Caraway Wine - I'm going for it!

[BigDaveK]

Transferred this morning.
Last week I was consolidating my freezers so I could turn one off and found 7 lbs of forgotten frozen tomatoes. On the same day I used the last of my caraway seeds for rye bread. I didn't want another tomato wine so I interpreted the two events as a Sign.
I LOVE caraway seeds in rye bread but I HATE caraway seeds in sauerkraut so I knew this would be interesting.

I used 1 ounce of caraway seeds soaked in hot water.
The SG of the tomato water was 1.026 but the Brix was 3.0 so - once again - I ignored those readings. I calculated sugar for 1.090 but the reading was 1.110. VERY active ferment - it started to form a cap 3 hours after pitching yeast! Crazy! 72 hours later it was 1.022.

Very slight caraway aroma.
The taste was a shocker - walnut or pecan first, then a fruitiness, but no immediate caraway taste. The caraway showed up after I swallowed, not strong but very obviously caraway, and it dissipated quickly. I wasn't expecting anything like this!

I really like it now but we'll see where it goes.

 

[welshcookie]

Transferred this morning.
Last week I was consolidating my freezers so I could turn one off and found 7 lbs of forgotten frozen tomatoes. On the same day I used the last of my caraway seeds for rye bread. I didn't want another tomato wine so I interpreted the two events as a Sign.
I LOVE caraway seeds in rye bread but I HATE caraway seeds in sauerkraut so I knew this would be interesting.

I used 1 ounce of caraway seeds soaked in hot water.
The SG of the tomato water was 1.026 but the Brix was 3.0 so - once again - I ignored those readings. I calculated sugar for 1.090 but the reading was 1.110. VERY active ferment - it started to form a cap 3 hours after pitching yeast! Crazy! 72 hours later it was 1.022.

Very slight caraway aroma.
The taste was a shocker - walnut or pecan first, then a fruitiness, but no immediate caraway taste. The caraway showed up after I swallowed, not strong but very obviously caraway, and it dissipated quickly. I wasn't expecting anything like this!

I really like it now but we'll see where it goes.

View attachment 99927

Wow how interesting! I love caraway in everything but it has never occurred to me that it would be suitable for wine...but then again I've never thought about tomato wine either

 

[ChuckD]

I sometimes feel like we should be having a contest to see what Dave will make next. Rutabaga? Asparagus? Lichen? On that note, I read somewhere that arctic inhabitants would ferment the content of musk ox stomachs to extract vital nutrients and vitamins. I’m assuming it wasn’t an alcoholic fermentation, but hey… It’s Dave.

 

[winemaker81]

I sometimes feel like we should be having a contest to see what Dave will make next. Rutabaga? Asparagus? Lichen? On that note, I read somewhere that arctic inhabitants would ferment the content of musk ox stomachs to extract vital nutrients and vitamins. I’m assuming it wasn’t an alcoholic fermentation, but hey… It’s Dave.

We've had a pool going for a few months, I'll PM the info. I've been trying to talk the admins into creating a private forum, but they declined, something about illegal gambling or something.

Don't both asking bout "dirt wine", at least half the participants have tried and that's taken.



@welshcookie, Dave is the poster child for "I can ferment that!". We've been joking for a while about oddball ideas, such as dirt wine, but in all honesty, his posts are among my favorites on a weekly basis. It's amazing what can be successfully fermented.

@BigDaveK, in your opinion, of the batches that have reached some level of maturity (drinkable), what is your success ratio in producing something worthwhile?

 

[welshcookie]

We've had a pool going for a few months, I'll PM the info. I've been trying to talk the admins into creating a private forum, but they declined, something about illegal gambling or something.

Don't both asking bout "dirt wine", at least half the participants have tried and that's taken.



@welshcookie, Dave is the poster child for "I can ferment that!". We've been joking for a while about oddball ideas, such as dirt wine, but in all honesty, his posts are among my favorites on a weekly basis. It's amazing what can be successfully fermented.

@BigDaveK, in your opinion, of the batches that have reached some level of maturity (drinkable), what is your success ratio in producing something worthwhile?

Just scrolling down I can see what you mean! "I'm going for it"

 

[ChuckD]

We've had a pool going for a few months, I'll PM the info. I've been trying to talk the admins into creating a private forum, but they declined, something about illegal gambling or something.

Don't both asking bout "dirt wine", at least half the participants have tried and that's taken.



@welshcookie, Dave is the poster child for "I can ferment that!". We've been joking for a while about oddball ideas, such as dirt wine, but in all honesty, his posts are among my favorites on a weekly basis. It's amazing what can be successfully fermented.

@BigDaveK, in your opinion, of the batches that have reached some level of maturity (drinkable), what is your success ratio in producing something worthwhile?

Keller made grass clippings wine!

 

[sour_grapes]

On that note, I read somewhere that arctic inhabitants would ferment the content of musk ox stomachs to extract vital nutrients and vitamins.

Hey, now you are into @BernardSmith 's territory!

 

[BigDaveK]

Wow how interesting! I love caraway in everything but it has never occurred to me that it would be suitable for wine...but then again I've never thought about tomato wine either

I made my first tomato wine in January of 2021 because I was tired of canning various sauces and salsa. So glad I did. The result was very much like a chardonnay. If you try it, don't use store bought tomatoes - though maybe yours are better than the flavorless things we have.
I'm also thinking about fennel, dill, and various basil.

