Green Tomato Wine

[xanxer82]

You gotta get some pictures up Brewgrrl. I'm interested in seeing it

 

[vcasey]

http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8751&PN=1

She post a couple when she started.
VC

 

[boozinsusan]

Mine is now in secondary too. One gallon jug.
It is a beautiful yellow color, and I am amazed at what the must looked like when I took it out of the bag - dusty pieces of nothing........


Hope I am doing this right! Remember, it is the first batch I will have done all by my lonesome!

 

[Brewgrrrl]

That sounds right. I have a Pinot Grigio going at the same time and the color is surprisingly similar.

 

[graywolf97]

Hey,

Green tomato wine was the first that I ever made. I used my Uncle's recipe:

6 lbs green</span> tomatoes
6 lbs sugar
2 lbs raisins
2 large oranges
1 gallon water
yeast

This was of course, before I knew anything about how to make wine for real. Since that point, Jack Keller has helped me update it to this:

* 3 lbs green</span> tomatoes
* 2 lbs sugar
* 1 lbs raisins
* 2 large oranges
* 1 Campden tablet
* 1 tsp pectic enzyme
* water to make up 1 gallon
* 1 tsp yeast nutrient
* Champagne yeast"

Bring
1 quart water to boil and pour over raisins and let soak about 15
minutes. Meanwhile, chop tomatoes and thinly peel oranges (orange
portion only, no pith). Drain and chop the raisins, then combine them,
the chopped tomatoes and the orange peel in nylon straining bag. Tie
and place in primary. Add sugar and 3 to 3-1/2 quarts boiling water and
stir well to dissolve sugar. Cover and allow to cool. Add finely
crushed and dissolved Campden tablet and juice of the two oranges. Wait
12 hours and add yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme, stirring to mix.
Wait additional 12 hours and add activated yeast in a starter solution.
Cover and gently squeeze bag 2-3 times a day. When vigorous
fermentation subsides, remove bag and drip drain, then squeeze well but
not too hard. Pour all liquid into secondary and top up with water if
required to within 2-1/2 inches of airlock. Rack after 3 weeks, then
again every month until wine clears and no additional deposits form
during two-week period. Bottle and allow to age 6-9 months.

I've had it in the secondary for a month or so now. It is more of a dark Orange color than your wine. I will post a picture when it's finished.

 

[boozinsusan]

How is your batch looking, brewrgrrrl? I think mine is clearing nicely, all on its own.... Yours?


I realized we made the batches only a week or two apart, so I am kind of following you.......


Great recipe, graywolf! Thanks!

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Yes, it's looking really good. I'm hoping to have time to rack it again this weekend. If I do, I'll post pictures as well as a tasting update. Right now it's 6 gallons of mysterious liquid that seriously looks just like the pinot grigio going nearby.

 

[boozinsusan]

I thought mine would be ready for what i think is the final racking, this weekend.
Glad to know you are in the same boat. I must be figuring this out....
I only have a 1 gallon batch, but it certainly is a topic when with friends - comes up all the time!

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Well, I think I'll be racking at least once more after this time. I want to give it plenty of time to clear and I also think I will want to age it with some oak (depending on how it tastes right now). Right now, my basement (a.k.a. "the cellar") has really cooled off so I don't want to rush anything.

 

[boozinsusan]

What type of oak will you try? I think I may rack once more too, now that you mention it..... would you put the oak in when you rack the last time?


My "cellar" is a closet in my kitchen (far away from cooking) since I rent. Storage is in the basement (put the bottles in Rubbermaid tubs so no one will know), so I am trying to get it there......

 

[Brewgrrrl]

I haven't decided yet - I think I will need to taste it and see what the flavor is like before I choose. I'll let you know when I do for sure. I'm really hoping to get to this during the coming weekend. Time seems to be flying by now that it's the holiday season.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Okay, I racked it over today and it is REALLY tart-tasting. I had planned on adding oak, but I added only a little of very light-toasted oak because I didn't want to accentuate any tartness. I'm hoping this will be subtle. I'm also hoping the tartness will mellow with time. If it's still like this in a few months though, I may set it out in the garage and try cold stabilizing it.
It still looks just like the pinot grigio. I'll post pictures when I find my camera!

 

[Waldo]

I haven't decided yet - I think I will need to taste it and see what the flavor is like before I choose. I'll let you know when I do for sure. I'm really hoping to get to this during the coming weekend. Time seems to be flying by now that it's the holiday season.

If you have the carboys to do it brewgrrrl I would try splitting thebatch, add some calcium carbonate to one of the batches, cold stabilize it and then blend the two back togrther.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Hmmm. I have the carboys, but what would that accomplish?

 

[grapeman]

The calcium carbonate (or potassium carbonate) would remove some of the acids and lower the TA. It works best on malic acid so I'm not sure if it would do a lot. Then the cold stabilizing helps to precipitate the Ca or K Carbonate out.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

But why only half the batch? This stuff is really tart...

 

[grapeman]

I'm not sure on that question. If I was doing it, I would try a bench trial with small amounts to get the desired affects and then multiply it to do the whole batch.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Hmmm. I only started it two months ago... I may give it some more time before experimenting. Whew, it's tart though...

 

[corn field]

I make both green &amp; ripe tomato wine. They both are tart to start with. A little sugar and time usually cures it. Be careful with the sugar though because it is easy to get it too sweet.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Thanks! Oh boy, do I have questions for you: How long do you usually have to age yours? Do you cold stabilize? Do you use oak? What do you think of the recipe I started with?