March 2014 Wine of the Month Club

[kryptonitewine]

Let’s think spring and get the March Wine of the Month Club started!!!

This informal “Club” is open to anyone who wants to join in.



All participants make a 1 gallon batch of wine.

Try and think out of the box and come up with a unique and interesting wine to try. Something you’ve never done, or a recipe you’ve done but want to tweak. The idea is to make a small one gallon batch so that if it’s bad you aren’t out a lot of money and supplies. If it’s good, you can make a larger batch.



Post your recipes, any updates and/or photos, as we progress we will all post a summary of what we could have done better on a particular batch (and how), something that went very well, and something that was learned.

Posting the experience gained is not a requirement, but I think it will help a lot since most of us that are participating are beginners. It is also a way to keep positive and look back and see how much we have learned.



In one year, February 2015, we will begin drinking our wine and post our findings/impressions, etc, for each bottle consumed.



I tried doing hyper links to the prior months but was unsuccessful. I can make wine. I can't make hyperlinks.

*****This months participants*****

Me - tomato cooking wine

2134rick - raspberry port

Wine sleeper - peach/banana/cinnamon

Ray way - tart cherry

Cowboy ram - blackberry
Mango

X-diver - plantain

Droc - tea mead

Vern's gal - mandarin orange spice
Country peach passion

Stress baby - carambola

Honey blunt - cherry coconut

Lickermaker - strawberry

 

[kryptonitewine]

I've been wanting to do a cooking wine. What better thing to cook with than tomatoes?! I am creating a recipe and once complete I'll get this baby started and post the recipe.

 

[21234rick]

I would love to join in this month! Now I just need to decide what to make?

 

[21234rick]

Ok, I have done a little research, and by combining some recipes, this is what I have come up with. I plan to start the fruit wine at SG 1.090 (22.5 brix) and ferment down to SG 1.040 (10 brix). At this point, I will stop fermentation with Everclear. Using the Pearson square, I will target 20% alcohol.

Raspberry Port-Style Fruit Wine

• 6lbs. Red Raspberries
• 1 banana (to add body)
• Sugar or enough to reach a Specific Gravity of 1.090
• Water to make 1 ¼ gallon
• 1 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
• ¾ tsp. Acid Blend Powder
• ½ tsp. Pectic Enzyme Powder
• 1 Campden Tablet (Crushed)

I will start with slightly more than a gallon, so that once fortified, I hope to end up with 12 splits (375ml) bottles. I will bulk age for 4-6 months, then bottle.

Any suggestions?

 

[winesleeper]

Rookie winemaker, so anything I try will be new, unique and interesting for me. Everyone please make suggestions and comments to help me through this process. I’m going to try and make a Peach/Banana/Cinnamon Wine. It’s based off several peach wine recipes found on the internet and comments made on this forum.

Here is my plan for one gallon:

3 lbs store frozen peaches
1 lb ripe bananas
1 lb light brown sugar
2 lbs white sugar (Adjust for starting SG of 1.080)
1/16 tsp potassium metabisulphate
1/8 tsp liquid pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp tannin
1 ½ tsp acid blend
1 tsp yeast nutrient
½ tsp yeast energizer
5 pints water + to one gallon
1 packet EC1118 yeast
½ tsp potassium sorbate (Stabilizing)
1/16 tsp potassium metabisulite (Stabilizing)
1 tsp sparkolloid (Clarifier)
2 cinnamon sticks

Peel bananas, slice and place in saucepan with one pint boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes. Take thawed peaches, cooled sliced bananas and place in a fruit straining bag. Mix the brown sugar with four pints boiling water and stir to dissolve sugar. When cool, add all liquid and fruit bag to primary bucket. Add water to bring total to one gallon. Use white sugar to adjust SG to 1.080. Add potassium metabisulphate, pectic enzyme, tannin, acid blend, yeast nutrient and yeast energizer. Let must sit undisturbed overnight covered. Use brew belt if needed to keep temperature in the 70F-80F range.

