CONSUMER INFORMATION
Make CENT$ of it all
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
We are Moving to our very own Website
Fermented Fruits is moving to our own little patch of real estate within the HTBWMedia.com / BaronVonInternet.com community of Information and Community based websites and blogs.
Our brand spanking new URL is http://www.vinodafrutta.com The site is still under construction but the receipe's are in the background waiting to be published with a brand new recipe for YEAST FREE Strawberry Mead. Yup, tried and tested without adding ANY Yeast. So this means the Strawberry Mead will taste as it should, pure and natural. The fermenting process is taking a little longer, however the NATURAL yeasts from the Strawberries is currently vigorously reproducing so we should see some nice results WITH PICTURES, shortly.
Oh ya, the new site also has the ability for approved members to post their own blogs, recipe books, articles and participate in the community Wine / Mead making Forum. So if you enjoy the art of fermenting fruits, join the community at http://www.vinodafrutta.com I'd love to chat. Drop me a note there if you have any questions.
Cheers
Heinz
Thursday, November 10, 2011
apple pear cider mead
It as been awhile since I vsited mycellar... to it is my kitchen and this tabletis pissingmeoff
Startedby making my own apple-pear juice. Not those ones from china but the nirth american ones
Nornal amount of juice
1 cup honey
1 cup maple syrup eh
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tsp jamaican aolspice
1.080 start 930 pm nov 12 2011
Startedby making my own apple-pear juice. Not those ones from china but the nirth american ones
Nornal amount of juice
1 cup honey
1 cup maple syrup eh
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tsp jamaican aolspice
1.080 start 930 pm nov 12 2011
Friday, August 6, 2010
Cherry Mead - Black Lapin Cherry and Sour Cherry
With the summer here and a wicked deal on Cherries at one of the local produce stores I figured what better time to work on some Cherry Wine. It didn't hurt that the wife is away at some silly scrapbooking retreat. It's 20 minutes away, how can they call it a retreat.... retreat from the wallet maybe.Anyways, I popped a few percacet last night and went to work at pitting 17 pounds of Cherries. Yes, you heard right, 17 pounds. From there, I tossed the now seedless cherries into the freezer for the night. The theory being, the freezing of the fruit makes the juice or sugar molecules 'splode. I read it on that thar Internet... so it must be true.
Today I took them out of the freezer and tossed them, 4 pounds at a time, into my favorite little steam juice extractor. I can't say enough about this thing, clear juice with very little mess.
Since I only had just over 13 pounds of cherries after the removal of the pits, I didn't have quite the pre-requisite 8 litres I usually like to start with. Luckily, I had some frozen cherry juice I saved from last year. That combined with about 5 cups of sour cherry drippings from a different harvest last year made for a very sweet juice indeed. When I measured the SG (Prior to adding sugar) it was sitting at 1.060. Chit, that is sweeter than the previous batch of Rasberry Mead - Pulque. I added 2 teaspoons of citic acid, for good measure. So now I am ready to make the Cherry juice a little sweeter (maybe around 1.080)
So here is the recipe
Cherry Mead
1 litre Sour cherry Juice
7 litres Lapin or black cherry juice
2 Teaspoons Citric Acid
2 1/2 cups Honey
1 pack 1118 yeast
1/2 teaspoon energizer
Note: I did take out about 4 cups of sweetened cherry juice (Pre Yeast) to bring the level in the jar down. The reason being, with the last batch I did, the juice was too high and it ended up overflowing. Once the fermentation starts to stabilize, I plan on adding the juice back in.
Specific gravity 1.080 on the button
Inoculated at 10 PM on Friday August 6, 2010
Additional note regarding left over cherries.
When you consider the cost of Cherries and the amount of juice required for making Cherry Wine it may seem a little expensive. However, the cherries left over when de-juicing them with a Steam juice extractor are not gone. There is plenty of flavour left over in the cherries and they can be used for pies, jams or simply eaten on their own with a little cottage cheese or ice cream. I have 5 pounds of cherries left over from the original 13 pounds. Some will be frozen some will be canned and the rest eaten as is.
You can also use the left over cherries in breads and cakes. mmmmm yummy
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Raspberry Mead Pulque
Yes, once again I am head butting with the trends. I picked a butt load of Raspberries the other day as one of the local farms had a great deal on U-pick Raspberries for 99 cents a pound. Soooo I spent a few hours picking followed by a few days in pain. The resulting bounty was 20 pounds of berries which I quickly made into juice via my favorite steam juice extractor which you will see an amazon ad for on the left. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this juice extractor. It is by far my best investment when it comes to making wine.OK, enough with the promotion of someone elses product and onto the wine making. If you do decide to purchase one though, please help out this blog (AKA my wallet) and buy it through the link on this page. Now onto the recipe
The resulting juice from the steam extraction was about 8 litres or just over 2 US Gallons which is 2 Canadian Gallons... Eh!
In the past, I have watered down the juice to save money but this time I figured I would go as close to pure as possible, sure I would end up with less wine, but with any luck it will be a much better product.
As with most of my endevours, I first checked out what Jack had to say on the topic. In case you don't know, Jack Keller has become known as a sort of online wine Guru of sorts (Sorry Jack) He has given me advice on a few ocassions, I usually listen to what he has to say and go ahead and do what I want. Nothing against his advice, I'm just a stubborn Kraut.
So back to the recipe. Focus Heinz, focus. (I blame the heat wave in Vancouver)
So like I said, Pure juice very little water if any.
Due to the size of my primary, I removed some of the juice and ended up with 7.5 litres (or Liters in US Speak) The specific gravity pre any sugar was already at 1.030 so I did not need to add much unless I wanted to make hooch.
Raspberry Mead-Pulque
7 1/2 litres juice
1 tsp Citric acid
2 cups agave brought it up to 1.050
2 cups honey brought it up to 1.076 so I added
1 cup honey which resulted in a specific gravity of 1.083
2 cups water brought it back down to 1.081
1 tsp Energizer
1 Pack Lalvin K1-V1116 Yeast, Why.... Because
Added After Primary Fermentation:
3 Teaspoons Powdered Stevia
As an experiment, I added 1 tsp of stevia to flask brought spec gravity up by
.04. In a previous post on using Stevia to sweeten wine, I mentioned Stevia as a non-fermentable sugar. I wanted to see of the addition of Stevia pre-fermentation had an effect on the Specific gravity... well it does. So for those looking at using Stevia to sweeten their wine should add it after your final reading as it will give you a false potential alcohol level seeing as Stevia does not ferment and you will never be able to ferment to dry (per your hydrometer reading) You can see the Stevia post here
The specific gravity of the full batch ended up being 1.082 (keep in mind, a small amount of that was as a result of Stevia.
Just as a little clarification for those unfamiliar with Mead and Pulque. Mead is made with Honey instead of sugar and Pulque is made with Agave Nectar (The same stuff they use to make Tequila) In Mexico, the resluting wine is called Pulque, or Nectar of the Gods. Tequila is made by taking the Pulque and distilling it a number of times.
inocculated 8:17 PM Thursday July 8, 2010. Updates will follow as comments.
Cheers
Saturday, November 21, 2009
USING STEVIA FOR WINEMAKING
Stevia is a natural sweetner made from the leaf of a shrub in the sunfower family native to Paraguay. Although there is some contraversy over the use of Stevia as a food additive in the United States, many countries have been using Stevia as a sweetner for years. My research into Stevia shows Japan as the pioneer in the Stevia Industry.So how does this apply to wine. Well, many winemakers like to condition or sweeten their wine after fermentation. Normally, this is done by adding treated sugar or wine conditioner. The reason for the treating is to prevent further bottle fermentation which results in sediment and possible cork popping. The later being a frequent occurance in my wine cellar as I refuse to use sulfites of any kind.
So back to Stevia and winemaking. Aside from being up to 300 times as sweet as sugar, Stevia is heat stable, pH stable, and non-fermentable. Yes you read right, Stevia will not ferment. For that reason, Stevia is an excellent way to sweeten or condition your wine post fermentation. For those into completely natural winemaking, you could also use Honey or even Agave Nectar for the fermentation of your wine.
Although I'm sure this post will have those traditional grape only wine makers shaking in their boots, I feel there is nothing wrong with a little experimentation. In fact, many award winning wines use Stevia as a final conditioner. In my experiment I plan to use less fermentable sugars and ferment my wine to complete dry. From there, I will let the wine settle, rack and filter accordingly before I add the Stevia to taste. I know this is far from traditional, but it is worth a try and chemical free. I think I will even buy some Stevia Plants or seeds to keep total control on the ingredients in my chemical free Stevia sweetened Wine and Mead.
