on November 5th @ 80 F


This should be interesting as the juice is nice and sweet with a bit more tart than the Blackberry on its own.

As a side note, although the 11 lbs of Cranberries only yeilded about 2 litres of juice and pulp all was not a waste. I divided up the remaining pulp and berries and froze them for future cranberry chutney. At some point I need to get the recipe from my brother and post it on here.

Blackberry Mead - Another stab at it

OK, so after figuring out the pasteurization method of stopping fermentation I figured I would move onto a fully organized and controlled batch of mead. Being new at this whole wine making gig, I kind of mixed things up abit in the cellar (AKA basement bathroom). What was pure mead is now a mixture of Mead and wine made with brown sugar. batches that were let fully ferment are now mixed with the sweeter brown sugar versions of before. All this mixing has resulted in some stellar tasting wines but nothing consistent with a definite known recipe.

All that being said, here is what I did. This will be updated as the batch progresses.

Ingredients:

2 litres of Clover Honey
2 3/4 Litres of Frozen Pressed Blackberry juice
1 3/4 Litres Steam extracted Blackberry juice
1 1/2 Litres of Bottled Spring Water

2 Packs of 1118 Yeast
2 Tsp of Nutrient

I thawed the frozen juice out in a large pot with 1 litre of the bottled water. I kept the extra water aside to cool the must for innoculation.
It turns out I needed a little more juice to make-up the full 2 gallons required so I added in the steam extracted juice. Personally I prefer the Steam extracted juice for winemaking because it requires less straining and results in a clearer end product. In addition, the heat kills any undesirable bacteria. With the increase in fruit content, I am aiming at a fruitier tasting lower alcohol wine. My wife has been complaining about the 17 and 22% versions so this should be more to what she is used to.

measurements:

Specific Gravity is 1.105 which was temperature corrected for 90 F. This would result in wine of about 14% if allowed to ferment to dry.

Innoculation temperature: 90F

Innoculated at 12 Noon PST on October 17, 2007

Fruit Wines Secrets

I found this post on making fruit wine on Winemaking.net. As everyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows, I prefer not to use sulphites. I guess My method of juice extraction would be similar in results to method 1 except with pasturizing it after fermentation clarification is a non-issue.

Cheers,

Heinz



Fruit Wines Secrets

There is no need for me to mention the enormous popularity this branch of home wine-making enjoys, or that countless thousands of people all over the world embark with tremendous enthusiasm each summer upon turning wild fruits and surplus garden fruits into fruit wines fit to grace the tables of a banqueting hall. Just let me say that, no matter how advanced methods become and how easily obtainable special ingredients for wine making are, there will always be in the hearts of everyone a place for the true country fruit wines, for they have that indefinable 'something' which sets them apart from all others, a uniqueness that cannot be found in any other wine either commercial or home produced.

The fruit wines making methods I use myself are described here, and although they are the simplest and the surest ever evolved, it is necessary to point out the complications that arise if these methods are not used.

Years ago and, I am very sorry to say, even today many thousands of unfortunate home makers of fruit wines are following methods which advocate: 'crush the fruits, add the water and leave to ferment'. Other methods advise boiling the fruits. In both cases disappointment is almost a certainty, and the reason for this is easy enough to understand.

The grey-white bloom that forms on grapes and other fruits is yeast put there by nature and it may be said that the first wine known to early man was the result of this yeast fermenting fruits crushed for a purpose other than wine-making. In the ordinary way, this yeast might well make good wine if allowed to ferment alone. Unfortunately, with this yeast comes what we term 'undesirable' yeast (wild yeast), and several kinds of bacteria each of which can ruin our wines. They bring about what we call 'undesirable' ferments that usually take place at the same time as the ferment we want to take place so that instead of a wine of quality the result is one tasting of flat beer or cloudy evil-smelling liquid fit only for disposal. Another bacterium, known as the vinegar bacterium, will turn fruit wines into vinegar.

Since there is nothing we can do when any of these calamities has occurred, they must be prevented from happening.

Clearly, we must destroy all these enemies before beginning. The simplest method is of course at first thought, anyway is to boil the fruits. But here arises another problem. All fruits contain pectin, a glutinous substance which causes jams to 'set'. Boiling fruit releases pectin. This pectin holds itself and minute solids in suspension, giving the fruit wines a cloudiness that is impossible to clarify or even filter out. We may put the crushed fruit through a jelly-bag to remove every particle of pectin-bearing fruit and then boil the juice only, but this is a messy, tedious job that takes hours and eliminates all the pleasure from wine-making.

Obviously, what we need is a method which will destroy the wild yeast and bacteria on the fruits (as boiling does) without actually boiling, and, indeed, without heating our fruits at all because it needs very little heat to bring out the pectin.

