DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine

[bkisel]

"When the wine has stabilized below 1.000 for 3 days rack into a clean saniti zed carboy and add potassium metabisulfate and potassium sorbate then degass. " I will have to stir by hand to degass and I wonder if I could rack into a clean sanitized fermenter first. Degass then rack to the carboy. It seems like it would be easier to stir in a bucket than in the carboy. Is there a reason to do this in the carboy?

There should be no problem doing it your way. Many people see an advantage of stir degassing in a bucket because of a larger surface area and no neck restriction as compared to a carboy. You can use the large paddle end instead of the small paddle end of your stirring spoon and that's a big advantage. I've done it many times that way myself with no negative results.

 

[Ferb]

Has anyone tried to back sweeten with honey instead of sugar?

 

[wineforfun]

Has anyone tried to back sweeten with honey instead of sugar?

Yes, I have used honey up fornt instead of sugar and when backsweetening. Didn't notice alot of taste difference. Did have a little different texture to it. I didn't find enough advantages to warrant the cost of the honey.

You are essentially making a melomel.

 

[barbl72]

"When the wine has stabilized below 1.000 for 3 days rack into a clean saniti zed carboy and add potassium metabisulfate and potassium sorbate then degass. " I will have to stir by hand to degass and I wonder if I could rack into a clean sanitized fermenter first. Degass then rack to the carboy. It seems like it would be easier to stir in a bucket than in the carboy. Is there a reason to do this in the carboy?

I wondered this too. I've made wine from juice buckets from LuvaBella Winery and their instructions degass in the bucket. Seems a lot more efficient!

 

[barbl72]

Has anyone made DB with honey instead of sugar? How about back sweetening with honey instead of sugar?

 

[wineforfun]

Has anyone made DB with honey instead of sugar? How about back sweetening with honey instead of sugar?

See post #2803

 

[Jericurl]

After my epic WOTM fail last June, I decided to make a Dragon's Blood variation with elderberry.

It's my Elderdragon Wine (for all you Skyrim fans)

1 lb plums
12 lbs blueberries
5 lbs strawberries
9.6 oz elderberries
1/2 of the large bottle of lemon juice
sugar to 1.10 SG
7 tsp french oak powder
The usual suspects for nutrients etc.

I didn't add any acid or tannins for this one.
I figure the lemon juice takes care of the acid and the elderberries will probably add enough tannin.

I mixed this up in June, must have racked it a time or two between July and August, then just forgot about it.
I rediscovered it in December.
On January 1, I racked it onto about a 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 cups of frozen/thawed strawberries.

I just racked again and tasted it.

This is the best Dragon's Blood variation I've made to date.
Manthing has claimed the entire batch in the name of the Dragonborn.

 

[bkisel]

Just curious... Why did you name this variation based on the elderberries when weight wise the elderberries contribute the least fruit to the recipe?

 

[dangerdave]

Jeri, we are some die hard Skyrim fans at this house. FUS RO DAH!

Love the name, love the elderberry addition. I see you balanced the bold berries with some French oak---nice call. I'll definately be giving this one a shot! Thank you!

 

[Jericurl]

Why did you name this variation based on the elderberries when weight wise the elderberries contribute the least fruit to the recipe?

These were dried elderberries.
The taste is mostly elderberry with everything else playing nicely in the background.

 

[maurtis]

Going to whip up a new batch of DB now that my primary is free (racked my mojito skeeter pee to the secondary last night).

I am going to try Dave's idea of oak powder in the primary and extra tannin in the secondary, hopefully to help with my wife's fibromyalgia.

Dave, you mentioned using 1/3 cup of untoasted oak powder in the primary and 3 tsp of tannin in the secondary. I assume this is for 18 gallon batches? So if I am making 6 gallon batches I cut those by 2/3?

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

After my epic WOTM fail last June, I decided to make a Dragon's Blood variation with elderberry.

It's my Elderdragon Wine (for all you Skyrim fans)

1 lb plums
12 lbs blueberries
5 lbs strawberries
9.6 oz elderberries
1/2 of the large bottle of lemon juice
sugar to 1.10 SG
7 tsp french oak powder
The usual suspects for nutrients etc.

I didn't add any acid or tannins for this one.
I figure the lemon juice takes care of the acid and the elderberries will probably add enough tannin.

