Hello from Iceland

[Vala E]

I love to make wine out of water, especially when I can use something in my backyard for it. I have been making my own wine every year for the past 10 years or so and then occasionally before that. Mainly I have been making rhubarb wine, because rhubarb grows extremely well in colder climates, so I have abundance of it. I have also been making wine from red currants, black currants, mint, lovage, beetroot, dandelions, gooseberries, bilberries and crowberries, but they are the most common wild berries here. Then I have several times made wine out of bananas and apples, in that case I need to buy the fruits from the local store and of course it is all imported.

I like to have my wine as organic as I can. Recently I got interested in blending spices, I really love bitters and amari, however I am not sure where to begin or how to do it.

I found this forum on the internet and I am sure I will able to learn a lot from others, getting some new ideas and maybe I will be able to share some knowledge as well.

 

[Masbustelo]

Iceland sounds very exotic from here. Welcome to this forum

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT!

Won't our readers be surprised to learn that some of your bananas might be sourced locally!

 

[Vala E]

Welcome to WMT!

Won't our readers be surprised to learn that some of your bananas might be sourced locally!

 

[Vala E]

It may surprise you, but indeed we do grow lot of bananas in our greenhouses here in Iceland.

 

[Mcjeff]

Welcome!
Friendly, helpful community here.

 

[sour_grapes]

It may surprise you, but indeed we do grow lot of bananas in our greenhouses here in Iceland.

That is why I brought it up! I was fortunate to visit your lovely country about a decade ago. I must get back sometime!

I've always had this funny thought that if/when the common Cavendish banana (which accounts for 1/2 of the global banana crop) succumbs to a blight and gets wiped out, cuttings from Iceland (of all places) may be used to repropogate the species.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Welcome!

 

[salcoco]

https://winemaking.jackkeller.net/index.asp here is a web site you might want to visit. Jack Keller makes wine from many items. should have some on herbs. good luck.

 

[Rice_Guy]

rhubarb grows extremely well in colder climates, so I have abundance of it. I have also been making wine from red currants, black currants, mint, lovage, beetroot, dandelions, gooseberries, ........

Welcome!!!
I join you making rhurbarb every year and try what I would call "scientific" organic concepts, , , , ex blends like rhurbarb high acid with peach low acid, , , , planted gooseberry last year and it survived winter

and maybe I will be able to share some knowledge as well.

Curious what your dandelion is, one of the retirement goals is to get a blue ribbon in contest with dandelion, , , so far 4 variations down but no winner.

 

[SVEN]

Valborg:

Welcome to the Forum....have learned much from this intellectual group!

We took 2+ weeks last September to drive around your incredible Icelandic landscape of fire, fjords and ice!

We did not sample any Icelandic-produced wine but did consume copious amounts of Brennivin aquavit. I have not found an outlet for it in the USA. :-(

Please excuse me here but I have some non-wine questions for you pertaining to some "Viking Artifacts" we found at low tide just east of Nautholsvik Geothermal Beach. My email is [email protected].

Hope to hear from you!

Takk!

Stew Anderson

 

[Vala E]

That is why I brought it up! I was fortunate to visit your lovely country about a decade ago. I must get back sometime!

I've always had this funny thought that if/when the common Cavendish banana (which accounts for 1/2 of the global banana crop) succumbs to a blight and gets wiped out, cuttings from Iceland (of all places) may be used to repropogate the species.

Well, we don´t have a whole lot, but we have been growing them since 1939 or so, and I have heard that some plants have been exported! So, you are right.

 

[Vala E]

Welcome!!!
I join you making rhurbarb every year and try what I would call "scientific" organic concepts, , , , ex blends like rhurbarb high acid with peach low acid, , , , planted gooseberry last year and it survived winter

Curious what your dandelion is, one of the retirement goals is to get a blue ribbon in contest with dandelion, , , so far 4 variations down but no winner.