Our method, known as the 'sulphiting' method, does just this and produces full-bodied, crystal-clear fruit wines easily and quickly without fuss or bother. All that is necessary to achieve this are tablets costing a halpenny each. Campden fruit-preserving tablets are available at most chemists in bottles of twenty costing tenpence. In the ordinary way and provided the fruit is not too heavily affected with wild yeast and bacteria one tablet will destroy the undesirable element contained in one gallon of crushed fruit pulp, but we cannot be sure of this. Now, two tablets will surely do this, but being a comparatively heavy dose this might also destroy the yeast we shall be adding so that the ferment we desire does not take place. My method takes care of both these risks, not only destroying the wild yeast and bacteria on the fruits, but also allowing the yeast we add to ferment alone and unhindered to produce fruit wines of clarity and quality the like of which cannot be produced by any other method. By adding one Campden tablet to a good deal less than one gallon of fruit pulp ('must') this will represent a rough equivalent to two tablets per gallon. But before we add our yeasts we shall have increased the amount of liquid or pulp to nearly twice the amount, consequently reducing the amount of sterilizing solution to half or the equivalent of one Campden tablet per gallon. In this way we achieve our overall aim.

Each Campden fruit-preserving tablet contains four grains of sodium metabisulphite; therefore, any makers of fruit wines finding Campden tablets in short supply may ask their chemist for four grains of sodium metabisulphite (or potassium metabisulphite there being two forms), and use this. But because a chemist would find a single order for four grains rather trivial, it would be best to ask for say, six or ten packets each containing four grains. If you are making two-gallon lots of wine the amount to use would be eight grains. Do not be tempted to buy by the ounce and measure out a grain as this is impossible unless you have the appropriate scales.

Just in case you happen to be one of those makers of fruit wines who, even in these enlightened days, abhors the use of chemicals, let me assure you that sulphur dioxide (the solution which results when Campden tablets are dissolved) is quite harmless to humans when used in the proportions recommended. Indeed, as many as eight tablets (thirty-two grains) may be used with safety, but such heavy dosing would prevent a 'must' fermenting.

The sulphiting method is used by the trade, so we shall be following a method well tired and proved.

Heaven knows how many hundreds of gallons of fruit wines I have made by this method and all with the same unfailing success.

Method 1 makes wines of the heavier type; their flavours are more pronounced and their colour more full than those produced by method 2. Those wishing for lighter fruit wines more suitable for serving with meals should use method 2. The main difference in the two methods is that we ferment the fruit pulp itself in method 1, and the juice only in method 2. It will be appreciated that when fermenting the pulp we must as a matter of course get far more from our fruits. But we do not want too much in a light wine otherwise the subtle difference between a heavier wine and the popular lighter wines is lost.

The short pulp ferment of method 1 ensures that we get all the flavour and desirable chemical matter from our fruits in the right proportion.

The best method to use for each type of fruit is given with each recipe. It should be taken into account that varied amounts of fruit and sugar with the use of the proper method produce distinctly different types of fruit wines.

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Method 1
Crush the fruit by hand in a polythene pail and pour on one quart of boiled water that has cooled. Mix well. Crush one Campden tablet and dissolve the powder in about half an egg cupful of warm water and mix this with the fruit pulp. Leave the mixture for one or two hours. A little bleaching will take place but this is nothing to worry about.

After this, take one-third of the sugar to be used (or approximately one-third) and boil this for one minute in three pints of water. Allow this syrup to cool and then stir into the pulp. Then add the yeast (or nucleus) and ferment for seven days.

After seven days, strain the pulp through fine muslin or other similar material and wring out as dry as you can. Put the strained wine into a gallon jar and throw the pulp away. Then boil another one-third of the sugar in one pint of water for one minute and when this has cooled add it to the rest.

Plug the neck of the jar with cotton wool or fit a fermentation lock and continue to ferment in a warm place for a further ten days.

At this stage, if you have not a spare jar, pour the wine into the polythene pail leaving as much of the deposit in the jar as you can. Clean out the jar, sterilize it and return the wine to this.

The remaining one-third of the sugar may now be boiled for one minute in the remaining pint of water. When this has cooled, add it to the rest. Refit the lock or plug the neck of the jar with fresh cotton wool. After this, the wine should be left in a warm place until all fermentation has ceased.

Note. If there is not quite enough space for all of this last lot of syrup, put the remainder in a sterilized screw-top bottle and store for a few days in a cool place. This may be added when fermentation has reduced the level of the liquid in the jar. If you have to do this, don't forget to refit the lock.

Method 2
Crush the fruit in a polythene pail and add one quart of boiled water that has cooled. Mix well.

Crush one Campden tablet and dissolve the powder in about half an eggcupful of warm water and mix this with the fruit pulp. Leave the mixture in a cool place for twenty-four hours, stirring twice during that time. Strain through fine muslin or other similar material and squeeze gently but not too hard. Discard the fruit pulp.

Then boil one-third of the sugar in half a gallon of water for one minute and allow to cool. Mix this with the juice and return the lot to the polythene pail. Then add the yeast (or nucleus), and ferment for ten days.

After this, pour the top wine into a gallon jar leaving as much of the deposit behind as you can. Boil another one-third of the sugar in half a pint of water for one minute and when this is cool add it to the rest. Plug the neck of the jar with cotton wool or fit a fermentation lock and ferment in a warm place for fourteen days.

After this, boil the remaining sugar in the remaining half-pint of water for one minute and when this is cool add it to the rest. Refit the lock or plug the neck of the jar with fresh cotton wool and leave in a warm place until all fermentation has ceased.

The recipes are designed to make one gallon of wine, if two gallons are being made at once twice the amount of each ingredient must be used (including Campden tablets) and the sugar and water added in double quantities. This principle applies where three or four gallons are being made and it is easy enough to work out. Just to be sure that mistakes do not occur when adding the syrup sugar and water stick a label on the jar and note on this the amounts added.

