Maple Syrup wine

[Runningwolf]

I am posting a recipe that Julie and I are looking at and asking what other members think about it before I make it. I went to five sugar shacks today and no one knew of any recipes. Any suggestions appreciated.


Maple Wine
Ingredients:
1 gallon maple syrup
6 oranges or 3 lemon, sliced thin
1 package wine yeast
Place 1 gallon of maple syrup in primary. Add water and sugar, if needed. Add oranges or lemon and ¼ tsp of meta. Let sit overnight.
Next day, Specific Gravity should be 1.090 - 1.100. Stir in yeast. Stir daily for 5 to 6 days or until Specific Gravity is 1.01. Strain out fruit and squeeze as much juice out of it as you can. Siphon into secondary and add airlock.
Note:
Add yeast nutrient and it won't hurt to add energizer as well. Take an acid test before adding yeast make sure you have an acid of at least .55%
Ferment to dry, stabilize then back sweeten with maple syrup. Ready to drink in one year.

It takes about 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of syrup. It only takes 12 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of maple wine.

 

[1ChuckGauthier]

I was raised in northern michigan, and my grandmother and I made maple syrup every spring, man that was some good stuff.......lots of sugar in it so should not need much added.......looking forward to hear how it comes out.

 

[GerardVineyard]

I currently live in Northern MI and have collected 80 gallons of sap so far. I was thinking about setting some aside for wine. I wonder how maple wine would go with pancakes in the morning!!!!

 

[1ChuckGauthier]

I've never tried wine with pancakes, but for sure the homemade syrup sure is good......maple wine sounds interesting but is not going to happen out here in Wa State without a lot of money.........

 

[bruno]

I just picked up 60 gallons of maple sap to make into wine.

 

[Runningwolf]

Bruno are you going to boiul it down on the stove? Can you post your recipe, please?

 

[bruno]

Here it is, right off Jack Kellers website.
MAPLE SAP WINE

* 1 gallon maple sap
* up to 2½ lbs granulated sugar
* 1 large or 2 small lemons
* 12-15 cloves
* 1/8 tsp tannin
* 1 tsp yeast nutrient
* 1 pkt Reisling wine yeast

First measure the specific gravity of the sap with a hydrometer to determine how much sugar to add to achieve a starting specific gravity of 1.085-1.090. Different saps will contain different amounts of natural sugar, and even the sap from the same tree will differ from year to year. In an enamel- or teflon-coated pot, stir the required amount of sugar into the maple sap and bring to a low boil for 15 minutes, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. In a separate pan, combine a cup of the sap with the cloves and zest of the lemon(s) and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the latter into a primary and add the boiled sap, juice from the lemon(s) and yeast nutrient. When cooled to 75° F., add the activated yeast. Cover the primary and stir daily for 8-10 days. Transfer to a secondary and fit airlock. Ferment to dryness (6-8 weeks), rack into a sanitized secondary, refit the airlock and bulk age 12 months, checking airlock from time to time to make sure it doesn't dry out. Rack, sweeten if desired and bottle. [Adapted recipe from Steven A. Krause's Wines from the Wilds]

I made a 3 gallon batch a couple of years ago, came out real nice. The cloves and lemon zest gave it somewhat of a mulled spiced wine taste. Very light and delicate, took a good year of aging.

 

[Runningwolf]

Thanks Bruno, so are you making syrup also with some of that sap or all wine?

 

[bruno]

I'm turning it all into wine. Went out yesterday and purchased 150#'s of sugar since the beginning SG is only 1.008. Also 60 lemons and a bunch of cloves. Have the sap in a 80 gallon flex tank. Temp was 36 degrees when we got it, wrapped the flext tank with an electric blanket and some two-sided aluminum insulation and it is now up to 76 degrees. Will be pitching the yeast today.

 

[Chateau Joe]

50/50 maple syrup and Wild Turkey. That's my recipe!

 

[sjo]

I'm turning it all into wine. Went out yesterday and purchased 150#'s of sugar since the beginning SG is only 1.008. Also 60 lemons and a bunch of cloves. Have the sap in a 80 gallon flex tank. Temp was 36 degrees when we got it, wrapped the flext tank with an electric blanket and some two-sided aluminum insulation and it is now up to 76 degrees. Will be pitching the yeast today.

There is not much flavor in maple sap. It seems to me you would be better off adding water to syrup to get your desired sg. or cook the sap down to get desired sg.

sjo

 

[Runningwolf]

SJO that is exactly what I was thinking. I had two people that were suppose to be sending me the recipes they use and I am still waiting. I want to compare them to what I have read before I make my batch. I picked up a gallon of dark syrup last weekend but not in any hurry to start it.

 

[REDBOATNY]

I have a great Maple Porter recipe if you are interested. I started by reducing 5 usg by half. I may also work for wine, but have not tried. Had to switch from beer to wine making though, got too fat!

 

[Wannabe]

What would be the difference between Maple Porter and Maple Wine? Porter is a term I haven't heard before

If I'm reading this thread correctly, the intend is to add water to the syrup until you get the correct sg and then proceed. And, that would be only add water if necessary so depending on the syrup, you could actually be starting your primary frementation with straight maple syrup? Right?

 

[RedNeckWino]

Would like to try this blended with my Raspberry wine. Might be a good breakfast wine.

 

[REDBOATNY]

What would be the difference between Maple Porter and Maple Wine? Porter is a term I haven't heard before

If I'm reading this thread correctly, the intend is to add water to the syrup until you get the correct sg and then proceed. And, that would be only add water if necessary so depending on the syrup, you could actually be starting your primary frementation with straight maple syrup? Right?

Porter is a beer type, very dark and malty. I was refering reducing maple sap straight from the tree, not syrup for this recipe.

 

[Mud]

2 weeks ago I took the family to a small maple syrup producer's promotional event. Took along a barrel to see if the owner could be persuaded to draw some off at 25% sugar or so.

He said he could but wouldn't bother to as the maple flavor we are all familiar with isn't developed until the final boil. His evaporator heats the sap up to a near boil and then injects air to break surface tension.

I was surprised to hear this and questioned him a bit. He assured me that wine made from his sap could also be made with sucrose (table sugar) and be nearly indistinguishable. He said lots of unscrupulous syrup producers used to fortify the sap with white sugar and it was impossible to detect.

This gentleman is not a wine maker but he was absolutely certain of what he said. Needless to say the barrel came back empty.

 

[Runningwolf]

Hey Mud, I also picked up my gallon of syrup on a sugar shack tour. Exactly what you said is why I went with the syrup. I did not start it yet though.

 

[Mud]

Dan, I actually meant to post this in the maple sap thread. Was reading them in tabs.

You should be able to sub maple syrup into any mead recipe but the amounts will be a little off. Maple syrup is supposed to be 66 or 67 percent sugar (depending on whether or not you're in vermont) and honey should be about 80% sugar so use an extra 20%.

Every spring I want to do a maple wine but am torn between a gallon of syrup, etc or buying another fruit tree to plant. Might actually get to it when the orchard is full.

 

[Runningwolf]

Thanks for the info Mud. I just ordered a dwarf Honey Crisp apple today from stark Bros.