Hello, from Norfolk, England

[Frognostic]

Hello all, before I start I have a confession to make: I have never made wine from grapes. This is due to the lack of wine grapes available in my area more than anything else. Although it is possible to grow the vine in England it is not the best environment for grapes to grow in, although there certainly are commercial vineyards in this country. It is my intention to buy some wine-variety grape vines in the not-too-distant future.

The nearest fermented beverages to wine that I have made include blackberry wine and elderberry wine, that I made in 2013. All the blackberry wine is gone but, as I write this, I have around 1 1/2 litres of the elderberry left. I'm looking forward to the summer and autumn when more fruits become available for me to pick and ferment.

In February 2014 I began my first meads / honey wines, approximately four gallons worth altogether, using the wine yeasts D-47 and 71B-1122. I used buckwheat honey, sunflower honey, and a mix of wildflower and honeydew honey for these meads. They are now being aged in a compartment under the stairs. In February of 2015 I began another three gallons of mead, currently fermenting.

 

[ibglowin]

Welcome aboard!

 

[bkisel]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Runningwolf]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Julie]

Hi welcome to winemakingtalk

 

[Frognostic]

Thank you kindly.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Do you hunt the hedgerows for elderberries, sloes and currants? WVMJ

 

[Jericurl]

Welcome! You will find yourself in good company here.
The only wine I've made from grapes were grape juice out of kits.

We have quite a few people here that make fruit, vegetable, and/or flower/herb wines.

 

[rawatts]

England is famous for it's perry. my first wine was a pear wine. drinkable but not fantastic. Welcome aboard.

 

[Frognostic]

Do you hunt the hedgerows for elderberries, sloes and currants? WVMJ

I do indeed, I've foraged for elderberries, sloes and blackberries so far and I have some currant bushes that I might utilize when they fruit.

 

[Frognostic]

Welcome! You will find yourself in good company here.
The only wine I've made from grapes were grape juice out of kits.

We have quite a few people here that make fruit, vegetable, and/or flower/herb wines.

Thank you.

I've not made any flower or herb wines yet but I did make a wine from Demerara sugar and marrow juice, technically a fruit but for all intents and purposes a vegetable.

 

[Frognostic]

England is famous for it's perry. my first wine was a pear wine. drinkable but not fantastic. Welcome aboard.

I'd love to make a perry and planting a perry pear tree for future generations is something I've thought about. I'd be interested in making a perry myself although I'll probably have to make do with desert pears in the absence of perry pears.

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT, Frognostic!

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Hey Mate, you just found a good place to be! We only use grape as sort of a base for fruit ports. WVMJ

I do indeed, I've foraged for elderberries, sloes and blackberries so far and I have some currant bushes that I might utilize when they fruit.

 

[Frognostic]

Welcome to WMT, Frognostic!

Thanks, Sour Grapes.

 

[Frognostic]

Hey Mate, you just found a good place to be! We only use grape as sort of a base for fruit ports. WVMJ

Sounds good to me.