Any other thrifty wine makers out there?

[vinny]

Gee, a guy makes wine out of everything and suddenly he has a reputation for making wine out of everything.

And I've just barely scratched the surface.

You are just being true to yourself and others have noticed. Pretty sure that's a compliment.

 

[BigDaveK]

Don’t let those guys discourage you @BigDaveK I’m counting on you making grass clipping and dried onion peel wine so I don’t have to!

In all seriousness, have you thought about autumnberry wine (autumn olive… not Russian olive)? They actually taste pretty good when ripe.

Grass clippings and dirt will always be on the back burner. With outdoor and feral cats (and all the other beasts) the yard is a huge litter box so there's some hesitation on my part. Someday...

Waiting for the onion harvest. Options galore. Raw? Juiced? Caramelized? Peel...hmmm...?

Had to search autumn berry. I read they're invasive so I'm surprised I don't have it mixed in with all my other invasive plants. They sound interesting and I would definitely try them.

 

[BigDaveK]

You are just being true to yourself and others have noticed. Pretty sure that's a compliment.

Thank you. (Takes one to know one.)

Some people like meat and potatoes.
Some like everything else.

Some people like grape based wines.
Some like everything else.

New bumper sticker - "All Wine Makers Matter."

 

[mikewatkins727]

From reading your first post @Newbie Mel, pluck the berry from the cane. If the berry comes off looking like a tiny cup when turned over, you have a raspberry be it red or black. The blackberry comes off the cane as a whole round berry.

 

[ChuckD]

As you can see @Newbie Mel, posts tend to go off the rails here from time to time… you get used to it

 

[Newbie Mel]

I am grateful for all the replies @BigDaveK is my new best friend

 

[Cosyden]

I’m all for saving some cash. That’s the main reason I started making our own wine just a couple of months ago. I had a bit of kit in the shed from a few years ago when I made two fairly unsuccessful kit wines, and I scoured market place and free adds for the rest.
I’ve got around 100 bottles worth sitting in secondaries just now and I don’t think I have spent £200 yet, including all ingredients.
Due to minimum alcohol pricing by unit in Scotland, a cheap bottle of store bought wine is around £7, so I’ve already saved in the region of £500.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Waiting for the onion harvest. Options galore. Raw? Juiced? Caramelized? Peel...hmmm...?

Similar to your garlic wine, I thing carmelized onion wine would be excellent for cooking purposes, or soups. Definitely interested in how any of these turn out.

 

[BigDaveK]

Similar to your garlic wine, I thing carmelized onion wine would be excellent for cooking purposes, or soups. Definitely interested in how any of these turn out.

I'm afraid about how many onion wines I may have.

I'm really curious about caramelized onions. That process changes the onions into something more wonderful and then of course fermentation changes the flavor also. I'm really not sure where it would wind up!?

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

I’m rooting for the raw onion version.
i love a raw onion and butter sandwich !

 

[Newbie Mel]

First... you certainly can make award winning wines from fresh fruit; we won gold a few years ago with our mango wine (we had mango trees in our yard).
Second... there are plenty of very frugal wines you can make. As you mentioned, scavenged fruit is one. Also you can use the frozen fruit concentrates from the grocery store. Or you can use both. We made a mojito wine that won some awards also (lime/lemon wine infused with spearmint). As others said, you can make wine out of just about anything, you just need to pick what sugar source will be your fermentables. Good luck and have fun.

I would love to try a mojito wine! I have some mint growing that I’ve been trying to find a use for. Do you know where I can find a good recipe for mojito? I’ve read others who start with SP, using 2/3 lemon juice and 1/3 lime. When would you add the mint? And do you just out the leaves in the fermenter or is there other preparation needed? Thanks!

 

[Newbie Mel]

I would love to try a mojito wine! I have some mint growing that I’ve been trying to find a use for. Do you know where I can find a good recipe for mojito? I’ve read others who start with SP, using 2/3 lemon juice and 1/3 lime. When would you add the mint? And do you just out the leaves in the fermenter or is there other preparation needed? Thanks!