Readers will be quick to appreciate that certain fruits are more suitable than others for making certain types of wine. Clearly, it would be as hopeless to try to make port from rhubarb as it would be to try to grow potatoes on a pear tree, and I think it is in this respect that many people go astray; they make wines from the cheapest and most readily available fruits (naturally enough) but they do not give the slightest thought to what the result will be or whether they will like it or not. Before you begin decide on the type of wine you are most likely to prefer and then use the fruit and the method which will make this type of wine.

Elderberries make an excellent port-style wine and many variations, each with the basic port style underlying them, so that from this lowly wild fruit we may obtain not only a full-bodied port-style wine, but also a Burgundy style, a claret and others according to the whim of the operator. Blackberries make similar wines, as do certain varieties of plums, damsons and blackcurrants. The juice from lighter-colored fruit such as raspberries, loganberries, red and white currants and others make excellent table wines. But there is no need to cover this aspect fully here because every recipe is preceded by the name of the type or style of wine that can be expected from each recipe. I say 'expected', because to guarantee that the wine will be identical to the one expected would be unwise, but only because the amounts of sugar and acid present in the fruits vary from season to season indeed, they vary with the type of tree, soil, situation and with the sort of summer we have had while the fruits have been growing. A hot dry summer produces fruits containing more sugar and less acid than a wet sunless summer, when the effect is the reverse.

In each recipe appears the name of the best yeast to use and this is best added as a nucleus as already described. If you must use bakers' yeast or a dried yeast, merely sprinkle it over the surface of the 'must' at the time given in the method you are using.

A final word. Make sure all fruits are ripe. This is far more important than most people imagine. Half-ripe fruits or those with green patches on them should be discarded as it needs only one or two of these in enough for a gallon of wine to give an acid bite to that wine. Fully ripe fruit is essential if we hope to make the best wine.

When you have decided that your garden fruits are ripe enough or those you have your eye on in the hedgerows, leave them for another three or four days before gathering.


BLACKBERRY WINE
Port Style
4 lb. Blackberries, 4 lb. Sugar (or 5 lb. Invert), 7 pts water, port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment pulp.

BLACKBERRY AND ELDERBERRY WINE
Port Style

2 ½ lb. Elderberries, 2 ½ lb. Blackberries, 7 pts water, 3 ½ lb. Sugar (or 4 lb. Invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp after crushing and mixing together.

BLACKBERRY WINE
Burgundy Style

4-5 lb. Blackberries, 3 3/8 lb. Sugar (or 4 lb. Invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient, 7 pts water.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp.

BLACKBERRY WINE
Beaujolais Style
Wine made from this recipe won for me 1st prize among 600 entries on the occasion of the 2nd National Conference and Show of Amateur Wine-Makers at Bournemouth last year.

4½ lb. blackberries, 2½ lb. sugar (or 3 lb. 2 oz. Invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient, 7 pts water.
Method 1 was used. The wine was, of course, dry.

BLACKBERRY WINE


Light Table Wine
3 lb. blackberries, 3 lb. sugar (3¾ lb. invert), 7 pts water, burgundy

yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the diluted juice.

BLACKCURRANT WINE
Port Style

4 lb. black currants, 1 lb. raisins, 3 lb. sugar (or 3 ¾ lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp with the raisins.

BLACKCURRANT WINE
Port Style

4 lb. blackcurrants, 7 pts water, 3½ lb. sugar (or 4 lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp.

BLACKCURRANT CLARET
3 lb. Blackcurrants, 2 ½ lb. Sugar (or 3 lb. Invert), 7 pts water, all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the diluted juice.

BLACKCURRANT WINE
A Light, Sweet Wine

3 ¾ lb. Blackcurrants, 3 ½ lb. Sugar (or 4 lb. Invert), 7 pts water, all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the diluted juice.

CHERRY WINE


A Delightful Sweet Wine
8 lb. Black cherries, 7 pts water, 3 ½ lb. Sugar (or 4 lb. Invert), all-purpose wine yeast or Bordeaux yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Weigh with the stones and ferment the pulp.

CHERRY WINE
A Light Dry Wine
8 lb. black cherries, 7 pts water, 2 ½ lb. sugar (or 3 ¼ lb. invert), sherry yeast is best, otherwise all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

RED CURRANT WINE
Light Table Wine

3 lb. redcurrants 7 pts water, 3 lb. sugar (or 3 ¾ lb. invert), all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

REDCURRANT WINE
A Light Medium-Sweet Wine
4 lb. redcurrants, 7 pts water, 3½ lb. sugar (or 4 lb. invert), all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

DAMSON WINE
Port Style

8 lb. damsons, 7 pts water, 4 lb. sugar (or 5 lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Weigh with the stones and ferment the pulp.

DAMSON WINE
Suitable for making into Damson Gin—see ‘Recent Experiments’, page 85.

5 lb. damsons, 7 pts water, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Weight with the stones. Ferment the pulp.

DAMSON AND ELDERBERRY WINE
Port Style

3 lb. damsons, 1½ lb. elderberries, 3½ lb. sugar (or 4 lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient, 7 pts water.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp.

DAMSON AND DRIED PRUNE WINE
Burgundy Style

Prunes should be soaked overnight, the water discarded and the prunes added in the crushed state to the crushed damson.

