Catnip Wine - I'm going for it!

[BigDaveK]

Yes, seriously.
I grow and dry it every year and the cats were begging for wine so I finally gave in.
Made some test tea. The usual teaspoon per cup was almost flavorless to me. Increasing the amount got my interest and I definitely thought there was a possible wine to be made. I settled on 2 tablespoons per cup - yeow! And being a "mint" wine I went with citric acid rather than acid blend.
Funny thing - while I was making the tea the kitchen was very crowded.
Transferred to secondary this morning.
Has a slight mint wine aroma.
The flavor in primary was very familiar and it remained when I transferred - root beer. By "root beer" I mean there's a hint of ginger and sassafras and sarsparilla and even vanilla. I wasn't expecting so many different flavors. Once again, something crazy has made something delicious.
My cats will be happy....but they have to be patient.

 

[winemaker81]

Dave, you never cease to amaze me. [In a good way!]

Are we going to find you on the floor, squirming and twisting in a catnip fueled binge? I'd drop a bit of catnip on the carpet and our cats would go wild, especially the male.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Dave can’t come to the forum right now…

 

[BigDaveK]

Dave, you never cease to amaze me. [In a good way!]

Are we going to find you on the floor, squirming and twisting in a catnip fueled binge? I'd drop a bit of catnip on the carpet and our cats would go wild, especially the male.

Actually, with 2 tablespoons of catnip in a cup of tea I started to feel funny and can't account for almost 2 hours.

I love watching the cats - some act like addicts...and some are confused by the ones acting like addicts.

And thank you, Bryan. When I get remarkable and interesting flavors from common (or uncommon) ingredients it does wonders for my enthusiasm and ambition.

 

[BigDaveK]

View attachment 95516
Dave can’t come to the forum right now…

Took me a couple minutes to respond to this cuz I was laughing so hard!

 

[BigDaveK]

Racked from secondary yesterday.
I made this out of curiosity and maybe even as a joke but it has become surprisingly delicious. It still has hints of root beer - sassafras, vanilla, and maybe a bit of wintergreen. I sweetened the leftover from topping and immediately thought of Liebfraumilch. It's pleasant surprises like this that fuel my curiosity.

 

[winemaker81]

What do the cats think of the wine? Do they react to the smell when you racked it? I'm wondering if the elements that cats react to are still present in a form that attracts them.

 

[balatonwine]

I wish I lived next to @BigDaveK.

No.

Seriously.

I have a curious palate. Where is the down side**?

** Well, okay, if he says "Strychnine Wine, I am going for it", I may pass. But only because it is against my religion to consume anything from the genus Stychnos.....

 

[BigDaveK]

What do the cats think of the wine? Do they react to the smell when you racked it? I'm wondering if the elements that cats react to are still present in a form that attracts them.

Wasn't thinking, thought of doing a test after I finished the glass. Next racking for sure.
HOWEVER......
I usually use a plastic party cup for my tastes and sweetening. After dozens of tastings this was the very first time I found it on the kitchen floor. I wonder....

 

[BigDaveK]

I wish I lived next to @BigDaveK.

No.

Seriously.

I have a curious palate. Where is the down side**?

** Well, okay, if he says "Strychnine Wine, I am going for it", I may pass. But only because it is against my religion to consume anything from the genus Stychnos.....

Very kind of you to say that!

And I'd like to live next to @balatonwine! I could drink great wine and see where my grandparents came from.

I have years of experimenting with roots, herbs, etc., ahead of me. I like all my country wines so far but every now and then there's one that absolutely surprises me, like catnip, that makes this hobby so much fun.

 

[vinny]

I wish I lived next to @BigDaveK.

I second this.

I am very interested in new flavors, food or wine. All the possibility makes me VERY curious. If I were a cat.. 4 lives at best.

I think the only thing more interesting than the wines, would be the conversation.

 

[BigDaveK]

I think the only thing more interesting than the wines, would be the conversation.

And my oh my the tangents!

 

[balatonwine]

And I'd like to live next to @balatonwine! I could drink great wine and see where my grandparents came from.