Add 1 packet of EC1118 yeast per yeast directions and stir primary. Each day, squeeze juice from fruit bag into primary. Remove fruit bag and stir primary then replace fruit bag and cover primary. Do this until SG is less than 1.000. Remove fruit bag and discard. Do not stir. When the SG is below 1.000 for three consecutive days the wine is finished fermenting.

Rack wine and stabilize with potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulite. Degas wine then add Sparkolloid per package instruction. Top up carboy, add airlock, and allow to clear for 2 to 4 weeks.

Rack wine and add simple syrup to backsweeten to your taste. Add cinnamon sticks and allow to age 3-6 months before tasting and bottling.

Well? Will it work and not look and taste like sewer water.

 

[kryptonitewine]

Sounds promising sleeper. Welcome to da club.


Jim

 

[the_rayway]

Mwahaha! I found frozen SOUR CHERRIES!!! So, naturally, I picked up 5.5 Lbs to make my March wine. I've always wanted to make sour cherry wine, as I've heard it can be amazing.

So here goes!

This is the potential recipe, I'll post what actually happens once I get all my ducks in a row:

5.5 Lbs Sour Cherries, pitted (except 1 Lb)
Sugar to S.G. 1.090 - est. 2.5Lbs
1.5 Tsp Nutrient - split
1/8 tsp tannin
1 campden tab
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast (to metabolize malic acid)
1/2 oz oak chips (?)
1 vanilla bean, split (?)
1/2 Lb Raisins (?)

Wondering if I should add any/all of the last bits. Thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[vernsgal]

ok, just got back so give me a few days of thinking and will post!

 

[Jericurl]

I"m in, but I'm not sure yet what kind of wine I will be making. I have a ton of stuff I need bottled, I'm wanting to do another 6 gallons of Dragon's Blood, and I have a kit that has arrived.
I may take 1 gallon of my 6 gallons of Dragon's Blood I'll be making and do some kind of wild tweak to it.

 

[CowboyRam]

Ok, I am in; going to make a 6 gallon batch of Blackberry as soon a the PH meter arrives in the mail. I am hoping it gets here in the next few days. I am not sure one what recipe I am going to use yet. I also want to start a gallon batch, but not sure what as of yet. I have been drinking the White Cranberry Peach juice at the breakfast table and I like the taste of that. I just may get some of that juice and see what happens.

Jay

 

[kryptonitewine]

Ok, I am in; going to make a 6 gallon batch of Blackberry as soon a the PH meter arrives in the mail. I am hoping it gets here in the next few days. I am not sure one what recipe I am going to use yet. I also want to start a gallon batch, but not sure what as of yet. I have been drinking the White Cranberry Peach juice at the breakfast table and I like the taste of that. I just may get some of that juice and see what happens.

Jay

I used the White Cranberry Peach as a base for a wine last summer. We drank it too early, it was really good, would have been great given some time!

 

[x_diver]

I've been reading this thread for months and am going to jump in. I'm new to wine making but will give it a go.

First, I must confess that I've started already. I saw plantains at the local fruit market a few weeks ago for $0.50 per pound and bought a bunch. They took two weeks to ripen. After they ripened, I peeled them and froze the plantains and their skins in separate bags.

I then began to do a little research but couldn't find much in terms of recipes for plantain wine. So I figured since plantains are a member of the banana family, I'd use a banana wine recipe. I don't have the whole thing worked out yet but here's what I've got going right now.

