April 2014 Wine of the Month Club

[fabrictodyefor]

What I learned from this experiment is that I don't think I like Mangoes in my wine!! I started this Crazy Daze as I thought my original Tropical Daze tasted too oaky....however in my Crazy Daze I still have that smell and my sister called the smell/flavor as musty, we decided the smell/flavor was the mangoes!!! I learned that I should double check my freezer before I get started, to make sure I have what I thought I had...but I also learned that my home canned and frozen fruits will work just as well and that you can make wine with almost any combination of fruits! As this is supposed to be a "fast" wine like a Dragon's Blood while my sis was over we played with back sweetening, but mostly liked it with a little added strawberry flavor. So this weekend when I go to town I'm going to get some strawberries to make a flavor pak.

 

[the_rayway]

What I did right: everything! (Lol) This was an easy ferment, and if I do say so myself, a great idea. Nectarines and Limes? Yes please.

What I did wrong: nothing yet that I can tell. Still need to finish clearing and doing a backsweeten, so there's still time to screw it up.

What I learned: easy ferments are just that - easy. I feel like I have invested nothing but good feelings in this wine so far, and considering my luck over the last few months, I'm totally ok with that. Proper nutrient management Raelene, proper nutrient management (say it over and over until you get it). I'll try and remember that for May's WOTM.

 

[winesleeper]

Blueberry Apple Cider Wine Update

What I have learned:
Apple cider has a lot of pulp in it so when you rack the first time you have a lot of stuff floating in the bottom. Craisins have a light oil coating so you have to be careful to rack off the oil or find craisins without an oil coating.

Left to do:
Rack again in July then rack and bottle in October.

Charlesthewino, already had a bad storm go South of us and cause major damage from Kansas to Florida. I have a Toto, Cairn Terrier, so all I got to do is find Dorothy.

 

[fabrictodyefor]

I'm going to clear and bottle my Crazy Daze. As it is considered a "fast wine" like a DB. Also I snitched a couple of bottles out the other day. We had a b-b-q yesterday and I decided to make a Sangria. Then decided to use the Crazy Daze. Surprisingly I could still taste the Crazy Daze, but it made a GREAT Sangria! Now that I've snitched some I need to get it bottled as I now have a little too much head space! With summer finally getting here (I hope) I want this all bottled up to make more Sangria! I'll leave a few bottles for next April to find out if there is improvement! The only difference I did with the following recipe is I used blackberry flavored brandy. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/red-wine-sangria-recipe.html

 

[the_rayway]

This has cleared up nicely.
Sorbate was added a month ago.

I racked it today and added sugar to S.G. 1.022. Lime is a bit harsh still (thinking I should have used actual limes), but sweetened it tastes very nice. Looking forward to a glass of this in the near future.

 

[the_rayway]

Bottled today!
Yield 6x750mL bottles, plus a glass to taste. Exactly what I expect from a 1 gallon batch.
Final ABV 9.6%
No label yet...ideas to come.

 

[winesleeper]

Blueberry Apple Cider Wine Update

Bottled my wine at the 6 month mark and ended up with (5) 750 ml bottles and a very small taste.
Starting SG 1.086
Finished SG .992
Added small f-pack and back sweetened
Final SG 1.010 after back sweetening. But the SG was 1.016 at the time of bottling.
TA: .50%
PH: 3.4-3.6
ABV: 12%
The apple cider caused me to rack the wine a extra time due to all of the pulp in the cider. The craisins had oil on them so when I racked the wine the first time had to be careful to stop before I got to the oil slick on top. I could taste and smell the blueberries but nothing with the apple. Don’t know why the SG changed between back sweetening and bottle day. It was a little too sweet for me. Will try a bottle in a month and try to keep a bottle for the one year mark.

 

[the_rayway]

Labels! Went simple with this one.

Also note: the sediment floating around? Campden tab bits. From now on I'm totally using the sulphite solution method of 5oz water with 1/4 tsp kmeta. Then add 1 oz to each gallon carboy. No more floaties.

 

[jkrug]

Need to make since you crush them completely.

 

[fabrictodyefor]

So I pulled out a bottle of my Crazy Daze this past weekend. I had done a flavor pak of strawberries and back sweetened some when I bottled. First taste was ok, but then I added a touch more simple syrup and it was much better. I find I have a tendency to not backsweeten as much as I should in the beginning. It is a light tasting wine. The strawberry from the flavor pak really comes through, more than I thought it would. I think it will make a great summer sipping wine for out on the new back deck my husband is building!

 

[pro_coupe34]

Happy Spring time everyone, I believe its finally here, Now its camping time boating and car show time...... with some good ole fashion homemade wine enjoy enjoy. Tis the time I see my granddaughter, and another on the way.

 

[the_rayway]

Popped a cork on this a few days ago. Nectarine Lime Pee...mmmmmmm...

I had bottled at 1.022, but it still needed more sweetening because the lime is REALLY lime-y. Once I added a bit more sugar to it, the lime smoothed out quite a bit, and you could taste a hint of nectarine. 6Lbs of perfectly ripe nectarines in 1 gallon and all I get is a HINT!?! Wow. Lime is really strong. Note to self.

Nonetheless, I am very happy with the flavour of the wine with the bit of extra sugar. The people we had over when we opened it were very happy with it as well, with repeated requests for top-ups.

I'm interested to see how this continues to age and if the lime will fall back more. My skeeter pee that I made last year now tastes like a mild white wine; so there is a chance that by the end of this summer it will be an apricot pee with a hint of lime. Next time I try this (because we all know there will be a next time) I'm thinking of using fresh limes (key limes perhaps?), and will consider using an apricot nectar or concentrating the apricot flavour a bit more.

- Happy with the flavour? Yes.
- Successful with others? Yes.
- Tweaks to future recipes? Always.
- Ready to drink the last 5 bottles? Ohhh definitely.

So at approximately the 1 year mark, I consider this a successful recipe!

 

[fabrictodyefor]

sorry, wrong April thread!

 

[the_rayway]

I cracked another of these last week. All I can say is WOW. It has smoothed out so much, and the limes and nectarines are so much more in balance now! I guess we're looking at it being close to 2 years old now and it is SO ready to drink.

There was no need to add any extra sugar this time around. The balance was just exactly what I was looking for in terms of sweet-tart.

Next time I think I will try doing fresh limes instead of Limeaid, because I think it will cut down on the early bitterness. I will also consider adding more nectarine as I would like it to be just a wee bit more forward.

Full success!!

 

[Burton Kent]

What I learned: Not really sure that I learned anything this time around. I did have fun with this recipe, overall. It tasted good from the start and if it pans out, I will definitely be making a 6 gallon batch.

Jericurl, Did you ever make another batch? I'm making a mojito wine next month after I've had a chance to try a few real mojitos and know what the flavor would be like.