Here are some Stevia related links. If you purchase from the links here, I get paid a small portion. This helps pay for my playing around with wine and ends up getting more stuff posted on this blog.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Blueberry Mead - Pure Juice Version
At the beginning of this month I made a batch of what I called Black and Blue Berry Mead. This was basically a combination of re-constituted Blueberry juice, some concentrated (Home made) Blackberry juice and spring water. This time, I figured I would make a pure Blueberry Mead. So no water, no blackberries, just Blueberries and Honey. Of course, there is some water as the blueberry juice is reconstituted, but this is as close as I could get without actually picking the berries.
BLUEBERRY MEAD RECIPE
6 Litres Blueberry Juice
1.5 Litres Blueberry / Acai Juice (OK not all blueberry)
1 Tsp Citric Acid (Blueberries have a very low acid content)
3.5 Cups Honey
1 Pack 1118 Yeast
1 Tsp Nutrient
Inoculated at 6PM on March 26th, 2009
-------------------------------------------
At about 6:30 PM on March 29, 2009 I stopped the fermentation in the usual way
For those unfamiliar with my practices, I heat the Mead up to about 65 F and let it sit covered with the heat still slightly on (enough to keep the temperature up) for about 10 minutes. This is a crude version of pasteurization and it kills the active Yeasty Beasties without the use of added Sulphites.
Once the ten minutes were up, I poured the Mead back into a cleaned out Primary Jar and put the lid on. I let this sit overnight to cool then I racked the Blueberry Mead into 2 separate 1 Gallon secondary jugs and added some Sparkeloid.
BLUEBERRY MEAD RECIPE
6 Litres Blueberry Juice
1.5 Litres Blueberry / Acai Juice (OK not all blueberry)
1 Tsp Citric Acid (Blueberries have a very low acid content)
3.5 Cups Honey
1 Pack 1118 Yeast
1 Tsp Nutrient
Inoculated at 6PM on March 26th, 2009
-------------------------------------------
At about 6:30 PM on March 29, 2009 I stopped the fermentation in the usual way
For those unfamiliar with my practices, I heat the Mead up to about 65 F and let it sit covered with the heat still slightly on (enough to keep the temperature up) for about 10 minutes. This is a crude version of pasteurization and it kills the active Yeasty Beasties without the use of added Sulphites.
Once the ten minutes were up, I poured the Mead back into a cleaned out Primary Jar and put the lid on. I let this sit overnight to cool then I racked the Blueberry Mead into 2 separate 1 Gallon secondary jugs and added some Sparkeloid.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
DANDELION WINE
How to Make DANDELION WINE
DANDELIONS are in season during the spring and summer months, but they lend themselves deliciously to a beverage you can serve year-round. April and May are the best months to harvest dandelions for the purpose of wine making in the Northern hemisphere. Try it out, and taste it for yourself.
Ingredients
* 1 package (7 g) dried yeast
* 1/4 cup (60 mL) warm water
* 2 quarts (230 g) whole DANDELION flowers
o Using 2 quarts+ of just the petals can make for a less bitter DANDELION WINE .
* 4 quarts water (3.785 L)
* 1 cup (240 mL) orange juice
* 3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lemon juice
* 3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lime juice
* 8 whole cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon (1.25 g) powdered ginger
* 3 tablespoons (18 g) coarsely chopped orange zest; avoid any white pith
* 1 tablespoon (6 g) coarsely chopped lemon zest; avoid any white pith
* 6 cups (1200 g) sugar
Steps
1.
This is only the first half of the DANDELION blossoms!
This is only the first half of the DANDELION blossoms!
Wash and clean the blossoms well. Think of it as a fruit or vegetable; you don't want bugs or dirt in your DANDELION WINE. Remove all green material.
2. Soak flowers for two days.
3. Place the DANDELION blossoms in the four quarts of water, along with the lime, orange, and lemon juices.
4. Boiling the DANDELION blossoms.
Stir in the ginger, cloves, orange peels, lemon peels, and sugar. Bring the mix to a boil for an hour. This creates the 'infusion' that will later become wine after fermentation.
5. Strain the dandelion liquid.
Strain through filter papers (coffee filters are recommended). Let the infusion cool down for a while.
6. Stir the yeast in while the DANDELION infusion is still warm, but below 110 degrees F.
7. Cover it and leave it alone, let it stand overnight.
8. Pour it into bottles, poke a few holes in a balloon and place over the tops of the bottles to create an airlock, to keep out unwanted wild yeasts, and store them in a dark place for at least three weeks so that it can ferment. At this point you now have wine!
9. Rack the DANDELION WINE several times, optionally.
10. Cork and store the bottles in a cool place. Allow the DANDELION WINE , time to age. Most wine making recipes recommend waiting at least six months, preferably a year.
Tips
* Pasteurization uses sixty-five degrees Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit) for half an hour to avoid changing character.
* Pick the DANDELION flowers right before starting so they're fresh. Midday is when they are fully open. Alternatively, you can freeze the DANDELION flowers immediately after harvesting, then pull off the petals right before preparing the DANDELION WINE.
* It may take more than three weeks for your DANDELION WINE to ferment if the temperature inside your storage area is cool. But be aware that fermentation at warmer than room temperature may change the taste of the wine, and can lead to higher levels of fusel alcohols, which have been known to contribute to hangovers. Warmer temperatures can cause many other problems like strong yeasty flavors, rancid odors and bacterial contamination. Generally fermentation should be done at room temperature or lower (50-75 F or 10-24 C).
* This recipe will produce a light wine that mixes well with tossed salad or baked fish. To add body or strength, add a sweetener,raisins, dates, figs, apricots, or rhubarb.
Warnings
* Avoid using DANDELIONS that may have been chemically treated. Also, try to stay away from DANDELIONS that have been graced by the presence of dogs, or that grow within 50 feet of a road.
* There is some evidence that DANDELIONS have a diuretic effect and may cause more frequent urination.
DANDELIONS are in season during the spring and summer months, but they lend themselves deliciously to a beverage you can serve year-round. April and May are the best months to harvest dandelions for the purpose of wine making in the Northern hemisphere. Try it out, and taste it for yourself.Ingredients
* 1 package (7 g) dried yeast
* 1/4 cup (60 mL) warm water
* 2 quarts (230 g) whole DANDELION flowers
o Using 2 quarts+ of just the petals can make for a less bitter DANDELION WINE .
* 4 quarts water (3.785 L)
* 1 cup (240 mL) orange juice
* 3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lemon juice
* 3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lime juice
* 8 whole cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon (1.25 g) powdered ginger
* 3 tablespoons (18 g) coarsely chopped orange zest; avoid any white pith
* 1 tablespoon (6 g) coarsely chopped lemon zest; avoid any white pith
* 6 cups (1200 g) sugar
Steps
1.
This is only the first half of the DANDELION blossoms!
This is only the first half of the DANDELION blossoms!
Wash and clean the blossoms well. Think of it as a fruit or vegetable; you don't want bugs or dirt in your DANDELION WINE. Remove all green material.
2. Soak flowers for two days.
3. Place the DANDELION blossoms in the four quarts of water, along with the lime, orange, and lemon juices.
4. Boiling the DANDELION blossoms.
Stir in the ginger, cloves, orange peels, lemon peels, and sugar. Bring the mix to a boil for an hour. This creates the 'infusion' that will later become wine after fermentation.
5. Strain the dandelion liquid.
Strain through filter papers (coffee filters are recommended). Let the infusion cool down for a while.
6. Stir the yeast in while the DANDELION infusion is still warm, but below 110 degrees F.
7. Cover it and leave it alone, let it stand overnight.
8. Pour it into bottles, poke a few holes in a balloon and place over the tops of the bottles to create an airlock, to keep out unwanted wild yeasts, and store them in a dark place for at least three weeks so that it can ferment. At this point you now have wine!
9. Rack the DANDELION WINE several times, optionally.
10. Cork and store the bottles in a cool place. Allow the DANDELION WINE , time to age. Most wine making recipes recommend waiting at least six months, preferably a year.
Tips
* Pasteurization uses sixty-five degrees Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit) for half an hour to avoid changing character.
* Pick the DANDELION flowers right before starting so they're fresh. Midday is when they are fully open. Alternatively, you can freeze the DANDELION flowers immediately after harvesting, then pull off the petals right before preparing the DANDELION WINE.
* It may take more than three weeks for your DANDELION WINE to ferment if the temperature inside your storage area is cool. But be aware that fermentation at warmer than room temperature may change the taste of the wine, and can lead to higher levels of fusel alcohols, which have been known to contribute to hangovers. Warmer temperatures can cause many other problems like strong yeasty flavors, rancid odors and bacterial contamination. Generally fermentation should be done at room temperature or lower (50-75 F or 10-24 C).
* This recipe will produce a light wine that mixes well with tossed salad or baked fish. To add body or strength, add a sweetener,raisins, dates, figs, apricots, or rhubarb.