(Variation on Jack Keller's Banana Wine [Dry])

- 4.5 lbs of peeled plantains
- 0.5 lbs of plantain skins
- 1.5 lbs raisins
- 6.5 pints of water
- 0.5 tsp pectic enzyme
- 1 campden tablet
- sugar to SG of 1.085
- yeast nutrient
- Red Star Cote Des Blancs yeast

Put plantains, plantain skins (minced), and raisins (minced) in a strainer bag in a primary bucket along with 6 pints of water. Dissolve sugar in 0.5 pints of water and pour over fruit in primary bucket. Add campden tablet and stir. Cover with a clean towel. After 12 hours, add pectic enzyme and stir. After 12 hours, add yeast nutrient and yeast. Stir vigorously every 12 hours.

My primary fermentation has been going for about 5 days now and I'm down to a SG of about 1.005. It smells very "earthy" - which is another way of saying that it smells like plantains and dirt. It also has a brown color. But then again, so did the banana wine that I made 4 months ago when it was in primary - and it is now clear as can be and smells like a chardonnay.

Anyway, it should be below a SG of 1.0 in a few days - at which time I plan to remove the strainer bag and put the wine in secondary. It'll be interesting to see how it compares with making wine from bananas. Jack's recipe calls for 2 tsp of citric acid which I might add - but not until I test with my PH meter.

Anyone else done plantains? Citric acid vs acid blend suggestions?

 

[vernsgal]

welcome to WOTM x_diver.
I haven't done plantains so I can't help there but I would suggest holding off on the citric acid until, as you said, you test your PH/TA. If plantains are similar to bananas in wine your TA probably will be low. Personally if my Ph is good I don't mess with the TA because raising you TA will lower your PH. I think members here are kinda half and half on that one.
As for the difference on citic acid vs blends
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f5/acid-blend-40028/

 

[Droc]

I'd like to join in this month, but I have a quick question first. I'm planning in doing a mead with orange blossom honey. I plan in adding blood orange tisane herbal tea to it (I guess I should keep getting my girlfriend these wild read, some if them sound like they make good wine.). My question is has anyone made a tea mead/ wine. I can't decide if I want to ferment it with the tea added or steep in in afterward. Also, how much would I use. I don't want it to be over powering and my experiences with spices so far leave something to be desired. I always either add too much or too little. Any feedback would be appreciated. Here's a pic of the tea I'll be using.


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[the_rayway]

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

 

[cmason1957]

I'll act like I know something about the differences between plantains and bananas, even though I may well be full of hot air.

Plantains Bananas

• Starchy
• Used as a vegetable
• Longer than bananas
• Thicker skin
• Resemble green bananas, but may be green, yellow or black

• Sweet
• Eaten as a fruit
• Shorter than plantains
• Thinner skin
• Color is green when not fully ripe, yellow when ripe

That starchy, not sweet part of plantains make me wonder if there may be issues with using them in wine. It will be interesting to read what happens, that is for sure.

 

[Bibelljim]

Hello,

I was at Costco today and found that they have big bags of frozen blueberries. I was thinking about making wine from these, but I am a newbie and never done that before.

I can't do it now, since my one carboy is full, but after I bottle, I was thinking about making my first wine from real fruit.

Has anyone here done this before? Is this a good idea?

 

[cmason1957]

Check out the Daves Dragons Blood thread under recipes. Many people here do this kind of thing all the time.

If all goes as planned, this might be a link to it. http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f2/dangerdaves-dragon-blood-wine-41825/

 

[kryptonitewine]

Hello,

I was at Costco today and found that they have big bags of frozen blueberries. I was thinking about making wine from these, but I am a newbie and never done that before.QUOTE]

Jimmy,

I made an all Blueberry version of the Dragons blood this fall.
It's quick, easy, and tasty!

 

[kryptonitewine]

I've done some research and finally came up with my recipe for my tomato wine.
I have a bunch of blanched and frozen tomatoes from my garden last year.

5 lbs of tomatoes
1 cup golden raisins
simple syrup - looking for an SG of about 1.85
water to 1.25 gallons
1 tsp acid blend
1/4 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp nutrient
1 tsp energizer
Lalvin EC1118

I'm going to add some rosemary and or some thyme to a bottle or two to see how it works out.