 

[BigDaveK]

I sometimes feel like we should be having a contest to see what Dave will make next. Rutabaga? Asparagus? Lichen? On that note, I read somewhere that arctic inhabitants would ferment the content of musk ox stomachs to extract vital nutrients and vitamins. I’m assuming it wasn’t an alcoholic fermentation, but hey… It’s Dave.

Yeah, I'll try anything if it has flavor.
Lichen? I have a very old 3 rail post and board fence around a pasture covered with lichen, very pretty incredibly small flowers. No flavor. Maybe I didn't taste enough?

 

[BigDaveK]

Keller made grass clippings wine!

The areas I mow were pastures years ago so there's probably a half dozen different grasses. And a handful didn't taste good.

Although I've read the roots of Johnson grass make a nice wine. (Can't get rid of the damn stuff.)

 

[suzyq2]

I'm also thinking about fennel, dill, and various basil.

What's the worse that can happen? I think I'd make those to make a nice wine vinegar for dressings. So the list grows.

 

[BigDaveK]

@welshcookie, Dave is the poster child for "I can ferment that!". We've been joking for a while about oddball ideas, such as dirt wine, but in all honesty, his posts are among my favorites on a weekly basis. It's amazing what can be successfully fermented

Some people make a few favorites, I like variety. A big variety.

@BigDaveK, in your opinion, of the batches that have reached some level of maturity (drinkable), what is your success ratio in producing something worthwhile?

Bryan, I am constantly amazed by the wonderful country wines that can be made with ingredients from the yard and garden. I would easily do 75% of them again, some with minor tweaking. About 20% were "nice", would need serious tweaking, but with so many other ingredients why bother. I've only had 2 big disappointments so far - the Keller honeysuckle had no flavor and the Keller black walnut used all brown sugar and tastes like a molasses wine.
Last night I had my red cabbage wine that honestly tastes like a good burgundy. I think I'll have green bean tonight.

 

[welshcookie]

I made my first tomato wine in January of 2021 because I was tired of canning various sauces and salsa. So glad I did. The result was very much like a chardonnay. If you try it, don't use store bought tomatoes - though maybe yours are better than the flavorless things we have.
I'm also thinking about fennel, dill, and various basil.

We have amazing farmers markets here, more expensive than the stores but when I make anything I prefer to use good seasonal produce. One day I hope to move onto more challenging wines! I'm definitely awaiting seasonal rhubarb from my sister in laws allotment, and she will await some bottles of wine
I'm really enjoying my new hobby and family are far more interested in my wine than my vegetable ferments...no sense of adventure

 

[David Violante]

Dave, I love the fennel idea... that sounds quite interesting. We just made the annual traditional Easter Bread here and I thought about your anise hysop wine. How did that turn out?

 

[BigDaveK]

Dave, I love the fennel idea... that sounds quite interesting. We just made the annual traditional Easter Bread here and I thought about your anise hysop wine. How did that turn out?

I missed quite a few wines last year and hopefully I can get some of them this time around. I planted fennel 3 years ago and each year it gets bigger. A wonderful spice that I don't use as often as I should.

The anise hyssop turned out great! Oddly, I thought it was delicious dry and sweetened!? I compromised and back sweetened to .998 from .988. If Mother Nature is good to me this year I'm going for a 3 gallon batch. The anise hyssop and honeysuckle were my favorite flower wines from last year and both will be on the yearly list.

 

[David Violante]

Dave these sound great! How much did you back sweeten?

 

[BigDaveK]

Dave these sound great! How much did you back sweeten?

Not too much - anise hyssop .998 from .988 and honeysuckle 1.00 from .990. What struck me as very unusual is that both flower wines tasted good dry and sweetened. The anise hyssop is iffy but I'm overgrown with honeysuckle - I'm planning a 3-gallon and a 1-gallon step fed dessert.

 

[Vinobeau]

I made my first tomato wine in January of 2021 because I was tired of canning various sauces and salsa. So glad I did. The result was very much like a chardonnay. If you try it, don't use store bought tomatoes - though maybe yours are better than the flavorless things we have.
I'm also thinking about fennel, dill, and various basil.

Here is a page with lots of ideas for you!! I've done a number of them, albeit slightly adjusted. Recipes for home brew wine making from Wine World FDW
It was the Dill & Hibiscus that turned me on to the dill. I add that to many flower wines, Hibiscus, Rose petal, Heather & Elderflower.

 

[BigDaveK]

Here is a page with lots of ideas for you!! I've done a number of them, albeit slightly adjusted. Recipes for home brew wine making from Wine World FDW
It was the Dill & Hibiscus that turned me on to the dill. I add that to many flower wines, Hibiscus, Rose petal, Heather & Elderflower.

Thank you for sharing that...though I found it last year when scouring the internet for ideas. Definitely interesting!! I'm partial to fennel, dill, and mullein since I can get them from the yard. But you can save me some time - please please tell me which ones you tried and what you thought of them! I usually go heavy on most ingredients but I know herbs and spices are a different ballgame.

 

[BigDaveK]

Racked this morning!
Anyone who's made tomato wine knows how delicious it is and I think I was incredibly lucky to use that as the base. I'm seriously considering holding off on my other herb wines until later in the year when I have tomatoes.

Absolutely delicious!
No caraway smell.
Briefly nutty, then spicy, then the delicious caraway flavor hits but not overpowering. I think I lucked out using only 1 oz - more may have made it too strong.
I'll definitely keep it dry. I think it would go great with the right food. In fact, while I was drinking it I was thinking...stuffed cabbage.