Warnings
* Avoid using DANDELIONS that may have been chemically treated. Also, try to stay away from DANDELIONS that have been graced by the presence of dogs, or that grow within 50 feet of a road.
* There is some evidence that DANDELIONS have a diuretic effect and may cause more frequent urination.
The Home Wine Cellar
When you are passionate about wine you begin collecting it. Sometimes you sign up for a wine enthusiast club and now are collecting rare wines. As your collection grows, you need a place to store it all. A cupboard can without difficulty be redesigned into a space saving wine cabinet to age your valuable collection.
A few factors must be considered first, before you initiate building the wine cellar. For instance where is the closet in relation to the rest of the house? Avoid converting a closet against an outside wall into a wine cellar. Temperature, temperature, temperature, outside walls make it very hard to keep this steady as they face the elements. Choose an internal closet where your wine can be stored in a more stable atmosphere.
Your wine will age well if you keep close tabs on the temperature within the cellar, this is critical. Don’t stress if at some times of the year the temp is higher and at other times it is lower, this is acceptable as long as it is a slow shift. If this happens over and over again, gradually the wine inside will be ruined as well. Temperature fluctuations are to be avoided at all costs when it comes to storing wine. You’ll notice damage of this nature straight away. Look for the sticky deposit that often forms around the capsule. Over time the continual expansion and contraction of the wine will damage the integrity of the cork. Each time the temperature changes, the cork is essentially pulled out and put back in. When this happens, minute quantities of wine may be pushed out along the edge of the cork allowing air to seep back in. While it is usually good to expose wine to the air, as it brings out more flavor, it’s the last thing you want when aging wine. Your wine is ruined. It is best if your wine stays in the range of 54-57 degrees to properly age. Higher temperatures will age wine more rapidly and cooler temperatures will slow down the ageing process. Irreversible damage will be done if your wine is kept at a temperature above 82ºF for even a month.
Make sure you have a vapor barrier in the closet. Mold like the humid environments that are good for wine. Also think about a high quality wine cooler for keeping tabs on the humidity and temperature.
After the designing comes the constructing. Building a wine cellar is lots of fun! You will need to purchase a few essential items. Purchase some inexpensive wine racks from a hardware store or online retailer or storage shop. With some cheap racks you’ll have a simple but very effective mini wine cellar. Wine rack designs will vary in bottle density. Price variations are more to do with aesthetics than efficiency. Individual racking is the most convenient for selecting bottles. A good idea is to have racks against only one wall of the closet. Then you may still have floor or shelf space available for wines that you purchase by the case. Constructing a custom wine cellar on a budget is simple and easy at home. Go for function over design to save money. Let your wine speak for itself.
A small addition, that will bring so much pleasure down the road!
Wine Cooler and Refrigeration Units
When constructing your wine cellar, you must take into account the temperature and humidity levels in the room or area you are storing wine. A wine cellar must maintain constant levels of humidity and temperature in order for the wine to age properly and not sour or be damaged. A wine cooler or wine refrigeration system is essential to any wine cellar. Wine coolers and chillers can come in many different forms, from in-wall or in-column chillers, coolers that can be stored under a table and out of sight, to standalone air conditioning units. Regardless of the form your wine cooler takes, its importance is not to be minimized or left out entirely.
The size and amount of wine in your wine cellar will dictate what kind of wine cooler you will need. It goes without saying that as your bottle capacity increases, so does the price of the chiller as it has more room and materials to maintain at a constant temperature. Optimum wine cellar temperature and humidity is discussed in another article, for now we will be looking at sizes, prices, and kinds of wine refrigeration systems. Wine coolers start at around $100, and can cool around 6 bottles of wine. If your collection is larger (and likely it is) then you will be looking at more expensive units. $300-$400 will get you a wine cooler that can refrigerate up to 35 bottles or so, this is good if you have a wine cabinet or wine pantry where you store your collection. However, if you are designing a large wine cellar or wine room then you will need to look into the heavier duty options. There is no specific upper price limit when it comes to pricing out a quality wine cooler, although as the size and value of your wine collection increases, the necessary quality or your wine storage system increases as well.
High quality wine coolers control the temperature and humidity using a digital temperature controller wired to a thermostat. In order to ensure consistent humidity and true temperature, be sure not to instal the thermostat near the door that you enter and leave from and away from any air vents or circulators that may affect the immediate temperature. More elaborate wine refrigeration systems can also be installed, chillers and air circulation systems are often a must in the higher quality wine rooms. Custom wine coolers can also be designed that are both ornate and functional, serving to compliment the decor of the wine cellar, though these usually inhabit the realm of very expensive to abhorrently expensive. Maintaining the proper temperature and humidity in a wine cellar is of utmost importance, be sure you understand what is required and how much it will cost so you do not skimp on this important portion of wine cellar
Proper Ventilation In Wine Cellars
Ventilation can be damaging to wines because it can upset the delicate temperature balance in the cellar. While gentle air currents in themselves are of little consequence, the danger arises when these currents vary the temperature in all or part of the cellar. In particular, artificial cooling units have a tendency to introduce cold air currents.
There needs to be a compromise here. On the one hand, moving air can be a necessity in maintaining a stable temperature throughout the cellar. In doing so, however, the air should not be of such a temperature, or moved so quickly, as to cause rapid fluctuations in bottle temperature. This naturally presupposes that the temperature can vary in different parts of the cellar, and this in itself should be avoided if possible. Where absolute perfection cannot be attained, it is sufficient to ensure that stiff breezes directed at the bottles are avoided, particularly if they have the potential to change the bottle temperature.
There will always be sceptics who challenge the significance of a good cellar. The evidence presented will be anecdotal and subjective. Invariably, a particular old bottle will be cited, having been stored under imperfect conditions, consumed at a ripe old age, and praised wholeheartedly. My response is simple: These critics may never know just how much better that bottle could have been.
Maintaining The Levels of Light In A Wine Cellar
The very best underground cellars are cold, incredibly stable, moist and dank, and of course, very dark. Wines are creatures of the night, emerging from their long hibernation for just one moment of glory. But that moment will be less than glorious if the wine has spent its hibernation continually on display.
It has been verified that exposure to light produces chemical reactions in wine that cause it to deteriorate. In particular, ultraviolet light has the greatest effect, and white wines and champagnes are the most vulnerable. Amber-coloured bottles provide very good protection, but regrettably these have long ago fallen out of fashion to their much less protective clear and green counterparts. Consequently, the best solution is to keep the cellar in complete darkness whenever it is unattended. Intermittent artificial light will have minimal effect, but daylight should be avoided.
Watching The Vibration Levels In A Wine Cellar
If you are able to satisfy the demands of the first four conditions for cellaring wines, you are doing very well indeed. The last two are of lower consequence, but are worth considering for the best results. The first of these is the avoidance of disruption to the wines, both in the form of movement of the bottles and of vibration.
Guigal is the most important producer in the famous Côte-Rôtie region of France’s Rhone Valley. Outgrowing its 300-year-old cellars in Ampuis, it recently embarked on an enormous construction project. The result is almost two hectares of cellar caverns, climate controlled to 13oC and 80% relative humidity. This proved to be something of an engineering nightmare, with the facility sandwiched between the mighty Rhone river and a train line on one side, and a main road on the other. The finished product not only supports the road, but also Guigal’s production facility, with a mass of some five tonnes per square metre!
Traffic rumbling across the top of the cellar is detrimental to the wine. Understanding this requires a little insight into the way in which wine develops. Put simply, the chemical processes in the wine produce larger and more complex molecules that eventually fall out of the solution as sediment. Under stable conditions, these are able to settle along the bottom of the bottle or barrel, allowing the wine to develop fully. Movement disrupts this process, stirring the sediment and mixing it throughout the wine.
The solution at Guigal was to construct an advanced anti-vibration system throughout the entire cellar structure. While most of us do not have the problem of trucks rumbling over our wine collection at home, vibration can still pose a threat. Mechanical cooling units are prime culprits.
Further to this problem, there are extreme phenomena such as ‘travel shock’, which the wine can experience after extended transportation. It may take weeks or even months to settle before it is again at its best. Closely related is ‘bottle shock’, where the wine takes some time to recover from the bottling process.
A few factors must be considered first, before you initiate building the wine cellar. For instance where is the closet in relation to the rest of the house? Avoid converting a closet against an outside wall into a wine cellar. Temperature, temperature, temperature, outside walls make it very hard to keep this steady as they face the elements. Choose an internal closet where your wine can be stored in a more stable atmosphere.
