AN EXPERIMENTAL PORT

[Waldo]

Completed my orders this morning for all the ingrediants to try another Port.


From Elite Vinters there will be 12 litre of a 90% Shiraz and 10% Muscat Blend


From George there will be one can of Vinters Harvest Black Currant and one can of Oregon Rasberry Fruit Puree.


From e-Bay there will be 2lbs. Organic Dried, All Natural Red Bananas and 1lbs. Dried Elderberries.
By volume I will add Spring Water ( Approx 2 gallon) to bring to 6.5 gal level.


I plan on mixing all of the ingrediants, including the dried fruit, let it set for 48 hrs with a Campden and Pectic Enzyme treatment thrown in during this period and then adjust SG to 1.120 . Will then adjust acid level if necessary and pitch a Red Star Pasteur Red yeast to it.


After fermentation and clearing I plan to bulk age for at least 6 months before bottling. Will also be oaking this one with a French Toast Heavy Toast after clearing has finished and bulk aging begins.

Any thoughts, suggestions or ideas would be appreciated. Only time will tell if it will turn out a

or be a

 

[grapeman]

http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNHow high will you fortify this one Waldo and with what? If you got real high, will it lose the Muscat flavor? Keep us informed and use that newhttp://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZN often.





http://smiley.smileycentral.com/download/index.jhtml?partner=ZSzeb096_ZN&utm_id=7924





http://smiley.smileycentral.com/download/index.jhtml?partner=ZSzeb114_ZN&utm_id=7922 Edited by: appleman

 

[Waldo]

I am hoping that I will not need to fortify this one appleman. I should end fermentation with an abv of 16.0% which I think will be ok. Again, will have to wait and adjust as needed.

 

[Wade E]

Sounds good Wally. I might have to try a Port later this year to as Bill B. informed me that Walkers Fruit Farm will be carrying 5 gallon pails of Black Currant juice this year!

 

[dfwwino]

You could always sugar feed to a higher level with Lavlin EC-1118 or Premier Cuvee. As I recall, the upper threshold on those yeasts is 18%. I think Pasteur Red is around 16%. In any event, at whatever alcohol level, this experimental port should be pretty tasty looking at the ingrediants. Did you come up with the recipe after a few glasses? It's funny how we all evolve into mad winemakers. As opposed to our commercial brethen, there is great freedom in being a home winemaker.Edited by: dfwwino

 

[Wade E]

Premier Cuvee will do the same but I think Waldo is going for that fruit forward port which the Pasteur Red will do.

 

[Waldo]

You are absolutely correct wade..I want this one to be mysterious, complex but fruit forward on the finish.

 

[dfwwino]

If your port is not fruit forward,I don't know what mixture could do it. Let the fermentation begin soon.

 

[summersolstice]

Waldo, it must be the time of year to begin thinking about port. I have an RJS Orange Chocolate Port bulk aging and I just started my own experimental port on Friday. I designed a 3.5 gallon batch beginning with a can of Alexander's Burgundy I've had laying around for a few months. I added 15 pounds of frozen and canned Oregon blackberries, 3-4 oz of dried elderberries, nutrient, 20 oz of untoasted American oak and K1V-1116 yeast. SG was 1.110 and I'll feed the primary by stirring in 3 lbs of sugar (mixed with some must first) when it reaches 1.075 and again at 1.040. Looks like this one will require some serious aging!

 

[Waldo]

Received my order from George yesterday but had I had received an
e-mail from Elite Vinters on Tuesday that their blendingequipemt was down for repairs and that they would refund my money or my order would ship out on Monday if I didn't mind waiting. I opted to wait. SO it ill be a a few days yet before I get this one going.

 

[Wade E]

In other words, that person called out sick!

Cant wait to follow this thread Waldo as this really sounds like a good one!
Edited by: wade

 

[Waldo]

Waldo, it must be the time of year to begin thinking about port. I have an RJS Orange Chocolate Port bulk aging and I just started my own experimental port on Friday. I designed a 3.5 gallon batch beginning with a can of Alexander's Burgundy I've had laying around for a few months. I added 15 pounds of frozen and canned Oregon blackberries, 3-4 oz of dried elderberries, nutrient, 20 oz of untoasted American oak and K1V-1116 yeast. SG was 1.110 and I'll feed the primary by stirring in 3 lbs of sugar (mixed with some must first) when it reaches 1.075 and again at 1.040. Looks like this one will require some serious aging!

Should be a good one rule. What does the untoasted oak impart to the wine? I have never seen this done before.

 

[summersolstice]

Should be a good one rule. What does the untoasted oak impart to the wine? I have never seen this done before.

Waldo,

I wanted to attempt to add a little complexity to the final product and I had a small bag of untoasted American oak so I used that. One rarely sees oak added in port recipes but I have occasionally seen it.

Port has traditionally been aged in oak barrels though, I admit, not untoasted American oak and that's why I used such a small amount in the primary.

 

[Waldo]

Will be interesting to see how it turns out. Please let us know.

 

[Waldo]

I decided to go a different route on this Port. I decided to make the batches seperate..This one ( items from George) and then do the Shiraz/Muscat from Elite Vinters and then do some sample blending after they are both fermented and cleared.


I added one can of Cherry puree to the ingrediants Iordered from George. I also used 6lbs. of clover honey ( from e-bay) to sweeten with so my beginning recipe was the Black Currant, Rasberry, Cherry, mixed well, water to bring to 3.5 gallon level, 3tsp. acid blend, 1tbsp. yeast nutrient, 1 tsp. yeast energizer, 3 campden tabs dissolved with the bananas and elderberries added during fermentation. My beginning SG on this batch was 1.100 with a must temp of 74 degrees. I decided to make the batches seperate..This one and then do the Shiraz/Muscat from Elite Vinters and then do some sample blending agter they are both fermented and cleared. I racked the "Fruit Blend" from primary this morning.
Hoping to get the order from Elite today. I do have some pictures that I will post later of the "Fruit Blend" fermentingEdited by: Waldo

 

[Waldo]

A shot of the fermentation in progress. It has since been racked to glass.

 

[Wade E]

Racked to glass??????? when did you start this Waldo?????? Why are we just hearing and seeing this now? looks good buddy and I can smell it from here.

 

[Waldo]

I pitched the yeast to it last Sunday wade. It has an awesome nose to it right now.

 

[grapeman]

Looks good Waldo. Those have got to be the biggest bubbles I have ever seen from yeast. What kind did you use on this one Bazooka?

 

[Waldo]

I used the Pasteur Red on this batch appleman. It did do some serious fermenting for a couple of days and then settled down. It may be attributable to the honey I used forraising the SGinstead of sugarEdited by: Waldo