*put not out

 

[BigDaveK]

I would love to try a mojito wine! I have some mint growing that I’ve been trying to find a use for. Do you know where I can find a good recipe for mojito? I’ve read others who start with SP, using 2/3 lemon juice and 1/3 lime. When would you add the mint? And do you just out the leaves in the fermenter or is there other preparation needed? Thanks!

I've made 2 different mint wines this year. I made a tea for both. Hot water, close to boiling, turn off heat, let it steep (covered) for a couple hours. Same process for making mint jelly. I think you could add it to either primary or secondary - fermentation didn't seem to reduce the flavor at all.

 

[Newbie Mel]

I've made 2 different mint wines this year. I made a tea for both. Hot water, close to boiling, turn off heat, let it steep (covered) for a couple hours. Same process for making mint jelly. I think you could add it to either primary or secondary - fermentation didn't seem to reduce the flavor at all.

How much mint would you suggest?

 

[David Violante]

I’m going to be working on a mojito skeeter pee based wine this coming weekend. I’ll post the process here. Looking to make a skeeter pee base, then add mint, and rum. Working out the ratios for the rum addition. I don’t want it to be so high test that you can’t drink it. I’m thinking of pulling back on the SG to get a lower ABV ferment and then add rum to get to a nice percentage. I can’t start it until later in the week though. Heading out of town for a few days.

 

[BigDaveK]

How much mint would you suggest?

Ah, you're the winemaker. That's up to you. Decide how strong you want the mint flavor to be and go for it.
But this might help -
I used 4 cups of mint leaves and stems (50 grams), not packed, for a 1 gallon batch. Being a mint wine that was the main flavor I wanted. Wasn't overly strong, didn't smell or taste like chewing gum or toothpaste. I'm happy with it so far.
Also...
I used "sweet mint", my favorite. I don't think it's as medicinally strong as spearmint or peppermint. I don't have experience with spearmint or peppermint in wine.

 

[Newbie Mel]

Ah, you're the winemaker. That's up to you. Decide how strong you want the mint flavor to be and go for it.
But this might help -
I used 4 cups of mint leaves and stems (50 grams), not packed, for a 1 gallon batch. Being a mint wine that was the main flavor I wanted. Wasn't overly strong, didn't smell or taste like chewing gum or toothpaste. I'm happy with it so far.
Also...
I used "sweet mint", my favorite. I don't think it's as medicinally strong as spearmint or peppermint. I don't have experience with spearmint or peppermint in wine.

Lol! I’m a very new wine maker. City girl turned country girl a few years ago. Have our first garden this year and I get super excited about foraging. Got me some maypops today (yes like passion fruit) but think I’m gonna need a whole lot more. They have a sweet pulp, but no distinct taste. Maybe add some raisins? Oh so many questions I have

 

[BigDaveK]

Lol! I’m a very new wine maker. City girl turned country girl a few years ago. Have our first garden this year and I get super excited about foraging. Got me some maypops today (yes like passion fruit) but think I’m gonna need a whole lot more. They have a sweet pulp, but no distinct taste. Maybe add some raisins? Oh so many questions I have

Foraging can be a lot of fun!
I made honeysuckle wine a month or so ago and I'm waiting on the staghorn sumac to flower. Currently I'm collecting wild blackberries and it's challenging - a field full, maneuvering through blackberries to get to more blackberries is painful. When I have more time I'm going to clean them up and make some paths to make it easier next year, I see so many that are impossible to get to.

Raisins are good and definitely help. Careful though - if you go crazy and add 1 1/2 or 2 lbs then you're making raisin wine.

 

[winemaker81]

I used "sweet mint", my favorite. I don't think it's as medicinally strong as spearmint or peppermint. I don't have experience with spearmint or peppermint in wine.

This is an area for experimentation -- mostly sweet mint, with a portion of spearmint or peppermint mixed in.

 

[mikewatkins727]

How much mint would you suggest?

Four cups about right to start. I even added a mint leaf to a few bottles for added mint flavor. Used small - medium - and large leaf. Found that a small about 1" length about right. Too easy to over do with a larger leaf.