Cabbage wine? Anyone tried?

[Chris Mellor]

So - I received my copy of "130 "new" Winemaking Recipes" by CJJ Berry today...

Lots of interesting projects to make but one did particularly stand out...

Cabbage Wine

Now - I really don't know what to think of this...

Has any one tried it? What was your feeling/thought/opinion etc?



Of course I'm going to have to try it - if nothing other than to give bottles at Christmas to folks who "deserve it"

 

[BernardSmith]

Hi Chris, Have never made a cabbage wine but I do experiment with vegetables including rutabaga and zucchini and I can tell you that you can make a fine country wine from most vegetables. What I would do is make a single gallon batch. Berry calls for about 2 lbs of cabbage about 1 lb of grains (not sure if you can use malted barley or pearl (he doesn't say, but I might aim for DME and reduce the sugar accordingly - so I guess he does imply) and 1/2 lb of raisins (and one or two other ingredients) so the cost of a batch that you cannot stomach is not a month's mortgage... Country wines can be surprisingly good. My bet is that the folk you think most deserve this wine as a gift may be the people you love the most...

 

[Chris Mellor]

Bernard

Rutabaga - thats turnip right? Sounds good. Will have to have a go at that as well...

At the moment I've batches of celery, strawberry, jasmin tea and clove and ginger on the go. Three have just been racked off and the clove & ginger - that will be a little longer before racking.

Next I think will be the cabbage (or maybe even the turnip). I did see a recipe for anise wine - this one interests me a lot as I do like pernod and similar. That said...

I've a few more demi-johns to use up so - will keep up a couple batches a month. We got lucky - a chain over here (Blokker) sold off "Sparkling Wine" kits for 1 Euro. They came with everything you need including a glass demi-john - bonus I bought a few

 

[BernardSmith]

I gotta try Berry's cabbage wine.. I wonder whether using brussel sprouts might give this wine a sharper , more spicier flavor...

 

[Chris Mellor]

I gotta try Berry's cabbage wine.. I wonder whether using brussel sprouts might give this wine a sharper , more spicier flavor...

Hmmmm....

It appears you can make wine out of anything but maybe sprouts? That could be a bridge too far. With that in mind...

The small young ones are more tender and a bit sweeter. Or would you go all in and take the big boys?

 

[BernardSmith]

I like smaller sprouts. But here's the thing: What does it "cost" to make one gallon as a test? Nothing lost if the wine is a disaster and indeed even "disasters" can make excellent marinades or cooking wines... and even if the disaster turns out to be a real disaster , what in fact was lost - a couple of pounds of sugar? some lemon juice or acid blend? a pack of yeast? And if, on the other hand, the wine is delightful... What does it cost to make 30 bottles?

 

[Chris Mellor]

And added benefit of mistakes is we learn for next time