4 lb. damsons, 2 lb. dried prunes, 7 pts water, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the crushed pulp.

RASPBERRY WINE
Light, Dry

4 lb. raspberries, 2½ lb. sugar (or 3 lb. 2 oz. Invert), 7 pts water, sherry yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

RASPBERRY WINE
Sweet Dessert

4 lb. raspberries, 1 lb. raisins, 7 pts water, 3 ½ lb. sugar (or 4 lb. invert), all-purpose wine yeast and nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice but with the chopped raisins for the first seven days.


ELDERBERRY WINE
Port Style

4 lb. elderberries, 7 pts water, 4 lb. sugar (or 5 lb. invert) port yeast, nutrient.

Use method, 1. Ferment the crushed pulp.

ELDERBERRY WINE
Medium Dry

3½ lb. elderberries, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), 7 pts water, sherry yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

ELDERBERRY CLARET
Dry, of course

3 lb. elderberries, 2½ lb. sugar (or 3 lb. invert), 7 pts water, sherry yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

PLUM WINE
Burgundy Style

8 lb. plums, any fully ripe red variety is suitable, 7 pts water 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Weigh with the stones and ferment the crushed pulp.

PLUM WINE
Port Style

Dark red, fully ripe fruits must be used. 10 lb. plums, 7 pts water, 3½ lb. sugar (or 4 lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Weigh with the stones.

Use method 1. Ferment the crushed pulp.

RHUBARB WINE
This wine is best made on the dry side and used as an appetizer. If you try to make it sweet, it would have to be rather too sweet. Four pounds of sugar will make it a medium sweet wine, but even this will not reduce the acidity which gives this wine its character and which, unfortunately, is causing it to lose its popularity. It is possible to remove the acid by using precipitated chalk, but this is hardly for beginners and a practice which, in any case, alters the whole flavor of the resulting wine.

5 lb. rhubarb, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), 7 pts water, sherry yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Crush the rhubarb with a rolling pin, starting in the middle of each stick. Soak for five days in three pints of water (boiled), and in which one Campden tablet has been dissolved.

Then strain, wring out dry and warm just enough to dissolve half the sugar.

Having done this, ferment for ten days and then proceed as you would with any other recipe here, adding the rest of the sugar and water in stages.

LOGANBERRY WINE
3 to 4 lb. loganberries, 3 lb. sugar (or 3 ¾ lb. invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient, 7 pts water.

Use method 1. Ferment the crushed pulp.

GOOSEBERRY WINE
Table Wine
6 lb. gooseberries, 3½ Ib. sugar (or 4¼ lb. invert), 7 pts water, tokay yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. But ferment pulp for three days.

GOOSEBERRY WINE
Sherry Style
The best gooseberries for this wine are those that have been left on the bushes to turn red or yellow, according to variety. They should be firm but soft and at the same time not damaged. Any damaged ones and any with a suggestion of mould or mildew on them must be discarded.

For a dry sherry style use 2½ lb. sugar, for a medium dry use 3 lb., and for a medium sweet use 3½ lb., or the corresponding amounts of invert sugar.

5lb. gooseberries, 7 pts water, sugar (as above), sherry yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. But ferment the pulp for five days only.

WHORTLEBERRY WINE
Burgundy Style
Whortleberries are a small wild fruit which many people come to the country to pick; they make excellent jams and jellies and very good wines, otherwise known as 'herts'.

6pts whortleberries, 1 pts water, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp.

WHORTLEBERRY WINE
Port Style
8 pts whortleberries, 7 pts water, 4 lb. sugar (or 5 lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp.

WHORTLEBERRY WINE
Table Wine

5 pts whortleberries, 7 pts water, 2 ½ lb. sugar (or 3 lb. 2 oz. Invert), all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.


SLOE WINE
Sloes make a delightful wine which is very popular with those living in the country, and is particularly suitable for turning into sloe gin. Not more than 4 lb. should be used owing to their astringency.

4 lb. sloes, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), 7 pts water, all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. But ferment pulp for three days only.

Sparking Apple Wine

Not mine, but interesting none-the-less. I noticed no use of sulphites in this one either.

Cheers,

Heinz


For the past 2 months we have been on a sparkling wine-making frenzy. At first we just made a small 3 liter batch to see if it would work…and it did…so the next batch was 5 liters….and the one after that was 12 liters…ok, so we didn’t drink it all by ourselves…was served it at my birthday party and brought some to friends’ places when we were invited over. We’re making another batch again. This time it’s 5 liters.

There are only 3 ingredients required: apple juice, champagne yeast, and sugar (or fructose). (see recipe bellow)

We have tried different varieties of apple juice: “conventional” 100% apple juice and direct press (unfiltered) organic apple juice. There is actually a significant difference between the 2. The conventional apple juice will give you a clear, dry, and light flavor, while the direct press juice will give you a hardy, “typical” American cider (with fizz added). It is hard to chose which one I liked more. We did a taste test to compare them side by side, but still, they are really both excellent.

We also made a quick low alcohol version (see recipe bellow) that took 2 days to make. The fizzy-ness was really great (the same as with other champagnes/sparkling wines), but there was a much sweeter apple juice flavor there. We tried it with the direct press juice, and tonight I’ll try it with a conventional apple juice. I didn’t enjoy the sweetness of it b/c I’m generally not a big apple juice fan. That’s why I enjoy sparkling apple wine so much b/c it has the great apple flavor without the overwhelming sweetness of apple juice.