Your wine will age well if you keep close tabs on the temperature within the cellar, this is critical. Don’t stress if at some times of the year the temp is higher and at other times it is lower, this is acceptable as long as it is a slow shift. If this happens over and over again, gradually the wine inside will be ruined as well. Temperature fluctuations are to be avoided at all costs when it comes to storing wine. You’ll notice damage of this nature straight away. Look for the sticky deposit that often forms around the capsule. Over time the continual expansion and contraction of the wine will damage the integrity of the cork. Each time the temperature changes, the cork is essentially pulled out and put back in. When this happens, minute quantities of wine may be pushed out along the edge of the cork allowing air to seep back in. While it is usually good to expose wine to the air, as it brings out more flavor, it’s the last thing you want when aging wine. Your wine is ruined. It is best if your wine stays in the range of 54-57 degrees to properly age. Higher temperatures will age wine more rapidly and cooler temperatures will slow down the ageing process. Irreversible damage will be done if your wine is kept at a temperature above 82ºF for even a month.
Make sure you have a vapor barrier in the closet. Mold like the humid environments that are good for wine. Also think about a high quality wine cooler for keeping tabs on the humidity and temperature.
After the designing comes the constructing. Building a wine cellar is lots of fun! You will need to purchase a few essential items. Purchase some inexpensive wine racks from a hardware store or online retailer or storage shop. With some cheap racks you’ll have a simple but very effective mini wine cellar. Wine rack designs will vary in bottle density. Price variations are more to do with aesthetics than efficiency. Individual racking is the most convenient for selecting bottles. A good idea is to have racks against only one wall of the closet. Then you may still have floor or shelf space available for wines that you purchase by the case. Constructing a custom wine cellar on a budget is simple and easy at home. Go for function over design to save money. Let your wine speak for itself.
A small addition, that will bring so much pleasure down the road!
Wine Cooler and Refrigeration Units
When constructing your wine cellar, you must take into account the temperature and humidity levels in the room or area you are storing wine. A wine cellar must maintain constant levels of humidity and temperature in order for the wine to age properly and not sour or be damaged. A wine cooler or wine refrigeration system is essential to any wine cellar. Wine coolers and chillers can come in many different forms, from in-wall or in-column chillers, coolers that can be stored under a table and out of sight, to standalone air conditioning units. Regardless of the form your wine cooler takes, its importance is not to be minimized or left out entirely.
The size and amount of wine in your wine cellar will dictate what kind of wine cooler you will need. It goes without saying that as your bottle capacity increases, so does the price of the chiller as it has more room and materials to maintain at a constant temperature. Optimum wine cellar temperature and humidity is discussed in another article, for now we will be looking at sizes, prices, and kinds of wine refrigeration systems. Wine coolers start at around $100, and can cool around 6 bottles of wine. If your collection is larger (and likely it is) then you will be looking at more expensive units. $300-$400 will get you a wine cooler that can refrigerate up to 35 bottles or so, this is good if you have a wine cabinet or wine pantry where you store your collection. However, if you are designing a large wine cellar or wine room then you will need to look into the heavier duty options. There is no specific upper price limit when it comes to pricing out a quality wine cooler, although as the size and value of your wine collection increases, the necessary quality or your wine storage system increases as well.
High quality wine coolers control the temperature and humidity using a digital temperature controller wired to a thermostat. In order to ensure consistent humidity and true temperature, be sure not to instal the thermostat near the door that you enter and leave from and away from any air vents or circulators that may affect the immediate temperature. More elaborate wine refrigeration systems can also be installed, chillers and air circulation systems are often a must in the higher quality wine rooms. Custom wine coolers can also be designed that are both ornate and functional, serving to compliment the decor of the wine cellar, though these usually inhabit the realm of very expensive to abhorrently expensive. Maintaining the proper temperature and humidity in a wine cellar is of utmost importance, be sure you understand what is required and how much it will cost so you do not skimp on this important portion of wine cellar
Proper Ventilation In Wine Cellars
Ventilation can be damaging to wines because it can upset the delicate temperature balance in the cellar. While gentle air currents in themselves are of little consequence, the danger arises when these currents vary the temperature in all or part of the cellar. In particular, artificial cooling units have a tendency to introduce cold air currents.
There needs to be a compromise here. On the one hand, moving air can be a necessity in maintaining a stable temperature throughout the cellar. In doing so, however, the air should not be of such a temperature, or moved so quickly, as to cause rapid fluctuations in bottle temperature. This naturally presupposes that the temperature can vary in different parts of the cellar, and this in itself should be avoided if possible. Where absolute perfection cannot be attained, it is sufficient to ensure that stiff breezes directed at the bottles are avoided, particularly if they have the potential to change the bottle temperature.
There will always be sceptics who challenge the significance of a good cellar. The evidence presented will be anecdotal and subjective. Invariably, a particular old bottle will be cited, having been stored under imperfect conditions, consumed at a ripe old age, and praised wholeheartedly. My response is simple: These critics may never know just how much better that bottle could have been.
Maintaining The Levels of Light In A Wine Cellar
The very best underground cellars are cold, incredibly stable, moist and dank, and of course, very dark. Wines are creatures of the night, emerging from their long hibernation for just one moment of glory. But that moment will be less than glorious if the wine has spent its hibernation continually on display.
It has been verified that exposure to light produces chemical reactions in wine that cause it to deteriorate. In particular, ultraviolet light has the greatest effect, and white wines and champagnes are the most vulnerable. Amber-coloured bottles provide very good protection, but regrettably these have long ago fallen out of fashion to their much less protective clear and green counterparts. Consequently, the best solution is to keep the cellar in complete darkness whenever it is unattended. Intermittent artificial light will have minimal effect, but daylight should be avoided.
Watching The Vibration Levels In A Wine Cellar
If you are able to satisfy the demands of the first four conditions for cellaring wines, you are doing very well indeed. The last two are of lower consequence, but are worth considering for the best results. The first of these is the avoidance of disruption to the wines, both in the form of movement of the bottles and of vibration.
Guigal is the most important producer in the famous Côte-Rôtie region of France’s Rhone Valley. Outgrowing its 300-year-old cellars in Ampuis, it recently embarked on an enormous construction project. The result is almost two hectares of cellar caverns, climate controlled to 13oC and 80% relative humidity. This proved to be something of an engineering nightmare, with the facility sandwiched between the mighty Rhone river and a train line on one side, and a main road on the other. The finished product not only supports the road, but also Guigal’s production facility, with a mass of some five tonnes per square metre!
Traffic rumbling across the top of the cellar is detrimental to the wine. Understanding this requires a little insight into the way in which wine develops. Put simply, the chemical processes in the wine produce larger and more complex molecules that eventually fall out of the solution as sediment. Under stable conditions, these are able to settle along the bottom of the bottle or barrel, allowing the wine to develop fully. Movement disrupts this process, stirring the sediment and mixing it throughout the wine.
The solution at Guigal was to construct an advanced anti-vibration system throughout the entire cellar structure. While most of us do not have the problem of trucks rumbling over our wine collection at home, vibration can still pose a threat. Mechanical cooling units are prime culprits.
Further to this problem, there are extreme phenomena such as ‘travel shock’, which the wine can experience after extended transportation. It may take weeks or even months to settle before it is again at its best. Closely related is ‘bottle shock’, where the wine takes some time to recover from the bottling process.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Black and Blue Berry Mead
I was at Costco about a week ago and ran into these jugs of Blueberry juice and figured why not. So I bought 4 litres and had at 'er. Since my previous batches of blackberry Mead used more of a concentrated juice and this was nowhere near as dense I figured I would add in some of my frozen blackberry juice.
Her is the recipe
4 litres Blueberry juice (I used RW Knudson)
1.5 litres Frozen Blackberry concentrate
1 Litre of bottled water
1 Litre (Approx) Honey
1 Package 1118 yeast
1 Tsp Yeast Nutrient
Starting Specific Gravity
Approx 1.080
Innoculated
9:15 AM PST on March 3, 2009
As a side note, I also had a little bit of Acai / Blueberry juice left over which I couldn't drink because it gave me the plops so I added that as well (Approx 1/2 litre)
I stopped the batch when it reached 1.010 which was at 8:15 AM PST on March 6th, 2009 so that would make it almost 71 Hours. I did the usual heating pasteurizing process and set it to cool for the day before sticking it in the secondary jugs with airlocks. I also added Sparkeloid to the batch just after I put it in the secondary. Not exactly typical practice but I wanted to get the yeast out of there.
----------------------------------------------------
Racking # 1 - March 30, 2009
I decided to rack this puppy at the same time as I put the next batch into the secondary. Less mess that way. The clarity was quite impressive for a first racking, I guess that could be attributed to the sparkeloid. Taste is fairly smooth and still abit of residual sweetness. Since there isn't really any yeast left, that will probably stay.
After racking, I put in some more sparkeloid and let it sit.
