March 2014 Wine of the Month Club

[the_rayway]

I did a plain blueberry wine two summers ago. 4 UK gals using 13.5Lbs frozen wild blueberries. Super yum! We also ended up blending it with some of our concord from that year. Some people have trouble fermenting blueberries - but I think a good nutrient helps that long quite a bit. We had no issues with ours

Did up the Cherry Wine this evening!

Primary:
5.5 Lbs Tart cherries, thawed and squished (1 Lb had pits)
2 Campden tabs
Sugar to 1.090
1 tsp Yeast nutrient
1/8 tsp Tannin
1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
10Grams Medium Toast French Oak
1/2 cup Golden Raisins, chopped
1 Banana
Water to 7.5 Litres
1Pkg Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast (eats malic acid)

Pitched everything into the bucket but the nutrient, pectic, and yeast. Will add pectic enzyme after 12 hours (tomorrow morning), then pitch the yeast tomorrow night, along with the nutrient.

What I'm going for here is to see, basically, what all the fuss is about. Many people rave about tart cherry wines or meads. I've never tried one, but there's a local orchard that makes a tart cherry mead, so I'm thinking I'll pick it up and give it a go. I would never make wine from sweet cherries, as they always end up tasting like cough syrup in the wines I've tasted. Love 'em raw and ripe, hate them as flavouring.

Also, I've planted two of the tiniest cherry 'trees' (twigs?) you've ever seen this past summer. I'm hoping one day to have my own tart cherries to work with and am interested in what it might taste like.

 

[winesleeper]

Thank you Jim for the welcome to ‘da club’ from ‘Doo-Dah’ Kansas. I’m looking forward to trying some new types of wine. I’m really interested in your tomato wine for this month. Will it be something drinkable or is it just used for cooking? I also have a bunch of frozen tomatoes from last year’s garden.

 

[x_diver]

x_diver: I have a book by Terry Garey that in the banana wine recipe states not to use plantains. Makes me wonder if there's a reason for that? Or is it that she just doesn't like the taste? Maybe I'll google it and see what comes up...

Droc: In February I ended up doing two tea batches the first was a tea wine that ended up with an H2S issue and had to be dumped. The second is a Jasmine Tea Mead which smells heavenly, and has fermented quite nicely. I would suggest steeping the tea to regular strength for your water. Then, if it needs topping up or more flavour after fermentation, just make a nice strong cup and go from there Taste, taste, taste!

For anyone looking to join in this month, remember: most of us are definite newbies. The point is to experiment and have fun! Hopefully learn a few things too. So don't be afraid to jump in and start a batch - we're all in it together

Yeah, I saw the same thing in Terry Garey's book. But it doesn't say why? So I guess that I'll be finding out.

 

[vernsgal]

Okay here's my Feb. recipe/s. Since I missed last month I'm going to do 2 similar meads. Just using different teas. I have to leave for a week again next weekend so I'll be pitching it when I get home
The 2 teas are: Mandarine Orange Spice and Country Peach Passion
Per recipe:
3 lbs clover honey
1 cup white grape concentrate
16 tea bags
1 tsp acid blend
1/4 tsp k-meta
1 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp pectic enzyme
Yeast D47
Heat honey with equal portion of water (below boil) Hold at temp for 10 minutes
Add tea bags for 10 minutes, then remove
Top up with water to 1 gal + 3 cups
Add concentrate, acid blend,1/3 nutrient,pectic enzyme
Once must has cooled below 20C I'll pitch yeast
will step feed the nutrients
I plan to ferment to dry, then backsweeten lightly with a bit more honey and tea

 

[the_rayway]

Woot! Good for you Kim. I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes.

 

[the_rayway]

Ferment is finally going. Took a good 48hrs or so. The wine smells like...cinnamon...???
Looks gorgeous though

 

[winesleeper]

Peach/Banana/Cinnamon Update

3-7-2014:
I started project this evening. When I hand the fruit bag and brown sugar and 1 gallon of water in the bucket the SG was at 1.068. So I knew at that time I would not be able to add all of my white sugar. So I added ¾ lbs of white sugar and the SG shot up to 1.096. I was looking for a starting SG of 1.080. So I slowly added water to get the SG down to 1.080. It took about a ¼ gallon of water to adjust the SG. Then added the pectic enzyme, acid blend, yeast nutrient, yeast energizer and went to bed. Did not get a ratio of 1:3 for the brown to white sugar like I wanted.

