Peppermint wine anyone?

[dralarms]

got a ton of peppermint plants, thinking about trying a wine. How much peppermint leaves should I use for a 5 gallon batch?

 

[dralarms]

No one ever try this?

 

[Stressbaby]

I've made lemongrass mint wine, that's as close as I've come. 3 gallons:

650g lemongrass
2 qt mint leaves
24oz sauv blanc concentrate
2.35kg sugar
2t citric
1t tartaric

Don't go too high on the mint, you end up with mouthwash. And full disclosure, I ended up dumping this wine. Not bad, just have a lot of better options and we were never going to drink it.

 

[cmason1957]

I have a friend who owns a commercial winery. They make a mint tea wine. I have talked with him some about how he does it and I think this is his process. I believe this is for about 60-100 gallons. Make a very bland (Niagara maybe) white wine, after it is fermented, add about 100-200 tea bags and several large handfuls of torn mint leaves. Let sit for a month or two, filter, sorbate and such, backsweeten to desired amount. Hopefully that gives you an idea of where to start.

 

[dralarms]

Thanks for the input.

 

[mikewatkins727]

I make a mint wine, using about 1 qt of leaves per gal.

 

[dralarms]

I make a mint wine, using about 1 qt of leaves per gal.

Thanks, now how many leave can I strip from the plant before I kill it?

 

[Stressbaby]

You can't kill mint.

 

[dralarms]

You can't kill mint.

Don’t bet on it. I can kill anything that’s green. My wife won’t even let me trim her plants. I’m allowed to dig holes but that’s it.

 

[mikewatkins727]

Don’t bet on it. I can kill anything that’s green. My wife won’t even let me trim her plants. I’m allowed to dig holes but that’s it.

Leave a few leaves and water it. Mine dies off every winter (freezes) but comes back.

 

[susieqz]

i harvest mint 3 times/season.
each time, i take 3/4 of the leaves.
i drink mint tea every night, as i don't care for caffeine in the eve.

 

[PandemoniumWines]

I’m going to have some empty carboys coming up soon, this sounds like one to try out, maybe age on some chocolate... jack keller agreed with one quart per gallon.

 

[meadmaker1]

Don’t bet on it. I can kill anything that’s green. My wife won’t even let me trim her plants. I’m allowed to dig holes but that’s it.

I had a couple lemon mint volinteer along my drive way several years ago. It got the weed eater treatmet like the black berries and scotch broom. Now its growing all the way down the road. My kids and now their kids love to pick it to mix into their magic mud pie potions.
Try picking it with your lawn mower.
You cant kill mint, by picking it.

 

[dralarms]

Ok, I used about 2 qt bags of peppermint leaves, frozen, in 2.5 gallons of sugar water. It is now clear and it’s absolutely fantastic. I will be making this again.

 

[cmason1957]

I made a candy came wine once. The best comment I remember was a wine that can you get you drunk and freshen your breath at the same time.

 

[Julie]

Just now seeing this. I, also, make a candy cane wine. Actually my last on was in 2012 and my daughter-in-laws and I finished that up this Christmas. So I need to make another batch. We all loved it and I will be making another batch.