Sparkling Apple Wine (4%-6% alcohol content):
Equipment & Ingredients:
-any sized glass wine balloon or other “brewing” container from your local home-brewing store***
-a cork or plug with a water lock
-a siphon
-a funnel
-swing-top or flip-top beer bottles (the same amount as the amount of juice you use)
-granular sugar* or granular fructose
-100% “conventional” or “natural” (unfiltered) apple juice (any amount you want, just make sure you only fill up your container 3/4ths of the way!!)
-Champagne Yeast (won’t leave a bread flavor and will make really really tiny bubble - like in sparkling wine!)

Directions:
Make sure the container you are using is really really clean (try a clorox/water solution).

Pour in your desired amount of apple juice and 1 packet of champagne yeast. Notice that I don’t tell you what size a packet is. In all actuality, it doesn’t matter since the amount of yeast will only determine the length of the process.

Place your water lock/stopper on the container and set it in a room-temperature/semi-warm location that is not in direct sun light.

It will start to bubble and you water lock will bob up and down. When the water lock sits flat and doesn’t move up any more, then the first stage is complete. But, don’t drink it just yet!

Using a funnel a 4-5 grams of sugar to each bottle. Then, siphon in the fermented apple juice into each bottle, making sure to leave about 4-5 centimeters of empty space at the top of each bottle.

Flip of the caps, turn a few times to mix the sugar, and then place the bottles on their sides in a dark room-temperature location (like in a cabinet or in your pantry). Depending on how cool or warm your home is the second stage of fermentation will take between 7-14 days (ie: the warmer it is, the faster it will go). You can let it sit longer to really work in. The best tasting one that we had sat for about 3 weeks before we drank it.

You can drink it at room temperature, but I find it tastes best really really cold, so store it in your refrigerator for a whole day before enjoying!
(did I miss any steps, husband??)



Quick Sparkling Apple Wine (1%-2% alcohol content):
Equipment & Ingredients:
-a 1,5 liter plastic bottle with lid (like a used water bottle that you can squeeze)
-funnel
-1 liter of 100% apple juice (conventional or natural)
-1/8 teaspoon of Champagne yeast

Directions:
Using a funnel, pour the apple juice into your plastic bottle. Pour in the champagne yeast, screw the lid on really tight, and twirl a bit to mix.

Place the bottle in a warm locations out of direct sun light. This should take about 6-12 hours to harden - squeeze the bottle and you will notice that it’s getting harder and harder to squeeze. Once it’s really hard (can’t squeeze anymore**), place it in your refrigerator. Let it cool - the rest of the day - and then drink!

It’s that simple!

***When we lived in the US, we got our equipment at Austin Homebrew - they ship in the US. Everytime we go back, we bring some of their Champagne yeast with us…it’s just great stuff!

**If you forget about your bottle, it may explode and gush apple wine all over the immediate area. So, make sure you remember, or leave it in your bathtub/shower just in case. This has never happened to us making the sparkling apple wine, but has happened to my husband when brewing beer.

*If you have a sugar intolerance, like I do, don’t worry, once the fermentation process is complete, the sugar will all be gone (the yeast eats it). However, if you are worried that you will drink it before the process is complete (as in you are making a batch in a 7-day hurry instead of a 14-day hurry), you may use granular fructose and achieve the same exact flavor and effect.

Juice Extraction methods

Gunk left by pressing fruit Vs Steam extraction method




There are many opinion on the best way to extract fruit juices for making wine.

Steam juice extractor I have one of these extractors and would not go back to the old way. The best part is seeds are kept out and the resulting juice is pure. An added benefit is the killing of many wine damaging bacteria.

Electric Juice extractor which physically remove the juice from the fruit. Since these units do not use heat as the method of extraction, the juice could be considered more pure. However, I have not noticed a difference in the end result.

The Old school method is to use Cheese Cloth, this method of juice extraction involves putting the fruit in the Cheese Cloth and letting it ferment in sugar water. The juice ends up coming out leaving the pulp behind. It is always a good idea to keep a fair quantity of Cheese cloth on hand because it can be used to filter out the must after secondary fermentation.

Personally, I prefer the Steam extractor, although I have noticed a slightly sweeter taste with the Electric extractor the cleaning is just abit more arduous and the juice is not as "clean" (potentially wine damaging bacteria are not killed.)

If you use the old school method, many recipe's recommend freezing the fruit prior to wine making as the cold breaks up the juice molecules releasing more flavour.

