DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine

[Thig]

Random question. Do you guys normally serve DB chilled?

I do, really can't imagine drinking this one not chilled.

 

[meadmaker1]

I do.

 

[sugar]

Yeah when I plan stuff I make notes, but I wind up with a lot of fruit that is just going to go bad and so its random. Like sometimes I don't even eat that kind of fruit. So like with blueberry I take notes, but Ive got a pear nectarine wine going. I have no idea how many pears or nectarines are in there, I mean 7.1 Lbs combined, but Im going to keep winding up with random amounts of random fruit left.

But thats ok, In time Ill learn how to combine random things and come out with good wine from seasonal fruit.

I think stirring in Oxygen probably does help, but Ive got 4 kids, ranging ages 2 to 11 and when they are all around and Im trying to get stuff done, its like getting it shaken is all I can do. I work 7 days a week, 365 days a year from the time I get up till the time I go to bed. I only take breaks to spend time with family. So wine making is really just shunted in when I can manage the time to get it done. Maybe in 20 years when they are all out of the house Ill have enough time to do it as a proper hobby. But till then I do on a low priority basis as most everything else in my life I rank higher priority. So I do what can, learn and see what I get. If its drinkable Im happy, if I learn and improve with time, Im happy.

Yep I understand that absolutely.
There are recipes that say,loose lid..and leave till secondary. It'll be good. We not absolute. If works do it
Sometimes those stews turn out to be a "Triumph my dear,a Triumph!" ..as Mr.Bob Crachit said.
Take your pleasure and enjoy.

 

[Sue]

Just going to start my first batch of this....making sure I am reading recipe correctly...... for five gallon batch it calls for 6 lbs of fruit? Just want to double check before I start...most of my other fruit recipes call for 4 lbs for a gallon so figured better safe to ask then sorry. Thanks in advance.

 

[jumby]

Just going to start my first batch of this....making sure I am reading recipe correctly...... for five gallon batch it calls for 6 lbs of fruit? Just want to double check before I start...most of my other fruit recipes call for 4 lbs for a gallon so figured better safe to ask then sorry. Thanks in advance.

I use 9lbs of fruit for a 6 gallon batch. The original recipe is for 6 gallons, not 5.

 

[Sue]

I use 9lbs of fruit for a 6 gallon batch. The original recipe is for 6 gallons, not 5.

Thanks, I will bump mine up to 9 then....I like a lot of fruit flavor.

 

[iridium]

The fruit is less because this is a quick wine rather than a long aging wine and the fruit blend provides a general flavor to the wine. I used four pounds for three gallons and it tastes great. It blends as it has aged in the bottles.

 

[dangerdave]

I still make mine with just one pound of fruit per gallon. You can easily adapt the recipe to your liking. Since it was originally designed to please my lovely wife, Johnna, it was born as a nice blush. My own version ended up with lots of extra tannin and some powdered oak. We still drink some every evening after dinner. We’re a Dragon Blood house around here!

 

[M38A1]

Random question. Do you guys normally serve DB chilled?

I finished bottling my first batch Friday. I've had it both ways now and my friend prefers it chilled, I can go either way. I like it room temperature but in the summer I'm guessing it will be chilled for me.

Speaking of which, I made a fresh blueberry version (recipe and 10lbs fresh blueberries with 3/4C sugar per gallon as variables) and it was incredible. I tip my hat to Dave for this and without doubt will be making a lot of this. It's easy. It's good.

 

[Sue]

I finished bottling my first batch Friday. I've had it both ways now and my friend prefers it chilled, I can go either way. I like it room temperature but in the summer I'm guessing it will be chilled for me.

Speaking of which, I made a fresh blueberry version (recipe and 10lbs fresh blueberries with 3/4C sugar per gallon as variables) and it was incredible. I tip my hat to Dave for this and without doubt will be making a lot of this. It's easy. It's good.

So you did the 20 cups sugar with additional 3/4 per gallon? Id love to try making blueberry.

 

[Okie Parrish]

The recipe calls for 1/4 tsp for 6 gallons of potassium meta when degassing but the package i got says 2/3tsp for 5 gallons witch one should i listen too

 

[jumby]

The recipe calls for 1/4 tsp for 6 gallons of potassium meta when degassing but the package i got says 2/3tsp for 5 gallons witch one should i listen too

1/4 teaspoon is the correct amount for 6 gallons.

 

[Okie Parrish]

1/4 teaspoon is the correct amount for 6 gallons.

Thank you

 

[loopline]

The recipe calls for 1/4 tsp for 6 gallons of potassium meta when degassing but the package i got says 2/3tsp for 5 gallons witch one should i listen too

For frozen fruit I don't think you actually need any, but I would still use it. In fact I follow a winery recipie and use 1g of potassium meta per gallon of water. I weigh it out on a kitchen scale. Standard campden tablets are 30 ppm when you use 1 per gallon (at least it says on my bottles) but 1g per gallon of granular potassium metabisulphite gives you 150ppm.

I used only 60ppm on some fruit that was on its last leg and it went rotten on me. I hit it again with 150 and it took away the smell and rotten taste and I belive it saved it, its still aging. At any rate, if you over do it on potassium meta, at least to a point, you can just let it set a little longer and gas off. But again with frozen fruit, they freeze it typically within a matter of hours after picking so its not so much a big deal, but I still use it.

 

[Hotel Guy]

What do you guys usually top this off with to remove head space?

 

[jumby]

What do you guys usually top this off with to remove head space?

Any cheap, white zinfandel works well.

 

[Hotel Guy]

Any cheap, white zinfandel works well.

Thanks!

 

[Keith5]

Do you not add potassium metabisulfite in Step 1? How are the wild yeasts in the fruit killed off so they do not overtake primary fermentation? I see why adding kmeta in Step 4. Am I missing something? Thanks

 

[jumby]

Do you not add potassium metabisulfite in Step 1? How are the wild yeasts in the fruit killed off so they do not overtake primary fermentation? I see why adding kmeta in Step 4. Am I missing something? Thanks

There's no need to add k-meta to the primary if using frozen fruit. The wild yeast will be killed off when the fruit is flash frozen. Fresh fruit, that's a different story.

 

[cmason1957]

There's no need to add k-meta to the primary if using frozen fruit. The wild yeast will be killed off when the fruit is flash frozen. Fresh fruit, that's a different story.

Freezing doesn't kill most yeasts, it might stun them for a bit, but doesn't kill.