3-8-2014:
This morning I checked the SG and it was down to 1.072. Why?? I added some more white sugar and got it back to 1.080. Then I pitched the yeast per yeast instructions. All I can smell at this point are bananas. Hope the peach shows up sometime.

 

[vernsgal]

winesleeper, I have found that it's really hard to bring peach flavor out of the primary. Maybe add some more as an f pak in secondary?

 

[Stressbaby]

Late to the party, but will catch up on the recipes later.
My recipe this month: Carambola wine, recipe #2.
The first recipe was a mess. My second batch of wine ever and it was very disappointing. This time, 2x fruit and more attention to fermentation temp and pH. We'll try to bring down the SG to 1.080 and add Optiwhite.

7# starfruit
5 pints water
11 oz sugar
1 Campden
1t acid blend (to start)
1 can Welch's white grape concentrate
1t pectic
2g Optiwhite
GoFerm and Fermaid K, step fed

Combine everything but the pectic, GoFerm, Fermaid K. Wait 12 hours, add pectic. Wait 12 hours, adjust pH to 3.2 and SG to 1.080. Pitch yeast with GoFerm. Step feed with Fermaid K. Usual care. That is the plan anyway.

 

[x_diver]

Put my plantains & raisin wine in secondary. It ain't the best smelling wine that I've made but it's got a nice color.


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[winesleeper]

Peach/Banana/Cinnamon Update

3-9-2014:
Active yeast with lots of bubbles.

 

[Honeyblunt]

Is it too late to join this month's? I just got in an impulsey type of mood and bought a few ingredients.


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[Jericurl]

Nope, jump right in.

I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to do a March wine and what it's going to be.

I'm running out of room and have 2 6 gallon carboys that I need to get into bottles.
Plus one 5 gallon carboy, 4 1 gallons, and 2 3 gallon carboys that need to be bottled.
I think by the time I get done bottling it will probably be April!

 

[Honeyblunt]

Well sweet! I am still hella new to wine making with my first batch still finishing up. That being said, this wine will be most likely pretty wild. Here are the ingredients I have although I'm still working on the amounts.

5 cups Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries

15 oz coconut juice with pulp

50 oz 100% non concentrate apple juice

50 oz peach flavored apple juice from fresh pressed apples (not concentrate)




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[Stressbaby]

3/11/14 Carambola wine update
This is my third batch and every one has fermented lightning fast.
Down from 1.065 to 1.020 in 36 hours despite the application of cool packs around the bucket to hold the temp down.
I added 7 more ounces of sugar to get the equivalent of SG of 1.085, plus the last 1/8 tsp Fermaid K this morning.
I expect this will be in the secondary by Thursday.
It has the color of fresh OJ.

 

[the_rayway]

Tart Cherry Wine update:
Racked to secondary, very pretty colour! S.G. Down to 1.028 and dropping fast.
Started to have some H2S again, so splash racked the heck out of it before putting into glass.
I'll try and snap a picture at home tonight.

 

[JDesCotes]

I've never done this wine of the month club as I just started making wine in January, but I think I should join.

On Saturday I started a Skeeterpee using the original recipe, however I added 1 packet of toasted Hungarian oak and 5 overripe bananas (peeled and boiled)

I also pushed the SG slightly higher to 1.110

Today I am finally seeing bubbles start to form in my primary, so hopefully it has finally started fermentation.

The juice smells and tastes great so far, the only downside is the gray color... I REALLY hope that clears with the addition of sparkolloid!!

 

[kryptonitewine]

JDC - wondering why peel and boil the bananas? I use them in a lot of wine. I freeze them and then slice them - peels and all.

 

[JDesCotes]

I saw a recipe online for banana wine and it called for peeling and boiling for 15 minutes, so I based it off of that. I've never added banana before

 

[CowboyRam]

I pulled out 36 lbs. of Blackberries today to start my blackberry wine; I have decided to use Tom's Blackberry recipe.

While going through the freezer today I found 7 lbs. of raspberries, 4 lbs. of cranberries, 5 lbs. of blueberries, 6 lbs. of rhubarb, and 6 lbs. of strawberries. I was going to make a gallon batch of white cranberry peach from juice, but now I don't know what I want to make for my gallon batch.