Sulfite Free Organic Wine

Sulfite free organic wine does not exist in nature. It’s physically impossible. But, organic wines low in sulfites or no-sulfites-added organic wines are becoming more popular in some circles. There is a movement in the organic wine making industry that wants to rid wine of added sulfites. Why? It’s a chemical preservative. But let’s look at what it actually does.
What are Sulfites?
Sulfites are typically added during winemaking to prevent bacterial growth and oxidation. In sulfite-free wine, no sulfites can be added to the wine during the winemaking process, although they are naturally produced in the fermentation process. So, there is technically no such thing as a sulfite-free organic wine.These days non-organic winemakers have often overused them to mask odors from the wine or a poor quality crop of grapes. Sulfites have been linked to headaches, respiratory problems, rashes, and other allergic reactions. The sulfites that are added cause these allergic reactions, whereas the naturally occurring sulfites usually cause no side effects. The biggest complaint about sulfites is the side effect of headaches. While added sulfites can cause headaches, naturally occurring tannins released from the skins of the grapes are more likely the cause of headaches. But people are unsure and no conclusive testing has been done to demonstrate the harmful side effects of sulfites. So for now, organic proponents will say that if it isn’t naturally occurring, it shouldn’t be added.
What about Organic Wine and Sulfites?
Organic wine has no added sulfites, but sulfites are a naturally occurring result of fermentation, coming from the skin of the grapes. So, organic wines must maintain a level of sulfites less than 100 parts per million (ppm), as opposed to the 350 ppm limit for non-organic wine makers.
If you are concerned with added sulfites, you should be aware that European wines have significantly more sulfites than American wines. Also, white wines need twice the sulfites red wines do.
Taste of Sulfite-Free Wines
Many people have complained over the years about the taste of wines with no added sulfites. This is what has prevented organic wines from flying off the shelves. But organic vineyards are doing better with this.
Although sulfite-free wines have a brown tint to them, organic wine lovers are touting the rich, true flavor of the wine when no sulfites are added. But, still others will swear that sulfite-free wine tastes like battery acid.
Since wine tasting is such a personal thing, only you can decide if you like the flavor of truly organic wine with no added sulfites. Many times the good organics never get to the wine shop shelves, but can be found at local restaurants and wineries. Since the nature of sulfite free wine is that it cannot sit for long periods of time without some spoilage, these untainted bouquets may never be for mass consumption.


The concept of organic wine refers to grapes grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, and no other chemical additives to the wine. But, when you wander through the wine shop for organic wines you may be confused by the different levels of “organic” found on the labels.
When the label says “100% Organic” this means that the wines are made from certified organic grapes and no sulfites have been added in its creation. This is the most pure form of wine possible.
If you see “Organic Wine” on the label then 95% of the wine’s ingredients are certified organic. The other 5% is usually yeast.
American organic winelabels that have the words “made from organically grown grapes” or “organically grown” means the vineyards have complied with the organic certifying agency of the state in which the wine was made. These wines may have sulfites added though.
French organic winesmay be labeled as such without certification. If you are looking for a certification from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) you may find a stamp from Eco-Cert, Terre et Vie, or Nature et Progrés on the label.
The whole organic movement is spreading around the world in an effort to get back to the natural properties of foods and to avoid the chemicals that cause health issues. In fact, organic wines have become more popular in Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, and the U.S. over the last few years. And, while many vineyards are following organic standards and using sustainable agriculture, using environmentally friendly techniques, some large vineyards have decided not to get certified.\
Why not get the wines certified organic? Because it’s a lot of hassle for vineyards. And, which organization should they get certified with? Since there is no centralized international organic wine certification, the rules are different with each certification. Organically certified wine is such a new issue, the regulations for determining a truly organic wine is changing all the time. This can be expensive for vineyards to comply with an ever moving target.
Sulfites in Wine
Sulfur dioxide is added to wine in small amounts to maintain freshness and prevent oxidation. When the sulfur dioxide dissolves in the wine, it destroys impurities and creates sulfites. Some people have allergies to sulfites and experience headaches.
Organic wine has no added sulfites, but sulfites are a naturally occurring result of fermentation, coming from the skin of the grapes. So organic wines must maintain a level of sulfites less than 100 parts per million (ppm).
If you are concerned with added sulfites, you should be aware that European wines have significantly more sulfites than American wines. Also, white wines need twice the sulfites red wines do.
Benefits of Organic Wine
Organic wines are made with no added chemicals or preservatives. This makes for a healthier wine. But for wine lovers it also means a richer tasting wine, in which the full flavor of the fruit can be enjoyed.

New batch of Blackberry wine

OK, so in the past i have been using Honey to provide the sugar in my blackberry wine / Mead. After a successful usage of brown sugar in a batch of yellow plum wine, I decided to go the same route with my Blackberry. I brought the Spec Gravity up to about 1.088, which is about as high as I could get it. I ran out of brown sugar so I used raw sugar and some Maple Syrup for the last few Brix. Once I organize my thoughts around the recipe, I will post it as an addition to this posting.

Cheers,

Heinz

Cold Filtering and a Brita Filter – an experiment in wine filtering.

OK, I’ll be the first to admit this next experiment in winemaking is about as controlled as a Donkey on speed. After reading a little bit on using a Brita type filter to remove corking flavour from wine, a little light bulb (OK compact fluorescent) came on above my head. Hence the reason for today’s trial.

A few weeks ago, I tried running my accidental batch of “Blackberry Mead” through a Brita Filter with no luck. Problem being, the wine had more of a syrup consistency, pretty much due to the fact it had not been racked and I really didn’t know anything about what I was doing. A few weeks later, not knowing all too much more other than the wine now looked and felt a little more like wine. The original overly sweet cough syrup flavour had been replaced with a fairly dry red. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of dry wines, I tend to prefer a little sweetness - not as much as Little Red Riding hood but I’m sure you get my point.