Her is the recipe
4 litres Blueberry juice (I used RW Knudson)
1.5 litres Frozen Blackberry concentrate
1 Litre of bottled water
1 Litre (Approx) Honey
1 Package 1118 yeast
1 Tsp Yeast Nutrient
Starting Specific Gravity
Approx 1.080
Innoculated
9:15 AM PST on March 3, 2009
As a side note, I also had a little bit of Acai / Blueberry juice left over which I couldn't drink because it gave me the plops so I added that as well (Approx 1/2 litre)
I stopped the batch when it reached 1.010 which was at 8:15 AM PST on March 6th, 2009 so that would make it almost 71 Hours. I did the usual heating pasteurizing process and set it to cool for the day before sticking it in the secondary jugs with airlocks. I also added Sparkeloid to the batch just after I put it in the secondary. Not exactly typical practice but I wanted to get the yeast out of there.
----------------------------------------------------
Racking # 1 - March 30, 2009
I decided to rack this puppy at the same time as I put the next batch into the secondary. Less mess that way. The clarity was quite impressive for a first racking, I guess that could be attributed to the sparkeloid. Taste is fairly smooth and still abit of residual sweetness. Since there isn't really any yeast left, that will probably stay.
After racking, I put in some more sparkeloid and let it sit.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
What the hell do I call this - Persimon, Yellow Plum & Rosehip Mead
There has to be a sexier name, if anyone can think of anything better than PPR (Not hard to do) please feel free to leave me some suggestions.
I started out with 4 cups of mushed RIPE Persimons with the skin removed. I am very careful to remove the skin of fruits when I can as to avoid the Pectin which apparently makes the wine cloudy. I figured plums were similar, well ok they really aren't but I needed something with a little more acid. I also had some rose hip concentrate I made up from fresh rosehips awhile back and froze.
Here are the measurements:
5 Litres spring water
2 cups rosehip concentrate (previously frozen)
4 cups yellow plum juice (previously frozen)
4 Cups Mashed Persimons with seeds and skin removed
6 Cups Honey
1 pack 1118 yeast
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Specific gravity = 1.082
Start time 6PM December 1, 2008
I started out with 4 cups of mushed RIPE Persimons with the skin removed. I am very careful to remove the skin of fruits when I can as to avoid the Pectin which apparently makes the wine cloudy. I figured plums were similar, well ok they really aren't but I needed something with a little more acid. I also had some rose hip concentrate I made up from fresh rosehips awhile back and froze.
Here are the measurements:
5 Litres spring water
2 cups rosehip concentrate (previously frozen)
4 cups yellow plum juice (previously frozen)
4 Cups Mashed Persimons with seeds and skin removed
6 Cups Honey
1 pack 1118 yeast
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Specific gravity = 1.082
Start time 6PM December 1, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saving money on your Wine making supplies
Making your own wine or brewing your own beer at home is a very interesting hobby and it can be even a profitable hobby if you are a smart investor in the right winemaking supplies. In this article we will point you in the right direction.
Free fruit
If you grow your own fruits, wine making is not an expensive hobby at all, its true you need some proper winemaking supplies but when you do some research you can get your supplies very cheap. Producing your own fruits is a good step in the right direction but there are other ways to get fruit for free. If you offer your fruit and vegetable supplier one or two bottles of wine in return of the fruit he did not sell you will probably end up with more fruits then you can use. And because fruits are the most expensive part of winemaking supplies you need, it is a great way to keep the cost of your hobby down. And belief me, when you bring those wonderful bottles of wine to your supplier, he will also be happy that he gave those left over fruits to you. You can even make a deal with him and let him sell your bottles of wines. That is a win-win situation for the both of you.
Winemaking Equipment
The other big investment you need to make in winemaking supplies is the equipment you need for the wine production. I will let you in on a secret, most wine making kits that people get for Christmas never get used, most of the time they end up at e-bay or other auction sites. People buy these kits for there loved ones to give them a nice hobby but in fact the gift receivers never asked for it and they are not really interested. So after a while they sell the stuff and you can buy it at very low prices. And because you do like wine making as a hobby but also would like to make a little money this is an opportunity you really can not let go. This is the smart way to get winemaking supplies cheap.
Save money on wine bottles and wine labels
To get you started you can collect the bottles from people you know, clean them with special sanitizer, make your own labels at the myownlabels website and fill them with your own home made wine. When you do decide to sell your wines you can even make a deal with the buyers, under the name of sustainability, so they bring you the bottles back when they finished the wine.
There are two ways to produce wine labels, you can buy label making kits that provide you with software and paper you can print them on. Or you can create wine labels online and they are professionally printed for you and delivered at your doorstep. Strange enough this is often cheaper then using the label kits. Wine labels give your wine presentation flair and the air of professionally.
These are just a few tips to make your wine making hobby profitable with smart invested winemaking supplies.
Free fruit
If you grow your own fruits, wine making is not an expensive hobby at all, its true you need some proper winemaking supplies but when you do some research you can get your supplies very cheap. Producing your own fruits is a good step in the right direction but there are other ways to get fruit for free. If you offer your fruit and vegetable supplier one or two bottles of wine in return of the fruit he did not sell you will probably end up with more fruits then you can use. And because fruits are the most expensive part of winemaking supplies you need, it is a great way to keep the cost of your hobby down. And belief me, when you bring those wonderful bottles of wine to your supplier, he will also be happy that he gave those left over fruits to you. You can even make a deal with him and let him sell your bottles of wines. That is a win-win situation for the both of you.
Winemaking Equipment
The other big investment you need to make in winemaking supplies is the equipment you need for the wine production. I will let you in on a secret, most wine making kits that people get for Christmas never get used, most of the time they end up at e-bay or other auction sites. People buy these kits for there loved ones to give them a nice hobby but in fact the gift receivers never asked for it and they are not really interested. So after a while they sell the stuff and you can buy it at very low prices. And because you do like wine making as a hobby but also would like to make a little money this is an opportunity you really can not let go. This is the smart way to get winemaking supplies cheap.
Save money on wine bottles and wine labels
To get you started you can collect the bottles from people you know, clean them with special sanitizer, make your own labels at the myownlabels website and fill them with your own home made wine. When you do decide to sell your wines you can even make a deal with the buyers, under the name of sustainability, so they bring you the bottles back when they finished the wine.
There are two ways to produce wine labels, you can buy label making kits that provide you with software and paper you can print them on. Or you can create wine labels online and they are professionally printed for you and delivered at your doorstep. Strange enough this is often cheaper then using the label kits. Wine labels give your wine presentation flair and the air of professionally.
These are just a few tips to make your wine making hobby profitable with smart invested winemaking supplies.
Wine Making - Art or Craft
Just an interesting article I found on another site
Wine Making, The Magic Begins!
The magic that is wine making is a fascinating subject, at least for those of us who haven't experienced it up close, and only see the results. Ah but what a glorious result! And it all seems so mysterious.
At first winemaking seems simple enough. The winemaker starts out with some grape juice; he or she puts it in a barrel or stainless steel tank, and then the waiting begins. It can be a few months, it can be a few years, but after all the waiting, we have wine.
If it is that simple, why is it that there is such a great variety in quality, flavor, texture? And how come we aren't all great winemakers?
Actually many people try their hand at homemade wine, and are always on the hunt for homemade wine recipes. For some of these adventurous souls, the results are so-so and decide that it is better to drink the wine than to make it. For others, it is the beginning of a wonderful journey from wine lover to winemaker, and a new career and lifestyle.
So, How Does It All Happen?
Though wine is a very old beverage, the actual chemical processes that makes juice into a fermented beverage wasn't well understood. It has only been in the last couple of hundred years, less at that, that we know that wine making is science at work. It was Louis Pasteur, the man best known for vaccination, that was able to explain to the rest of us how sugar becomes alcohol after a while. This is called fermentation, and it is part of the magic.
Another part of the magic is the maturation, or aging, of the wine. Some wines are meant to be consumed young, that is, soon after they are made and bottled. This period of time can vary from a few months to a year or two.
Other wines benefit from longer aging. This period can be anywhere from two to five years. And some wines have been known to age well for several decades.
Another variation in the aging, as well as in the fermentation, is where the wine is going to be maturing. Will it be in an oak barrel? or will the winemaker decide to use a stainless steel tank? This decision will greatly affect the flavor of the end result. Of course, non of these steps can happen without the key ingredient, the grape. And all wine making really starts in the vineyard.
Not only will the weather and place where the vine is grown affect the final outcome, but most importantly, the kind of grape dictates much of the wine making techniques.
If the grape is a Cabernet Sauvignon, it will dictate a particular set of techniques, as making red wine requires methods that are somewhat different from making white wine.
If the grape is a Chardonnay, then the master will pull a different set of tools from his magic bag.
Is Winemaking Art of Craft?
