fortyfying wine with Liquers

[corinth]

Hi all,
Having tried making a fortified "port style" Syrah,
I got to thinking. Has anyone used other liqueurs to fortify or add flavor to their wines.
example: Chambord
Grand Marnier
Midori
Or any others?
I looked at Danger Dave's use of berries in vodka and that looks very inviting.
I have made several types of limoncello and crema di Limoncello and other fruits but...back to the original question?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Corinth

 

[ColemanM]

How did the fortified Syrah turn out?

 

[corinth]

fortyfying-wine-liquers-47864/#post542176

Hi ,
It is in the aging process. I t was my first try so I used Hennessy VSOP brandy. I will let you know in a few months, like 6?
thanks for asking
Corinth

 

[vacuumpumpman]

corinth
You virtually can do almost anything you want - just think outside the box as Joe would say -
vodka or everclear to the possible following
vanilla beans
coffee beans
oak chips
any type of fruit
you just made a concentrate and add it slowly or use to test to see how it would taste like and adjust accordingly

 

[corinth]

/fortyfying-wine-liquers-47864/

Hi again,
You took the words right out of my mouth,"think ouside the box."
I guess my problem here is I would like someone to share a basic recipe type in which they used liquers to see how they did it, by doing what, how much?
If there a wine of any type that someone did take one of other liqueurs and

I was looking at dangerdave's recipe and that looked interesting but there was no "brand name " liqueur added(not that there has to be). I have looked through through many threads and did a fair amount of "Goggling"' but nothings really stands out. Maybe I am being Myoptic.

Looking for a starting point
Thanks for responding "vacuumpump" man. Hope you son gets that scholarship!
Regards
Corinth.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Hi again,
You took the words right out of my mouth,"think ouside the box."
I guess my problem here is I would like someone to share a basic recipe type in which they used liquers to see how they did it, by doing what, how much?
If there a wine of any type that someone did take one of other liqueurs and

I was looking at dangerdave's recipe and that looked interesting but there was no "brand name " liqueur added(not that there has to be). I have looked through through many threads and did a fair amount of "Goggling"' but nothings really stands out. Maybe I am being Myoptic.

Looking for a starting point
Thanks for responding "vacuumpump" man. Hope you son gets that scholarship!
Regards
Corinth.

Thank you !

Try these threads -
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f61/making-fpac-44497/

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f3/when-good-wines-gone-bad-14483/

 

[cintipam]

Steve, I make a lot of extracts a la Joe. When I was talking w my hubby I commented I wanted to try to make my own oak extract with everclear he freaked out. Apparently what it will make is not safe for consumption. Since then I've nosed around and most folks just boil the chips in water and use the water like an extract. Can't give you the particulars, but please anybody who is considering doing oak extract check with a science guy to make sure it is safe first.

Pam in cinti

 

[corinth]

fortyfying-wine-liquers-47864/#post542216

Hi all,
I am still open to all suggestions but I have taken a whole bunch of notes on joe's technigues and I had an aha moment.

soooooooooooooo, I went out today in the rain and bought a whole bunch of fresh fruit, some Everclear, a Latino equivilent and some other stuff.

I will be busy but any further ideas, i am still listening!

thank you,
corinth

 

[richmke]

When I was talking w my hubby I commented I wanted to try to make my own oak extract with everclear he freaked out. Apparently what it will make is not safe for consumption.

Soaking wine making oak in everclear? How is that any different from Whisky aging in a barrel?

FYI: Everclear itself is not safe for consumption. A lot of kids dying from drinking too concentrated alcohol. You can get a lethal dose before you know it.

 

[cintipam]

Hi richmke

I agree with your logic. I honestly hope my hubby is wrong, but until someone with a good chemistry background assures me that it is safe I think I'll go along with his warning. Maybe it was the everclear he was reacting to, don't know. But when I did a lot of googling about making oak essence I pretty much only found that folks boiled oak chips in water to make an infusion that they added to wine.

Oh Seth! Or anybody else that knows this stuff. Please chime in with a real answer here.

Pam in cinti

 

[seth8530]

Hiya,

Our friendly VacPumpMan buzzed me about this thread, so I decided to give it a look.

I am an engineer not a chemist, but I will go ahead and throw my thoughts into the hat.

I know that you can make methanol from wood via destructive distillation and some other processes as well. But it does not appear to me to be something that can be done without the serious intent of doing it. However, to be the best of my knowledge wood does not contain methanol. However, this is where I believe this possibly where this association might have came from.

Check this out.

http://www.ehow.com/how_8728103_make-methanol-wood.html

Now onward to some more practical thoughts, fine spirits such as bourbon and scotch are aged in wooden barrels at high proofs, so this leads me to believe that their should be nothing to worry about pulling methanol from wood even if it did exist in an alcohol soluble form in wood.

Pretty much agree?

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Thanks Seth -
I really appreciate you stepping in and answering the best you can. I did not want to step in and tell someone the wrong way to do something without asking some questions first.

That is why I like this forum soo much !!

 

[seth8530]

Yup np, nothing to do but to do our best.

 

[cintipam]

Guys, thank you so much for putting my mind to rest. In mean, we've been married a long time, so I kinda was willing to accept it until I got absolute OK from a source I trusted. And honestly the timing is super as I just ordered a bunch of diff types of oak looking to educate my palate a bit. Now I can make extracts and try the same wine with diff oaks. I feel I'll get a better handle on oak, and will wind up with far better wine than just guessing which will prob be best in my big reds.

Seriously, I am excited about this project now. Thanks again.

Pam in cinti

 

[richmke]

until I got absolute OK from a source I trusted.

"Extract is produced commercially by steeping oak in alcohol, "
http://beer-wine.com/node/1856

They do sell both Oak Extract (alcohol based), and Oak Essence (steam extraction).
http://beer-wine.com/products/oak-extract-sinatin-17
http://beer-wine.com/products/oak-essence-4oz

 

[wineforfun]

Soa

FYI: Everclear itself is not safe for consumption.

Going to have to disagree with this statement. We have done(in our younger years) 1/2 shots of 190 poof everclear. As with anything, it is safe in strict moderation.

I do agree that yes, many kids/people take in a lethal dose thinking it drinks like vodka, etc.

corinth,
It sounds like you are trying to make an infused type liquor, and then add it to an ageing wine, is this correct?

 

[Rocky]

Wow, Corinth! Hennessey VSOP! Utter profligacy!

You don't do things half way, do you? I have only made a couple of bottles of Port and I flavored it with Christian Brothers Brandy. My Hennessey VSOP is for sipping, slightly warmed, after a great meal.

I am envious!

 

[vacuumpumpman]

You should try it Rocky.

 

[spaniel]

I am not an engineer but I am a biochemist. Nothing harmful will come of soaking oak in alcohol to make an extract.

 

[Rocky]

You should try it Rocky.

Can't afford it, Steve. All my money is tied up in debt. We are so poor...

Anyway, back to the original question, i.e. whether one could flavor a Port with liquors. I have learned over my many years that just about anything can be done. Whether it is done successfully or not is another question. Regarding liquors, which normally have an ABV of 25% (50 Proof), it seems to me one would need a lot of liquor to raise the ABV of the Port resulting in a Port that tastes more like a watered down liquor.

That being said, I am a proponent of the Edisonian method, i.e. "Try it and see what happens. If it does not work out just right, try something else."