OK, my first experiment was with a batch of Plum Mead I had put in the fridge last week in order to see if it would clarify any better than the one in the basement. Not overly surprising, the cooled batch did have a lot more sediment on the bottom. My assumption now being… “Cold filter Wine Good Uggg.”

Not to cast any doubt on my Cro-Magnon alter ego, I decided to take this one step further and run it through a Brita Filter. The result was quite interesting, seeing as the Mead was already fairly sweet and the bite was actually enjoyable, as it was not dry. The end result was quite abit milder of a wine than I had anticipated, in fact, it ended up tasting more like a plum juice… The good news being, the alcohol content did not seem to be effected, I’m thinking I will add this experiment back into the un-brita’d batch; after all I am making wine here and not Juice.

Now onto the very dry Blackberry Mead. This is actually a mixture between my very small original accident batch and my second attempt which actually involved adding yeast. Like I said, after about a month, it was definitely not Vinegar, but it did have a bite strong enough to make the back hairs on a fish stand on end… This batch had also been stopped by pasteurization and adding Brandy. See what I mean by uncontrolled experiment.

Well as far as the result goes, the end drink was actually palatable. Since the Blackberry Mead was so much stronger than the Plum on the onset, it maintained the taste of alcohol. The bitterness and after shiver was drastically reduced. It didn’t taste any sweeter, as there was no sweetness which was being masked by the alcohol. The additional factor of lack of prior cold filtering may also have played a roll. In addition, the batch of Blackberry Mead was aged quite abit more and really did not need much filtering for clarity.

When compared to my later use of a pump filter, the Brita filtration paled in comparison. Yes it is great if you just want to finish it off nicely, or remove a little flavour of corking, but I would not recommend the brita filter as a replacement for one of those little pump filters.

FERMENTATION - TURNING GRAPE JUICE INTO ALCOHOL

Here is a little tid-bit I found somewhere online. I don't know where it came from but I found it quite infomative.


Grape juice is turned into alcohol by the process of "fermentation." Grapes on the vine are covered with yeast, mold and bacteria. By putting grape juice into a container at the right temperature, yeast ( SACCHROMYCES ELLIPSOIDUES ) will turn the sugar in the juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The grape juice will have fermented. Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel vessels.

Yeast also gives flavor to the wine. But the yeast that is on the grape skin when it is harvested may not have the desired flavor. Other things on the outside of a grape are not good for wine (for example, acetic bacteria on the grapes can cause the wine to turn to vinegar). The winemaker can eliminate unwanted yeast's, molds and bacteria, most commonly by using the "universal disinfectant," sulfur dioxide. Unfortunately, the sulfites which remain in the wine may cause a lot of discomfort to some wine drinkers. (See ALLERGIC REACTIONS TO WINE.). Some winemakers prefer NOT to do this, and purposely create wines that are subject to the vagaries (and different flavors) of the yeast that pre-exist on the grapes ("wild yeast fermentation").

The winemaker has many different yeast strains to choose from (and can use different strains at different times during the process for better control fermentation ). The most common wine yeast is Saccharomyces.

This is a good point to stop and mention "Brett," also known as the Brettanomyces strain of yeast (which can be added or come from wild yeast fermentation). As yeast works, it causes grape juice ("must") to get hot. But if there's too much heat, the yeast won't work. Cooling coils are necessary to maintain a temperature below 30° C.

A less modern, but still wide widely used way to ferment wine is to place it in small oak barrels. "Barrel fermentation" is usually done at a lower temperature in temperature controlled rooms and takes longer, perhaps around 6 weeks. The longer fermentation and use of wood contributes to the flavor (and usually expense) of the wine.

The skins and pulp which remain in a red wine vat will rise to and float on top of the juice. This causes problems (if it dries out, it's a perfect breeding ground for injurious bacteria), so the winemaker will push this "cap" back down into the juice, usually at least twice a day. In large vats, this is accomplished by pumping juice from the bottom of the vat over the top of the cap.

Eventually the yeast is no longer changing sugar to alcohol (though different strains of yeast, which can survive in higher and higher levels of alcohol, can take over and contribute their own flavor to the wine-as well as converting a bit more sugar to alcohol).

After all this is completed what you have left is the wine, "dead" yeast cells, known as "lees and various other substances.

MALO-LACTIC FERMENTATION

The winemaker may choose to allow a white wine to undergo a second fermentation which occurs due to malic acid in the grape juice. When malic acid is allowed to break down into carbon dioxide and lactic acid (thanks to bacteria in the wine), it is known as "malo-lactic fermentation," which imparts additional flavor to the wine. A "buttery" flavor in some whites is due to this process. This process is used for sparkling wines.

FIRST RACKING

After fermentation completed naturally or stopped by addition of distilled spirit, first racking is carried out. This involves the wine to stand still until most yeast cells and fine suspended material settle out. The wine is then filtered without disturbing the sediment or the yeast.

WINERY AGING

The winery may then keep the wine so that there can be additional clarification and, in some wines, to give it a more complex flavors. Flavor can come from wood (or more correctly from the chemicals that make up the wood and are taken up into the wine).

The wine may be barrel aged for several months to several years. No air is allowed to enter the barrels during this period.