Some people speak of wine making as being an art, others scoff at this notion. They believe that a good winemaker is just great at his craft, no more no less. I once read that winemaking cannot be an art because the winemaker is working with a set of ingredients and tools, whereas the artist uses his imagination.
It is not for me to say whether wine is a work of art or not, but I think that an artist also has a set of tools and ingredients to work with, it's just that those tools and ingredients are a bit more varied.
A winemaker uses grapes, yeasts, barrels, stainless steel, sugar, etc. to work his magic. an artist uses pain, paper, brushes, wood, marble, glass, fire, to produce his magic.
Perhaps the ingredients and tools that an artist has at her disposal are more varied and unpredictable than those that a winemaker has, but the artist doesn't come up with a work of art out of thin air, she also needs ingredients and tools.
You Decide, Art or Craft?
Wine Making, The Magic Begins!
The magic that is wine making is a fascinating subject, at least for those of us who haven't experienced it up close, and only see the results. Ah but what a glorious result! And it all seems so mysterious.
At first winemaking seems simple enough. The winemaker starts out with some grape juice; he or she puts it in a barrel or stainless steel tank, and then the waiting begins. It can be a few months, it can be a few years, but after all the waiting, we have wine.
If it is that simple, why is it that there is such a great variety in quality, flavor, texture? And how come we aren't all great winemakers?
Actually many people try their hand at homemade wine, and are always on the hunt for homemade wine recipes. For some of these adventurous souls, the results are so-so and decide that it is better to drink the wine than to make it. For others, it is the beginning of a wonderful journey from wine lover to winemaker, and a new career and lifestyle.
So, How Does It All Happen?
Though wine is a very old beverage, the actual chemical processes that makes juice into a fermented beverage wasn't well understood. It has only been in the last couple of hundred years, less at that, that we know that wine making is science at work. It was Louis Pasteur, the man best known for vaccination, that was able to explain to the rest of us how sugar becomes alcohol after a while. This is called fermentation, and it is part of the magic.
Another part of the magic is the maturation, or aging, of the wine. Some wines are meant to be consumed young, that is, soon after they are made and bottled. This period of time can vary from a few months to a year or two.
Other wines benefit from longer aging. This period can be anywhere from two to five years. And some wines have been known to age well for several decades.
Another variation in the aging, as well as in the fermentation, is where the wine is going to be maturing. Will it be in an oak barrel? or will the winemaker decide to use a stainless steel tank? This decision will greatly affect the flavor of the end result. Of course, non of these steps can happen without the key ingredient, the grape. And all wine making really starts in the vineyard.
Not only will the weather and place where the vine is grown affect the final outcome, but most importantly, the kind of grape dictates much of the wine making techniques.
If the grape is a Cabernet Sauvignon, it will dictate a particular set of techniques, as making red wine requires methods that are somewhat different from making white wine.
If the grape is a Chardonnay, then the master will pull a different set of tools from his magic bag.
Is Winemaking Art of Craft?
Some people speak of wine making as being an art, others scoff at this notion. They believe that a good winemaker is just great at his craft, no more no less. I once read that winemaking cannot be an art because the winemaker is working with a set of ingredients and tools, whereas the artist uses his imagination.
It is not for me to say whether wine is a work of art or not, but I think that an artist also has a set of tools and ingredients to work with, it's just that those tools and ingredients are a bit more varied.
A winemaker uses grapes, yeasts, barrels, stainless steel, sugar, etc. to work his magic. an artist uses pain, paper, brushes, wood, marble, glass, fire, to produce his magic.
Perhaps the ingredients and tools that an artist has at her disposal are more varied and unpredictable than those that a winemaker has, but the artist doesn't come up with a work of art out of thin air, she also needs ingredients and tools.
You Decide, Art or Craft?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Making Your Own Wine -Fun, Easy And Delicious!
For those of you just contemplating wine making, here is another article which outlines the ease of the wine making process.
by Georgia Sutherland
Making home made wine is a fast growing hobby. No wonder, making wine at home has a variety of benefits.
One reason is that the information about wine making is becoming much more available. Books with wine recipes, and a number of “How to’s” can easily be found making it easy to get started.
One other reason is that making your own wine can be a lot less expensive than purchasing wine in the store.You can make wine for pennies per bottle. Big difference from the ever increasing prices of commercial wine.
And here’s the best reason: It is just a lot of fun and very gratifying to make your own wine. Making all the preparations including choosing the fruit and or berries to include, what type of yeast to use, and then watching the fermentation take place… it never loosed its excitement.
Homemade wine is also a very special gift for someone. With your own label, of course.
Getting started making wine can be very easy. You do not need expensive equipment and fancy gadgets. What you do need is a fermentation vessel. This can be a five gallon bucket. Then you will need an air lock, which you can purchase inexpensively or make yourself and a few other smaller items.
There are basically three levels of home wine making.
1. Using a wine kit which already have all the ingredients, including instructions.
2.Making wine from fruit juices.
3. Making wine from fruit and berries.
Making your very own wine is a satisfying hobby and art. It is pleasing and nourishing to the palate as well.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Some Potential Problems in Wine Making
Wine making is a skill passed down through generations that each succeeding generation likes to add their own touch to. Sometimes when wine makers experiment with their process things work and sometimes they don’t. Many of the problems in wine making come from small changes or problems that may not seem significant at all but they can turn into huge problems in wine making. Some common problems in wine making are things like adding too much of an ingredient or not keeping a close enough eye on the fermenting stage. The only way to avoid problems in wine making is to know what they can be.
It Won’t Turn Into Wine
Fermentation is a process that turns juice into wine and it is one of the most important steps in wine making. It can also be home to some of the more frustrating problems in wine making. There is the occasion when your wine refuses to ferment. When that happens you not only need to start over, but also you need to try and figure out why it happened. Many wine makers look to their yeast as the problem, and while it is possible that you used a dead yeast and did not know it, but you should also check your sugar content to see if it was right. “Must” is the pulpy concoction made up of fruit skins and pulp that is added to wine and can also be a problem when making wine. Many times the “must” is a closely guarded secret and needs to be done just right for a wine to ferment properly.
Isn’t That Sweet
For new wine makers one of the more common problems in wine making is that the wine comes out way too sweet. This is common among new wine makers because they are still getting the fermentation process right and timing is everything when you ferment. Getting the excess sugar out of your mix is also pretty important and that could be the reason your wine comes out too sweet. There are a lot of factors you need to check when it comes to these problems in wine making and you need to take the time to examine each of your steps to see where you went wrong.
There are a couple of ways you can deal with an overly sweet wine. The first is that you can start fermenting the wine over again and get rid of the excess sugar. This may work or this may not work. You may want to add a little more yeast to help counteract the excess sugar when you restart fermentation. You can only ferment a batch so many times, so if the second fermenting doesn’t do the trick then you may want to call the batch a lost cause.
The other way to deal with a sweet wine is to mix it with a dry wine. This becomes a talent as well because mixing sweet wine with dry wine can usually result in sweet wine again if you do it wrong. So take your time and experiment a little.
It Won’t Turn Into Wine
Fermentation is a process that turns juice into wine and it is one of the most important steps in wine making. It can also be home to some of the more frustrating problems in wine making. There is the occasion when your wine refuses to ferment. When that happens you not only need to start over, but also you need to try and figure out why it happened. Many wine makers look to their yeast as the problem, and while it is possible that you used a dead yeast and did not know it, but you should also check your sugar content to see if it was right. “Must” is the pulpy concoction made up of fruit skins and pulp that is added to wine and can also be a problem when making wine. Many times the “must” is a closely guarded secret and needs to be done just right for a wine to ferment properly.
Isn’t That Sweet
For new wine makers one of the more common problems in wine making is that the wine comes out way too sweet. This is common among new wine makers because they are still getting the fermentation process right and timing is everything when you ferment. Getting the excess sugar out of your mix is also pretty important and that could be the reason your wine comes out too sweet. There are a lot of factors you need to check when it comes to these problems in wine making and you need to take the time to examine each of your steps to see where you went wrong.
There are a couple of ways you can deal with an overly sweet wine. The first is that you can start fermenting the wine over again and get rid of the excess sugar. This may work or this may not work. You may want to add a little more yeast to help counteract the excess sugar when you restart fermentation. You can only ferment a batch so many times, so if the second fermenting doesn’t do the trick then you may want to call the batch a lost cause.
The other way to deal with a sweet wine is to mix it with a dry wine. This becomes a talent as well because mixing sweet wine with dry wine can usually result in sweet wine again if you do it wrong. So take your time and experiment a little.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
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
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
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Lilac Wine
Here is a couple of recipe's I mooched of Jack Keller. I already picked a bunch of lilac and separated the flowers... What a pain. The trick is to make sure there is no green in the flowers while keeping the sweet Stigmata. You can keep the flowers in the freezer if you need to drag the cultivating process over a few weeks.