I mixed this up in June, must have racked it a time or two between July and August, then just forgot about it.
I rediscovered it in December.
On January 1, I racked it onto about a 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 cups of frozen/thawed strawberries.

I just racked again and tasted it.

This is the best Dragon's Blood variation I've made to date.
Manthing has claimed the entire batch in the name of the Dragonborn.

I am waiting on my second batch of Elderberry-Plum DB to clear right now. With the plum, it takes forever but it was worth the wait the first time around so I am sure it will be again. I think I will give your recipe a try though when I am ready for another batch!

 

[dangerdave]

Dave, you mentioned using 1/3 cup of untoasted oak powder in the primary and 3 tsp of tannin in the secondary. I assume this is for 18 gallon batches? So if I am making 6 gallon batches I cut those by 2/3?

I use 1/3 cup of untaosted American oak powder per six gallon batch in the primary, and add 3 tsp additional wine tannin at stabilization time (when the sulphite and sobate are added).

It may seem like a heavy load of tannins (I'm still using 3 tsp tannin in the primary, also), but the Dragon Blood seems to handle it well, having a nice bold flavor up front.

Johnna loves it!

 

[maurtis]

Awesome, thanks for the clarification Dave. Looks like I need to pick up some more tannin. Looking forward to how this batch turns out.

 

[willie]

Gina's recipe

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/winemaker-interview-gina-hudson-jojabri.html

Gina's interview as with all the others was awesome. She said her most popular recipe was what she called Passion Peach. I was thinking of doing a 6 gal. batch using similar ingredients couple of weeks ago but couldn't find the mixes at the local Wally store. I guess I will have to widen the search to see if those mixes are available around here and also figure out in what quantity to make the 6 gal. batch.

Will

 

[wineforfun]

That was a great read. I love her perspective on things.

 

[gotbags-10]

Getting ready to backsweeten my latest batch. Ive just used sugar in the past but I would like to try some frozen mixed berry concentrate. As far a using it do I need to boil it down and add pectic enzyme? How much enzyme would I add? Also would I need to wait an extended period of time after adding this before I bottle? Ideally I would like to add concentrate today and bottle this weekend. Possible? I should add that it has already been cleared and degassed for a couple of weeks.

 

[quiltertoo]

very tart

My first batch of mixed berry db is ready to rack into a carboy. I tasted it and it seems very tart. 46 oz. of gv lemon juice for 6 gal. I want to start another batch using elderberries this time.I have 8 1/2 lbs. of frozen elderberries and about 1 lb. of frozen red table grapes. Will this work for 3 gallons and can I reduce the amount of lemon juice to maybe 16 oz. for the 3 gallons? I am wondering if when I back sweeten my mixed berry batch it will not seem so tart. Also if I make a fpack for the 6 gallon batch how many lbs. of fruit would you use?

 

[wineforfun]

Getting ready to backsweeten my latest batch. Ive just used sugar in the past but I would like to try some frozen mixed berry concentrate. As far a using it do I need to boil it down and add pectic enzyme? How much enzyme would I add? Also would I need to wait an extended period of time after adding this before I bottle? Ideally I would like to add concentrate today and bottle this weekend. Possible? I should add that it has already been cleared and degassed for a couple of weeks.

You shouldn't need to wait to bottle, after adding concentrate or racking onto it, providing it isn't a "pulpy" concentrate like some pineapple, etc.

I make a wine from lemon and lime juice as the base and then rack onto different concentrates after it has cleared and am ready to bottle right away, if need be. I never have to add anything else to it, ie: pectic, etc.

 

[wineforfun]

My first batch of mixed berry db is ready to rack into a carboy. I tasted it and it seems very tart. 46 oz. of gv lemon juice for 6 gal. I want to start another batch using elderberries this time.I have 8 1/2 lbs. of frozen elderberries and about 1 lb. of frozen red table grapes. Will this work for 3 gallons and can I reduce the amount of lemon juice to maybe 16 oz. for the 3 gallons? I am wondering if when I back sweeten my mixed berry batch it will not seem so tart. Also if I make a fpack for the 6 gallon batch how many lbs. of fruit would you use?

As far as the tartness, most of that will subside after you have backsweetened and given it a couple months in the bottle. The fruit will come forward and all will be well.