Very kind. I and my lovely Hungarian wife will be happy to show you around our wine region if you ever travel here.

 

[BigDaveK]

Very kind. I and my lovely Hungarian wife will be happy to show you around our wine region if you ever travel here.

Thank you for the offer!
Your Hungarian wife is lovely but...considering where we are shouldn't she be holding a glass of wine?

 

[balatonwine]

Your Hungarian wife is lovely but...considering where we are shouldn't she be holding a glass of wine?

My wife is actually a public figure in Hungary. There is even a Hungarian only language Wikipedia page about her (Google Translate can process this to English if one does not speak Hungarian:

https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sallee-Kereszturi_Barbara
So she does control her own media a lot. I can only link to photos or issues she publishes herself, or others take in public venues.

So I can not post a photo of her with wine unless she does it herself first.

But she is also a musician. And has a Facebook page about her music which does contain some wine related issues, such as singing at wineries and wine festival (some are available on Youtube - Note for all: Bor is "wine" in Hungarian):



Hope this helps.

 

[BigDaveK]

Bottling day!
It's 5 months old, made from a tea so very uncomplicated, I didn't see a reason to bulk age any further.
It's delicious! Fruity (berry fruit) with an aroma and flavor hint of birch beer, a mild minty spiciness. The birch beer qualities were there from the very beginning but they were somewhat muted now. Back sweetening a little made it pop.
And I learned 2 things. The primary lesson was that this was my first wine to bottle where I actively used sur lie and batonnage and all I can say is "Wow". I only used 120 grams (4 oz) of raisins but the viscosity is unbelievable. Thick. I'm using sur lie on XX other wines and I'll see where they go - my gut now tells me it won't be appropriate for some wines.
The 2nd thing I learned is that whatever compound in catnip drives cats crazy is not totally eliminated by fermentation. I had 3 cats interested in my glass, smelling and then licking the rim.
On my "Make again" list but not near the top.

 

[vinny]

Bottling day!
It's 5 months old, made from a tea so very uncomplicated, I didn't see a reason to bulk age any further.
It's delicious! Fruity (berry fruit) with an aroma and flavor hint of birch beer, a mild minty spiciness. The birch beer qualities were there from the very beginning but they were somewhat muted now. Back sweetening a little made it pop.
And I learned 2 things. The primary lesson was that this was my first wine to bottle where I actively used sur lie and batonnage and all I can say is "Wow". I only used 120 grams (4 oz) of raisins but the viscosity is unbelievable. Thick. I'm using sur lie on XX other wines and I'll see where they go - my gut now tells me it won't be appropriate for some wines.
The 2nd thing I learned is that whatever compound in catnip drives cats crazy is not totally eliminated by fermentation. I had 3 cats interested in my glass, smelling and then licking the rim.
On my "Make again" list but not near the top.

View attachment 99112

Oh, I can just see you sitting around getting a buzz on with the cats.

Your ullage is very consistent considering you siphon with a hand bottle filler. You either have great technique or serious attention to detail.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Oh, I can just see you sitting around getting a buzz on with the cats.

Your ullage is very consistent considering you siphon with a hand bottle filler. You either have great technique or serious attention to detail.

I was just thinking the same thing. Put a laser level on that.

 

[BigDaveK]

Oh, I can just see you sitting around getting a buzz on with the cats.

Your ullage is very consistent considering you siphon with a hand bottle filler. You either have great technique or serious attention to detail.

I wish I could say it was great technique or attention to detail or maybe even a little skill. Nope. I use a spring-loaded bottle filler, near identical results every time without even thinking about it. Best $6 I ever spent.

 

[vinny]

I wish I could say it was great technique or attention to detail or maybe even a little skill. Nope. I use a spring-loaded bottle filler, near identical results every time without even thinking about it. Best $6 I ever spent.

Really?

I have no regrets on going to the vacuum pump, but the main reason I did was because mine wasn't spring loaded. I just have the standard one that is supposed to stop when you lift it off the bottom, but it never does a perfect fill.

Live and learn!