New member here from East TN. Found this forum on the internet and have used it a couple of times for answers as a new wine maker. I've made wine 4 or 5 times now and I continue learning every batch. I really like the country wines. Favorite wine I've made so far is blackcurrant/cherry. First batch turned out great but my computer died so my recipe notes were lost and I'm starting over creating a recipe & process. Computers, music, playing mandolin, stained glass, cooking and making some wine are some of my favorite things.
Hello!
- Thread starter mevrowka
- Start date
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welcome to WMT
Black currant is an interesting flavor. I have a black currant chocolate that was bottled last month. You lost the recipe, humm, , , I use basically the same recipe for all wines. Mix fruit to get pH 3.2 to 3.3 > add sugar to get 1.090 > add yeast. Most mixtures start as a fruit pie mixture. I really don’t like to wait a year to decide if the flavors are compatible.
Black currant is an interesting flavor. I have a black currant chocolate that was bottled last month. You lost the recipe, humm, , , I use basically the same recipe for all wines. Mix fruit to get pH 3.2 to 3.3 > add sugar to get 1.090 > add yeast. Most mixtures start as a fruit pie mixture. I really don’t like to wait a year to decide if the flavors are compatible.
Welcome to WMT. Lots of fruit wine makers here.
Welcome to WMT!
Love that flavor and I REALLY wish I hadn't lost that recipe as the batch I'm making now doesn't seem to be fermenting. I added another sachet of yeast and the mixture smells a bit like yeast, but the airlock isn't bubbling. Funny you mention pH....I was wondering whether I mixed too much blackcurrant concentrate in and made the must too acidic or something. If nothing happens by the morning, I'll be doing some testing/tasting and asking for help.
Ohio Bob
Senior Member
Airlock?? No, ferment in an open bucket, maybe 25% more volume than you think you need. Ferments can foam up vigorously. Also, the yeast need oxygen to keep reproducing. An airlock stifles that. Use a towel or loose lid to cover the bucket.
I had the bucket covered with a towel first 3 days or so so perhaps that wasn't enough time. I'll remove the airlock and put the towel back on now and see if that helps.
* a starter is more reliable with a difficult must. Below pH 2.8 yeast really really struggle. How does the must taste, real acidic?
* the vinters club sells juice buckets. The average last fall was, ,, when we had bucket pickup, there was already some fermentation going even though the buckets had lids and were weren’t oxygenated and weren’t inoculated with a starter.
* the vinters club sells juice buckets. The average last fall was, ,, when we had bucket pickup, there was already some fermentation going even though the buckets had lids and were weren’t oxygenated and weren’t inoculated with a starter.
Welcome to WMT!
Welcome to WMT!
