Garlic wine - I'm going for it!

[BigDaveK]

Transferred this morning!
Learned a lot prepping for this wine.
Garlic, onions, ginger, pumpkin needs to be boiled because they have anti-fungal properties which can hinder fermentation. The heat neutralizes that compound. I don't like to boil but I will simmer. So for insurance I added a pound of potatoes to my pound of garlic. Yeast LOVE potatoes.
I also learned garlic has almost as much starch as potatoes. Who knew? I added a bit of amylase enzyme to help.
Transferred at 1.016 and it's still fermenting like gangbusters, foam filling the headspace.

How does it taste?
As a drinking wine, awful! Imagine mixing alcohol with very strong pungent garlic juice. Garlic flavor is incredibly strong. As a cooking wine I think I'll be happy.

BTW, for those who think fermenting garlic smells bad, you need to get out more. Go to a landfill during a heat wave or repair a sanitary sewer line - now we're talking hellishly bad smells!

 

[BigDaveK]

Racked my garlic wine yesterday.
Definitely has volatile aroma compounds - the basement smelled like garlic afterwards.
And...uh...I thought garlic wines were undrinkable and were made for cooking?
Bone dry it's actually very good. Yes, very strong garlic flavor but not overpowering. A bit acidic, I could actually see drinking this with a pasta dish...maybe some types of fish.....pizza! But cooking for sure, I can't wait!

 

[BigDaveK]

Bottled this morning in 375's.

I'm disappointed - I thought it was supposed to be undrinkable!?

Immediately there's a garlic aroma but after a while - with a little patience - you're rewarded with a garlic smell!
And that first taste - BAM! - garlic! Swirled in the mouth and with much thought you can also detect - garlic!
No doubt about it, it's all garlic, start to finish, all the time. And it's good dry! I love garlic and I would drink this with a pasta dish. I back sweetened some leftover with syrup and, incredibly, a sweetened version is in my future.
I used a pound of garlic. Next time maybe 2 pounds.

I struggled with a name. Until I think of something better it's..."Mr. Grinch".

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch.
Your heart's an empty hole.
Your brain is full of spider's,
You've got garlic in your soul.

 

[alurpal]

Interestingly, I’ve got a garlic wine in cold stabilization right now. For 1 gal, I used 2 lbs roasted garlic, 10oz golden raisins, 2.5lbs sugar. Ended up needing to top off about 15% with a sauv blanc for headspace and I just tasted it last night (10 days since start) and I actually don’t get much garlic coming through. There’s definitely a rich, complex flavor and finish that is reminiscent of garlic, without the bite and it’s accompanied by banana. Kind of wild.

 

[BigDaveK]

Interestingly, I’ve got a garlic wine in cold stabilization right now. For 1 gal, I used 2 lbs roasted garlic, 10oz golden raisins, 2.5lbs sugar. Ended up needing to top off about 15% with a sauv blanc for headspace and I just tasted it last night (10 days since start) and I actually don’t get much garlic coming through. There’s definitely a rich, complex flavor and finish that is reminiscent of garlic, without the bite and it’s accompanied by banana. Kind of wild.

I may try roasted garlic some day.
Some have said it's undrinkable but great for cooking. I beg to differ. Couple weeks ago I had some with spaghetti and thought it was a great combination.