Actually I have only once made dandelion wine, so what is left of it is 4 y.o. As elsewhere we have quite many species of Dandelions, I just used the regular Taraxacum spp. I found it a lot of job picking the flowers, cleaning and then picking the petals, but the wine was good. - I might try to add some peaches to my rhubarb wine, how much or many peaches vs. rhubarb? I always use about 1,5kg raisins for 19 liters of rhubarb (6-7 kg) wine, which is the traditional way to do it here and orange peels, which is the Faroe Islands way to do it. - I only have one gooseberry scrub, I can´t say I am too found of them, but they are very good addition to any berry wine recipe when I don´t have enough of the type I am making of.

 

[Vala E]

Valborg:

Welcome to the Forum....have learned much from this intellectual group!

We took 2+ weeks last September to drive around your incredible Icelandic landscape of fire, fjords and ice!

We did not sample any Icelandic-produced wine but did consume copious amounts of Brennivin aquavit. I have not found an outlet for it in the USA. :-(

Please excuse me here but I have some non-wine questions for you pertaining to some "Viking Artifacts" we found at low tide just east of Nautholsvik Geothermal Beach. My email is [email protected].

Hope to hear from you!

Takk!

Stew Anderson

Unfortunately we don´t make too much wine here, I have only heard about one small winemaker up in the north, who is making crow berries and rhubarb wine. But you can find some types of local spirits like vodka, snaps, liqueur and Brennivín. As far as I know it is exported to USA. But they are starting to make all kind of beer here, I am not a beer person, so I don´t know too much about it. However, recently I tasted both tomato beer and cucumber beer, I did like the flavor of the cucumber beer, so I guess I should give it try one day to make cucumber wine and tomato wine, but we do grow both in our greenhouses. - I have already e-mailed you.

 

[JB005]

I love to make wine out of water, especially when I can use something in my backyard for it. I have been making my own wine every year for the past 10 years or so and then occasionally before that. Mainly I have been making rhubarb wine, because rhubarb grows extremely well in colder climates, so I have abundance of it. I have also been making wine from red currants, black currants, mint, lovage, beetroot, dandelions, gooseberries, bilberries and crowberries, but they are the most common wild berries here. Then I have several times made wine out of bananas and apples, in that case I need to buy the fruits from the local store and of course it is all imported.

I like to have my wine as organic as I can. Recently I got interested in blending spices, I really love bitters and amari, however I am not sure where to begin or how to do it.

I found this forum on the internet and I am sure I will able to learn a lot from others, getting some new ideas and maybe I will be able to share some knowledge as well.

Hi, I'm up in Alaska and looking to pick and make some wild crowberry wine (or crowberry with some blueberry) this year - preferably more dry and not too sweet. If you have a recipe or tips and tricks for using those, I'd be excited to hear what you've done and how it tastes. Thanks in advance!

 

[Vala E]

This is the recipe I use for crow berry wine. It is very tasty. Good luck!

 

[JB005]

Thank you for the recipe and sorry for the delayed response... the notification went to my spam folder.

Can't wait for the crow berries to be in season - hopefully next month. This recipe looks delicious and I'll try to remember to post photos, for anyone interested, as I go along.

One question... I don't have a juicer, will boiling or blending the fruit (e.g. with the raisins) work or do I need to find an actual juicing machine?

 

[Vala E]

In my opinion there are several different ways to juice the berries for wine making. I have tried two different types of juice grinders, the manual crank juicer from my grandmother, I used for few years and then I bought one that fit to my Kitchen Aid. I gave up on both of them. For 2 or 3 years I added the berries in to a big cooking pot with some water, headed up to boiling point so all the berries would puncture. - Last year I bought and used Juice steamer. But since I am using both the berries skin as well as the juice, I really don´t know if it is any better to have the juice steamer than just boil them.

I have some crow berries juice left since last year. It is in plastic bottles in the freezer. We will see if I use it this year!

The bananas are optional, last year I made both, with and without the bananas. I have the feeling that the wine with the bananas has more filling.

I wish I could e-mail you one bottle of this wine or at least one glass!

 

[JB005]

Thank you for the info. All great. I was thinking boiling as an option as well since it'll also pasteurize it at the same time.

Would love to have you "email" me a glass or a bottle to try. I've got some pomegranate wine (my first batch) aging right now and if I ever make it to Iceland, I'll bring a bottle with me for you!

 

[Vala E]

Without a doubt, the easiest way is to boil them. Let me know if you make it to Iceland, - you never know if I make it to Alaska.