Ignoring any additional processing that might be used, you could empty the barrels into bottles and sell your wine. However, during the winery aging, the smaller containers may develop differences. So the winemaker will probably "blend" wine from different barrels, to achieve a uniform result. Also, the winemaker may blend together different grape varieties to achieve desired characteristics.

STABILIZATION, FILTRATION

Stabilization is carried out to remove traces of tartaric acid. These tartarates present in the grape juice tend to crystallize in wine and if not removed completely can slowly reappear as glass like crystals in final bottles on storage.

Stabilization with respect to tartarates may involve chilling of wine that can crystallize tartarates and these crystals can be removed by filtration.

PASTEURIZATION

If the wine has an alcohol content less than 14% it may be heat pasteurized or cold pasteurized through microporous filters just before bottling.

BOTTLING WINE

Producers often use different shaped bottles to denote different types of wine. Colored bottles help to reduce damage by light. (Light assists in oxidation and breakdown of the wine into chemicals, such as mercaptan, which are undesirable.)

Bottle sizes can also vary.

CELLARING WINE


Most people assume that the longer that you keep a wine, the better it will get Since its best to store wine under certain conditions, like in a cool damp underground cellar, this is known as "cellaring" wine.

It is a misconception that you MUST age wine. The fact is, throughout the world, most wine is drunk "young" (that is relatively soon after it is produced, perhaps 12 to 18 months), even wines that are "better" if aged. While some wines will "mature" and become better over time, others will not and should be drunk immediately, or within a few years.

Tannin is a substance that comes from the seeds, stems and skins of grapes. Additional tannin can come from the wood during barrel aging in the winery. It is a preservative and is important to the long term maturing of wine. Through time, tannin (which has a bitter flavor) will precipitate out of the wine (becoming sediment in the bottle) and the complexity of the wine's flavor from fruit, acid and all the myriad other substances that make up the wine's character will come into greater balance. Generally, it is red wines that are the ones that CAN (but do not have to be) produced with a fair amount of tannin with an eye towards long term storing and maturation. The bad news is that you shouldn't drink it young since it will taste too harsh (and probably cost too much, besides). The good news is that after a number of years, what you get is a prized, complex and balanced wine.

Remember that red wines get their color from the stems and skins of the grape. This gives the wine tannin and aging capacity. White wines may have no contact with the stems and skins and will have little tannin (though some can be added, again, through barrel aging). Therefore most white wines don't age well. Even the ones which do get better through time will not last nearly as long as their red cousins. A fair average for many "ageable" whites would be about 5 to 7 years (some might go 10). On the other hand, really "ageable" reds can easily be kept for 30 years and longer.

STORING WINE


For wines that should be aged, a cellar should have proper :Temperature which does not have rapid fluctuation. 55 degrees Fahrenheit is a good, but you can live with 50 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 14 degrees Centigrade). Wide swings in temperature will harm the wine. Having too high a temperature will age the wine faster so it won't get as complex as it might have. Having too low a temperature will slow the wine's maturation.Humidity. About 60 percent is right. This helps keep the cork moist. The wine will oxidize if the air (and its oxygen) gets to it. If the cork dries out, it can shrink and let air in. This is another reason to keep the bottles on their sides. The wine itself will help keep the cork moist.

Lack of light.

Lack of vibration.

Lack of strong odors. Whatever it is that is causing the odor stands a good chance of getting through the cork and into the wine

My first wine making experiences

In mid 2007 I decided to look into making Blackberry wine. This is something which I have been thinking about for a few years already and was resisting because I did not want to waste the blackberries on vinegar. So began my journey.

After an accidental blackberry fermentation on my fridge, I started doing abit of reasearch on winemaking and fruit wines I decided to jump into the whole winemaking adventure... well with a couple of toe's first. OK maybe not quite a jump. I picked up the basics from Bosa foods, a local Italian owned store in the Vancouver area which in addition to a great selection of imported food, carries a wide selection of wine making supplies at a great price.

My shopping list

Sodium Metabusulphate - used to steralize the containers.
Vinometre - similar to a thermometer this handy little device tells you the alcohol content of your wine
Hydrometer - required tool which tells you the potential alcohol in your wine as well as a few other measurements which will be of use to you in making your wine the way you want.
1 Gallon Jugs - Because I am getting into winemaking slowly, I decided to go with smaller carboys. These one gallon jugs work perfectly.
Airlocks - These are used to keep oxygen from hitting the wine during secondary fermentation.
Wine bottles - for obvious reasons
Thermometer - very handy as wine making relies heavily on the proper temperature
Yeast - Although most wines will ferment on their own - eventually - yeast will help the process along
Yeast Nutrient - The Yeasty-beasties need some food
Yeast energizer - It is good to have this in wine-making just in case your must stops fermenting pre-maturely.
2 Gallon glass jars - You can use buckets, but I found these great glass jars in the kitchen section of a local department store. They have a loose fitting glass lid which lets Oxygen into the must but keeps the fruit flies out - for the most part.
Honey - Instead of using sugar I wanted to try something different.

That was pretty much it, some people use Campden tablets of some other sulphite to preserve the wine after fermentation, however being the stubborn Kraut that I am, I decided to do things my own way. Hopefully the wine doesn't spoil but we will soon see.

Cheers,

Heinz

Welcome

Hello,

I have recently started to delve into the art of winemaking, Particularly fruit wines and Meads.

This is a journey of discovery and hopefully you will come along for the ride.