LILAC WINE (1)
3-1/2 quarts lilac flowers
2-1/2 lb granulated sugar
2 lemons or 12 grams 80% lactic acid
7-1/2 pts water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Champagne yeast
Put water on to boil while culling through and rinsing flowers. Put flowers in primary and when water boils pour over flowers. Cover primary tightly and set aside for 48 hours. Strain flowers through nylon straining bag and squeeze to extract all flavor, then discard pulp. Stir sugar, yeast nutrient, juice of lemon or lactic acid into primary and stir until completely dissolved. Sprinkle dry yeast on top without stirring or add activated yeast culture to primary. Recover primary and ferment 7 days. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Ferment 30 days and rack, top up and refit airlock. Rack again every 30 days until wine is clear and no longer dropping sediment. Rack into bottles and allow to age 3-6 months. [Adapted from George Leonard Herter's How to Make the Finest Wines at Home]
LILAC WINE (2)
3-1/2 quarts lilac flowers
1-1/2 lb granulated sugar
10.5 oz can of Welch's 100% white grape juice frozen concentrate
1-1/2 tsp citric acid
1/8 tsp tannin powder
7-1/4 pts water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Champagne yeast
Put water on to boil while culling through and rinsing flowers. Put flowers in primary and when water boils pour over flowers. Cover primary tightly and set aside for 48 hours. Strain flowers through nylon straining bag and squeeze to extract all flavor, then discard pulp. Bring 2 cups of must to boil and add sugar, stirring constantly until dissolved. Stir in frozen grape concentrate and immediately pour into primary. Stir in remaining ingredients except yeast. When must returns to lukewarm, sprinkle dry yeast on top without stirring or add activated yeast. Cover primary and ferment 5 days. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Ferment 30 days and rack, top up and refit airlock. Rack again every 30 days until wine is clear and no longer dropping sediment. Rack into bottles and allow to age 3-6 months.
LILAC WINE (1)
3-1/2 quarts lilac flowers
2-1/2 lb granulated sugar
2 lemons or 12 grams 80% lactic acid
7-1/2 pts water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Champagne yeast
Put water on to boil while culling through and rinsing flowers. Put flowers in primary and when water boils pour over flowers. Cover primary tightly and set aside for 48 hours. Strain flowers through nylon straining bag and squeeze to extract all flavor, then discard pulp. Stir sugar, yeast nutrient, juice of lemon or lactic acid into primary and stir until completely dissolved. Sprinkle dry yeast on top without stirring or add activated yeast culture to primary. Recover primary and ferment 7 days. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Ferment 30 days and rack, top up and refit airlock. Rack again every 30 days until wine is clear and no longer dropping sediment. Rack into bottles and allow to age 3-6 months. [Adapted from George Leonard Herter's How to Make the Finest Wines at Home]
LILAC WINE (2)
3-1/2 quarts lilac flowers
1-1/2 lb granulated sugar
10.5 oz can of Welch's 100% white grape juice frozen concentrate
1-1/2 tsp citric acid
1/8 tsp tannin powder
7-1/4 pts water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Champagne yeast
Put water on to boil while culling through and rinsing flowers. Put flowers in primary and when water boils pour over flowers. Cover primary tightly and set aside for 48 hours. Strain flowers through nylon straining bag and squeeze to extract all flavor, then discard pulp. Bring 2 cups of must to boil and add sugar, stirring constantly until dissolved. Stir in frozen grape concentrate and immediately pour into primary. Stir in remaining ingredients except yeast. When must returns to lukewarm, sprinkle dry yeast on top without stirring or add activated yeast. Cover primary and ferment 5 days. Transfer liquid to secondary and fit airlock. Ferment 30 days and rack, top up and refit airlock. Rack again every 30 days until wine is clear and no longer dropping sediment. Rack into bottles and allow to age 3-6 months.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Calorie Wise wine, what the )(*()*????
Here is a little article I found on reducing alochol content in wine for a healthier wine with less calories. Hmmm, I never knew calories were a concern when drinking wine.
We all are well aware that the great world of wine dates back about as far as anyone can imagine. But the fact is, even though we all appreciate its history and tradition, it is a new day. In this new day, the influence of the wise consumer seems to be taking effect in a new direction, perhaps establishing the new standard of tradition.
Some wineries today are experimenting with producing wines that are lower in alcohol content due to the inspiration of the health conscious buyer. With improved wine making and growing techniques, it is now possible to lower certain types of grapes' alcohol content down to a ten percent range from the average fourteen. Less alcohol content means fewer calories, making the wine healthier to drink. Criticism in the past however, has put off these healthier wines, by argument of poor quality and lack of taste. But with advanced technology, a new type of wine is being created which is not only healthier, but maintains its great qualities and taste. This raises the next question, do we really want our wines to have less alcohol in them? Sure, it's healthier, but there are a million other ways to be health conscious. To some, drinking wine is an experience, a romantic setting perhaps, a way to break the ice, or just relaxation from a long day, then maybe that warm tipsy feeling is what we're looking for. Will these new and improved wines still leave us in the same mood? We'll just have to try it for ourselves. None the less, the creation of these "good-for-you" wines, along with the screw cap and canned packaging - wine sure has changed since the beginning. Who knows, our wine lovers in the next generation may only be used to these features, because to them, this is tradition.
We all are well aware that the great world of wine dates back about as far as anyone can imagine. But the fact is, even though we all appreciate its history and tradition, it is a new day. In this new day, the influence of the wise consumer seems to be taking effect in a new direction, perhaps establishing the new standard of tradition.
Some wineries today are experimenting with producing wines that are lower in alcohol content due to the inspiration of the health conscious buyer. With improved wine making and growing techniques, it is now possible to lower certain types of grapes' alcohol content down to a ten percent range from the average fourteen. Less alcohol content means fewer calories, making the wine healthier to drink. Criticism in the past however, has put off these healthier wines, by argument of poor quality and lack of taste. But with advanced technology, a new type of wine is being created which is not only healthier, but maintains its great qualities and taste. This raises the next question, do we really want our wines to have less alcohol in them? Sure, it's healthier, but there are a million other ways to be health conscious. To some, drinking wine is an experience, a romantic setting perhaps, a way to break the ice, or just relaxation from a long day, then maybe that warm tipsy feeling is what we're looking for. Will these new and improved wines still leave us in the same mood? We'll just have to try it for ourselves. None the less, the creation of these "good-for-you" wines, along with the screw cap and canned packaging - wine sure has changed since the beginning. Who knows, our wine lovers in the next generation may only be used to these features, because to them, this is tradition.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Just a little something on Red Wine
Well, the first thing that comes to us about red wines is, the deep rich red colored wine! Red wines are made all over the world, and are generally the most popular type of wine among both connoisseurs and novices.
These wines are made from one or more varieties of the European species Vitis vinifera. The top main varieties of grapes from which red wine is made are, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. Other red wine grape varieties are Grenache, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Mourvèdre, Tempranillo, Gamay, Pinotage and Malbec.
When red wine is made, the grapes are crushed whole and the skins are fermented along with the juice and body of the grapes. On the other hand, white wine is made from pale or green grapes or grapes which are skinned prior to the fermentation process and therefore unlike red wine, the color of white wine is pale in color rather than dark. Thus, in making red wine, the grape skins are the ones that give the wine it’s rich deep and distinct color spectrum. Red wine’s color runs the gamut from deep red to deep pink to ruby red to garnet to almost black to dark violet to maroon, sometimes even blue and the list goes on. The color is determined by the vast variety of grapes that have been used in its production, which can be dark purple, black, black-blue grapes and red grapes. It’s also determined by the wine-making techniques that have been employed by the winemaker. Depending on the type of wine being made and the amount of tannin required, the stalks may or may not be discarded. Tannins are the chemical compounds that cause the sensation of astringency in the mouth. They also make it possible for some red wines to age and develop. Over time, the qualities of the tannin will mellow and blend harmoniously with the other characteristics of the wine. This is one of the main reasons that red wines usually age better than whites.
The grapes, once crushed, are moved from the crusher into fermentation vats with skins. Fermentation can take upto 4 weeks or longer to complete. The higher the temperature, the more colour and tannin is extracted. Carbon dioxide trapped in the vat forces the grapes to ferment faster under pressure and this process can take as little as 5 days. Soft red wines are made by fermenting whole grapes in sealed vats.
The weight of the mass of grapes is sufficient to squeeze the fermented juice out of grapes. This juice is allowed to run into casks as free-run wine. The rest of the bulk goes into a press and is crushed to produce wines with high tannins. The wine from both vat and press are mixed and transferred to barrels or tanks. Here, the second fermentation of wine occurs.
