Im looking for a wine that tastes like Christmas cake

[cheeseburgersareawesome]

I'm someone thats a bit new to wine making. I've only made two or three types before. I'm on the hunt for a wine recipe that tastes like Christmas cake. I had it when it was served at function I attended and I'm clueless as to what the name was. Since then I've been trying to experiment with a few flavours to see how I can replicate it. I'm going to try and add some of the basic fruits you would use in Christmas cake but that includes preserves. Like pumpkin preserve, chow chow, glazed cherries and candied peel. Does anyone know how well those work during fermentation? Also I'l probably have to try adding things like almond, vanilla and rose essence. Any tips on how these ingredients might affect the fermentation would be helpful.

Thank you.

 

[Rice_Guy]

welcome to WMT

Wine is a historical food preservation system where pH below 3.5, alcohol above 10%, excluding oxygen and modern chemicals like metabisulphite prevent microbial growth. In reference to Christmas cake, what are the flavors? Dried fruit? Vanilla? Nutmeg? Sweet gumdrop? ,,, etc. As long as we follow the basic pH and oxygen rules we can put all of the above flavors into a wine. If your target flavor has lots of sugar, it is harder but potassium sorbate prevents secondary refermentation. ,,, On my part I use pie as a model system to make blends for country wines. A pudding could also be used to test fruit, nutmeg, gum drops, white grape etc as flavor blends.

Making wine is just another version of cooking.

 

[winemaker81]

Welcome to WMT!

If I was trying for the flavors you mentioned, I'd make a dry wine. Without knowing more, I can't say if I'd make a red, white, or some type of fruit.

Let the wine clear for a month, stabilize with sorbate + K-meta, then add flavorings and bulk age 3 months.

For something like this, making 19 to 23 liters of wine, then dividing into 4 liter (or smaller) batches, allows you to try different flavorings and ratios. You'll have to experiment to develop what you want, and having a lot of small batches let's you do concurrent testing.

Backsweeten each batch, bottle, let rest 3 months, then taste test.

 

[cheeseburgersareawesome]

welcome to WMT

Wine is a historical food preservation system where pH below 3.5, alcohol above 10%, excluding oxygen and modern chemicals like metabisulphite prevent microbial growth. In reference to Christmas cake, what are the flavors? Dried fruit? Vanilla? Nutmeg? Sweet gumdrop? ,,, etc. As long as we follow the basic pH and oxygen rules we can put all of the above flavors into a wine. If your target flavor has lots of sugar, it is harder but potassium sorbate prevents secondary refermentation. ,,, On my part I use pie as a model system to make blends for country wines. A pudding could also be used to test fruit, nutmeg, gum drops, white grape etc as flavor blends.

Making wine is just another version of cooking.

Hellooo,

Christmas cake, also called rich cake, is sweet, verrryyy fruity and dense because there is no flour or leavening agent added to it. The main base is butter, sugar and semolina which once toasted has a slight nutty flavour. The fruits used can vary depending on who is making it but it will always have chow chow, pumpkin preserve, ginger preserve, sultanas, raisins, candied peel (orange and lemon) and glace cherries. Some add dates. The fruits and essences are combined and left to ferment on their own sometimes for more than a month. It has an extra alcoholic kick to it from the brandy too. We use a load of spices including nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Essences would be vanilla, rose and almond. Cashews and strawberry jam is also added.

Also you mentioned testing for ph levels, is this the end ph level to ensure it doesnt go bad or is it what should be the reading before fermentation. Im not very familiar with this side of wine making.

 

[cheeseburgersareawesome]

Welcome to WMT!

If I was trying for the flavors you mentioned, I'd make a dry wine. Without knowing more, I can't say if I'd make a red, white, or some type of fruit.

Let the wine clear for a month, stabilize with sorbate + K-meta, then add flavorings and bulk age 3 months.

For something like this, making 19 to 23 liters of wine, then dividing into 4 liter (or smaller) batches, allows you to try different flavorings and ratios. You'll have to experiment to develop what you want, and having a lot of small batches let's you do concurrent testing.

Backsweeten each batch, bottle, let rest 3 months, then taste test.

Hii!

The wine I had was a beautiful clear dark red, almost maroon. It was a little thickish too. Beautiful. I tried googling about to see if there was wine that was advertised to taste like it and the only one i could find was Liquid Christmas Cake by Macquariedale. That's supposed to be a fortified muscat wine. I dont think I can specifically find muscat grapes where I live. So I was thinking maybe I could try a sultana wine recipe as a base and then add the preserves to it and ferment. Or........ maybe I could add that after stabilisation along with the flavourings. Have you tried using things like ginger preserve or candied peel with fermentation before?

Im not too sure if im able to get ingredients like sorbate and k meta but if its for stabilising would I be able to just backsweeten until the alcohol level kills all the yeast? I use just the normal bakers yeast so I think that might only be able to handle 10 to 13 percent? And then maybe add brandy to bring up the alcohol content to help preserve it.

Also any thoughts on using egg white to clear wine? Ive seen it recommended but im a liiittle nervous.

 

[winemaker81]

The wine I had was a beautiful clear dark red, almost maroon.

Starting with a sultana or raisin wine sounds good. If you can get wine yeast, any strain, you'll probably get a better result. Whatever you use, step feeding is a good idea. Then add brandy to 18% ABV. Pearson's Square can be used to determine how much brandy is required -- take good SG readings along the way, so you'll have a good idea what the ABV is after fermentation.

If you're bumping the ABV to 18%+ anyway, there is no need for sorbate. I recently constructed a Port, using EverClear (151 proof grain alcohol) to bump up the ABV.

Anything candied you add during fermentation will add sugar to the must. If it were me, I'd make a basic sultana or raisin wine (or other local fruit). Step feed it as far as you can, add brandy, and THEN add the flavorings. Three months of maceration (soaking) should extract the flavoring.

IIRC, ginger has antimicrobial properties, so it may limit the fermentation, so I'd add that after fermentation is complete.

After 3 months of aging, strain the wine. Note that all the solids you remove are edible and may pack a bit of a punch.

Let the wine rest another 3 months to settle. There may be no need for fining.

Egg whites will reduce tannin, which probably isn't necessary in your situation. If the wine doesn't clear, and it's the only fining agent you can get, it will work. Gelatin powder will also work. AWRI has a good description of fining agents.