Chrysanthemum Phototorial

[Waldo]

Why would you want to sweeten it if you prefer the dry wines? You might try sweetening maybe one gallon and leave the rest dry. You can always sweeten the rest later if it turns out you prefer it that way. Just my "Belly Button"

 

[Hippie]

Because of high acid or low ph or high alcohol, some wines will be off balanced if some smidgen of sugar is not added. It might not be a large enough addition to percieve any sweetness at all, but still bring it into balance. Remember, a 'dry' wine is SG 1.000 or less. It takes alot of sugar to increase SG from .990 to 1.000. Relatively speaking, of course.


Does this make sense?

 

[Angell Wine]

I like my wine's dirt dry too but in the world of Boone's Farm commercial wine production, I think the public has become accustomed to very sweet wines. My wife & I like to go to wineries and do tastings all the time and 80% of all there wines are sweet,

Red, white or pink, it doesn't matter. That's one of the reason I am making my own , if they could make such terrible tasting wine, I could too. this is myopinionand I'm probably wrong. Some of the better wineries we go to tell me they have a good recipe they go by. Ferment to dryness. If it taste off they sweeten to taste but their dry wines that hit the mark bring a sales premium.

 

[MedPretzel]

Well, here's 12 quarts (measured when loosely packed) of the mums, frozen in their straining bags and in the primary.


Spencer Stanley Tooter-Goober Gupta wants to now be known as:
"The keeper of the mums"

The sugar water is poured over the straining bags, and will now be let to cool to room temp (overnight). I will take a pic when the mums have steeped overnight. Right now, it's a brownish-yellowish color with a hint of pink.
We'll see how it changes overnight.

 

[Waldo]

Beautiful cat Martina. Can't wait to see the next pictures of the Mums. Have you designed a label for the wine yet?

 

[MedPretzel]

Nope, no label yet. Last year's was a bust -- I hated it, but I was fed up with looking at pages and pages of chrysanthemum pictures on google, so I took the first best one.


Thanks for the compliment on the cat -- I'll pass it on to him, but he's a big goof. Spencer is his real name, but Goober fits him more appropriately.

Do you remember Gomer Pyle? I think Spencer is the reincarnation of that character.


Thanks again for the compliments, and tomorrow, more pictures will await you!





M.

 

[MedPretzel]

picture of the must - with active fermentation. I pitched the yeast this morning and boom! Off it went. Sorry that I didn't get a pic of the must without the bubbles. In the upper part of the picture, though, you see the juice's color. Looks like it's gonna be a rose'!!!





Oh yes, and who can spot my new mascot?

 

[NorthernWinos]

Good thing we saw a before photo...if someone would walk into your house and see that....they would wonder "What the Heck...?" GAWD...that is ugly...It sure came from some beautiful flower petals to start with.Do you just gather the petals, wash them and freeze them in the straining bag???? Same with Lilac??? Spring is a long way off....damn!!!
* Like your Web Page *

 

[MedPretzel]

Thanks for the compliment about my webpage! Very kind of you!





Yes, it's ugly now, but.... The before and after are incredible. It's just the "during" which is pretty icky.


I picked the flowerheads (and told all my neighbors that I'm just dead-heading them), and de-petaled them. I put them directly into a straining bag (at least most) and froze them. I did it in steps, as you can see from above.





The lilac was done in the same way, basically. It's easy and quick to do, once you get the hang of it, and when there's something good on t.v.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Aha - a Martina mascot! Let me guess.... it's a catnip mouse? Spencer
probably twisted your arm.

Whatever it is, I'm sure you've given it a proper moniker and it will have to
be formally introduced soon. I knew you could do it!

Bill

 

[NorthernWinos]

I make herb vinegars, so have jars of strange looking stuff around too, but nothing like that bucket you got going there. I like chive flower vinegar best, pretty color and flavor, but most of the vinegars are from herb leaves, alot of trimming done there too. Most will be Christmas gifts in clear wine bottles.Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[MedPretzel]

Thanks for the compliments.

Always a morale boost!





I love mum wine. My parents love mum wine. Even my husband loves it. My neighbors love it too. So, yes, it looks gross right now, but I KNOW how wonderful it turns out. The smell? YUM!!!!!!!!!!





The name of my mascot is not very original. Tobi (my other cat) understands his name only when I ask him, "Where is Mr. Green Mouse?" (he also has Mr. Blue Mouse, Mr. White Mouse and Mr. Orange Mouse.) So, Mr. Green Mouse it is. Unless someone here can come up with something better. Tobi might like it too. No catnip, and no, the cats haven't had it in their mouths. They only look at the stuff with real fur and catnip. Haha

 

[MedPretzel]

New pics:


Strange, the SG seems to be quite high, although fermentation is there:

And after stirring the must:

 

[Waldo]

Hmmmmm never occured to me you could check SG right in the fermenter. I have been disciplined to draw a sample. Thanks for the tip Martina

 

[MedPretzel]

Of course after properly sanitizing the hydrometer before you do so.

 

[MedPretzel]

Racked into a sanitized, 6-gallon carboy. Let the straining bags drip dry. This is what I ended up with:

So I did something risky with this batch. I don't know how it will affect the wine, but knowing mum-wine as I do, I am sure it won't make too huge of a difference:





I added 1 can of defrosted white-grape-raspberry concentrate.


It didn't affect the color at all. That way I can top up in a couple of days with water, and not affect the alcohol content any. At least that's my theory.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Clever - did you recheck SG to see what the hit was?

 

[Vaughn]

I make herb vinegars, so have jars of strange looking stuff around too, but nothing like that bucket you got going there. I like chive flower vinegar best, pretty color and flavor, but most of the vinegars are from herb leaves, alot of trimming done there too. Most will be Christmas gifts in clear wine bottles.

VERY interesting. I wanted to try this early next year. I think I have the beginnings straight. Wine, Mother-of-Vinegar, patience... When do you add the herbs? Do you have pics? I really want to try this!

 

[NorthernWinos]

I kind of cheat...
HERB VINEGAR
Pick herbs in the morning for best flavor. Rinse, pat dry. Place in clean mason jars. Pour white vinegar [or white wine vinegar] over herbs, cover with clean lid. Place out of sunlight for about 3 weeks....drain and bottle in clean, clear bottles....label.
The Chive flowers and Opal Basil make the prettiest vinegar.I mix herbs for Italian style vinegars.
Guess you could make vinegar from 'Mother Vinegar', but I never have. Don't use Cider vinegar, the color isn't as good.
Enjoy!!!!

 

[NorthernWinos]

These are some bottles of Herb Vinegar. These will be given for gifts, they are in bottles that White Wine Vinegar came in, which I use for pickling garlic....also very good. This vinegar is so easy to make, and so tasty on salads. Try some and .....enjoy!!!