Fine wine almost always spends at least a year in large or small barrels. Here egg-white is used, which drags suspended yeast and other solids in the wine downwards before being racked, filtered and bottled.
Finally, time spent in the bottle is vital. However, not every wine needs bottle ageing. A fine wine which may be an expensive bottle of red wine will almost certainly benefit from bottle ageing. Even white wine with high acidity and body will benefit from bottle ageing. Where as on the other hand, simple wines that are intended to be enjoyed young and meant for prompt drinking, will lose colour and freshness if left for too long.
These wines are made from one or more varieties of the European species Vitis vinifera. The top main varieties of grapes from which red wine is made are, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. Other red wine grape varieties are Grenache, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Mourvèdre, Tempranillo, Gamay, Pinotage and Malbec.
When red wine is made, the grapes are crushed whole and the skins are fermented along with the juice and body of the grapes. On the other hand, white wine is made from pale or green grapes or grapes which are skinned prior to the fermentation process and therefore unlike red wine, the color of white wine is pale in color rather than dark. Thus, in making red wine, the grape skins are the ones that give the wine it’s rich deep and distinct color spectrum. Red wine’s color runs the gamut from deep red to deep pink to ruby red to garnet to almost black to dark violet to maroon, sometimes even blue and the list goes on. The color is determined by the vast variety of grapes that have been used in its production, which can be dark purple, black, black-blue grapes and red grapes. It’s also determined by the wine-making techniques that have been employed by the winemaker. Depending on the type of wine being made and the amount of tannin required, the stalks may or may not be discarded. Tannins are the chemical compounds that cause the sensation of astringency in the mouth. They also make it possible for some red wines to age and develop. Over time, the qualities of the tannin will mellow and blend harmoniously with the other characteristics of the wine. This is one of the main reasons that red wines usually age better than whites.
The grapes, once crushed, are moved from the crusher into fermentation vats with skins. Fermentation can take upto 4 weeks or longer to complete. The higher the temperature, the more colour and tannin is extracted. Carbon dioxide trapped in the vat forces the grapes to ferment faster under pressure and this process can take as little as 5 days. Soft red wines are made by fermenting whole grapes in sealed vats.
The weight of the mass of grapes is sufficient to squeeze the fermented juice out of grapes. This juice is allowed to run into casks as free-run wine. The rest of the bulk goes into a press and is crushed to produce wines with high tannins. The wine from both vat and press are mixed and transferred to barrels or tanks. Here, the second fermentation of wine occurs.
Fine wine almost always spends at least a year in large or small barrels. Here egg-white is used, which drags suspended yeast and other solids in the wine downwards before being racked, filtered and bottled.
Finally, time spent in the bottle is vital. However, not every wine needs bottle ageing. A fine wine which may be an expensive bottle of red wine will almost certainly benefit from bottle ageing. Even white wine with high acidity and body will benefit from bottle ageing. Where as on the other hand, simple wines that are intended to be enjoyed young and meant for prompt drinking, will lose colour and freshness if left for too long.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wild Mountain Honey Strawberry Mead
They just had a sale on Strawberries at the Local Grocery store. Although I typically prefer local BC Grown Strawberries over the California counterparts, I did manage to find some very sweet smelling large deep red berries in the pile. I immediately grabbed 8 Pounds of them.
Awhile back, I also stumbled across a booth selling organic Honey and picked up a couple of pails of Unpastuerized mountain wild flower Honey. It is a beautifully thick and deep yellow honey with a sweeter and richer taste than the Clover Honey I usually use.
So now that I have given you the history of the ingredients in this batch of Strawberry Mead, let's move onto making Mead.
I cleaned and weighed out the strawberries and put them in a large stainless steel pot with 1.5 Litres of Spring water and the Citric Acid & Honey. while heating up the mixture, I crushed the strawberries with a hand crusher thingy (Sort of like a pastry cutter.) All the recipe's I found said to hand crush, I am assuming this is to keep the must chunky. Heating the mixture up, just to disolve the honey I then transfered the must to my 2 Gallon primary fermenter and added water to bring the level up.
I then checked the Specific Gravity and found it to be right around 1.091 which would bring the Mead to a 12% Alc level if left to ferment to dry.
I prepared and dumped in 2 packages of Lalvin K1-V116 Yeast, which I'm told is a Mead Yeast and let it sit on my fridge (Nice and warm.)
I did not have any yeast nutrient left, so I figured I would try it au-natural...well sort of.
Ingredients:
6 lbs strawberries
4 Tsp Citric Acid
4.5 litres water
7 cups unpasteurized wild mountain honey
spec gravity
1.091
1 Package of Lalvin K1-V1116
The Must was innoculated at 5PM PST on April 29th, 2008
See ya in a few days.
Awhile back, I also stumbled across a booth selling organic Honey and picked up a couple of pails of Unpastuerized mountain wild flower Honey. It is a beautifully thick and deep yellow honey with a sweeter and richer taste than the Clover Honey I usually use.
So now that I have given you the history of the ingredients in this batch of Strawberry Mead, let's move onto making Mead.
I cleaned and weighed out the strawberries and put them in a large stainless steel pot with 1.5 Litres of Spring water and the Citric Acid & Honey. while heating up the mixture, I crushed the strawberries with a hand crusher thingy (Sort of like a pastry cutter.) All the recipe's I found said to hand crush, I am assuming this is to keep the must chunky. Heating the mixture up, just to disolve the honey I then transfered the must to my 2 Gallon primary fermenter and added water to bring the level up.
I then checked the Specific Gravity and found it to be right around 1.091 which would bring the Mead to a 12% Alc level if left to ferment to dry.
I prepared and dumped in 2 packages of Lalvin K1-V116 Yeast, which I'm told is a Mead Yeast and let it sit on my fridge (Nice and warm.)
I did not have any yeast nutrient left, so I figured I would try it au-natural...well sort of.
Ingredients:
6 lbs strawberries
4 Tsp Citric Acid
4.5 litres water
7 cups unpasteurized wild mountain honey
spec gravity
1.091
1 Package of Lalvin K1-V1116
The Must was innoculated at 5PM PST on April 29th, 2008
See ya in a few days.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Basic Mead
Here is a Basic Mead recipe I found.
Mead, which is also known as honey wine, is produced from 51 per cent honey, water and yeast. As fruit, spices and herbs can be added to mead, the result is a wide range of varieties, much like grape wine.
Ingredients like yeast, tannin, acids and nutrients can be obtained from beer-or wine-making supply shops or can be ordered online.
Here is a recipe for sweet mead to try at home.
Sweet Mead
1.5 kg (3 1/4 lb) pure honey
3.5 l (14 cups) water (not distilled, no chlorine)
15 ml (3 tsp) malic acid
7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) tartaric acid
1 ml ( 1/4 tsp) tannin
5 ml (1 tsp) yeast nutrient
1 campden tablet
1 pkg wine or mead yeast
In a 4.5-l (1 gallon) plastic bucket, mix ingredients (except yeast). One day later, add yeast.
After 1 month, transfer mixture to a glass jug. Keep at a constant temperature of 21 to 24 C (70 to 75 F.) Transfer to a clean glass jug once a month for the first 3 months. After that, transfer when the mead is clear of any layer of yeast or sediment buildup.
When the fermentation has completed, mead has cleared and no bubbles are visible, it is time to bottle. You may have to wait a full year before bottling. If you bottle too soon, you might have a lot of sediment which will detract from the mead.
Makes 4.5 l (1 gallon).
Mead, which is also known as honey wine, is produced from 51 per cent honey, water and yeast. As fruit, spices and herbs can be added to mead, the result is a wide range of varieties, much like grape wine.
Ingredients like yeast, tannin, acids and nutrients can be obtained from beer-or wine-making supply shops or can be ordered online.
Here is a recipe for sweet mead to try at home.
Sweet Mead
1.5 kg (3 1/4 lb) pure honey
3.5 l (14 cups) water (not distilled, no chlorine)
15 ml (3 tsp) malic acid
7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) tartaric acid
1 ml ( 1/4 tsp) tannin
5 ml (1 tsp) yeast nutrient
1 campden tablet
1 pkg wine or mead yeast
In a 4.5-l (1 gallon) plastic bucket, mix ingredients (except yeast). One day later, add yeast.
After 1 month, transfer mixture to a glass jug. Keep at a constant temperature of 21 to 24 C (70 to 75 F.) Transfer to a clean glass jug once a month for the first 3 months. After that, transfer when the mead is clear of any layer of yeast or sediment buildup.
When the fermentation has completed, mead has cleared and no bubbles are visible, it is time to bottle. You may have to wait a full year before bottling. If you bottle too soon, you might have a lot of sediment which will detract from the mead.
Makes 4.5 l (1 gallon).
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