Prickly Pear Wine

[jswordy]

Thanks for the pix...been dying for a peek at what this wine looks like!

 

[Jericurl]

UPS tracking shows out for delivery!

 

[Jericurl]

Ok, racked into my secondary.
The smaller bottle is 1.75 liters, so it's just under a 1/2 gallon. And I don't have a stopper that fits it.
I have one that fits a gallon bottle. Not sure what to do with the smaller bottle now.
So far the color is very opaque and is somewhere between the bright magenta color and a darker pinkish/purple.
It's kind of ugly. And smells ugly. And tastes really ugly. I'm still ridiculously excited.
The third picture down is the muddy sludge left over after racking.

Also, I have another question for you guys regarding light and aging wine. Do you keep it out of the bright light mainly to just preserve colors?

 

[jswordy]

It'll get darker as it ages and the yeast and sediment falls out. You should be excited.

Keep wine out of light to preserve color and prevent heating of the contents, which can "burn" or "cook" the wine. Light also can affect the maturation of the wine in some instances. It's as easy as wrapping a large bath towel around the carboy to prevent all that.

 

[Downwards]

That's going to be a pretty wine!!

 

[jamesngalveston]

just dont get in a hurry and adding weird stuff to it....i have seen some weird things added to wine....just chill and let it take its course and come here ofter if you have questions, were all here to help..if we can.
and you should have a very nice finished color.

 

[Jericurl]

Lol.....I am leaving this one as is James. (I added weird stuff to the small leftover bottle next to it....that managed to satisfy my inner mad scientist.)
I covered the bottle with a couple of old tshirts today. I'm hoping it clears out like a champ and remains that dark pink color.

 

[JohnT]

Lol.....I am leaving this one as is James. (I added weird stuff to the small leftover bottle next to it....that managed to satisfy my inner mad scientist.)
I covered the bottle with a couple of old tshirts today. I'm hoping it clears out like a champ and remains that dark pink color.

Jeri, It will. In a few days you should start to see how the top of the carboy has a much darker color than the bottom, much like a "Black and Tan" (if you frequent Irish pubs).

Do not worry too much about the taste and smell at this point (unless it smells like rotten eggs). As the yeast settles out, the tast will change.

You seem to be doing everything right. I am sure that you will feel that this has been all worth while in the end...

Suggestion, Why not give manthing the first sip at racking? It might help him to forget about the cactus prickers in his hands and encourage an even bigger harvest next year!

 

[Jericurl]

Suggestion, Why not give manthing the first sip at racking? It might help him to forget about the cactus prickers in his hands and encourage an even bigger harvest next year!

I read this to him before he left for work. He made a face. He's not a wine drinker so we will see if I can convince him. He did eat a peanut butter and prickly pear jelly sandwich this morning though, so he enjoys it in some forms I guess, lol.

 

[JohnT]

Jeri,

Just put it to him this way..

1) it is FREE!

2) it is healthy (all natural) - When my wife goes on the "healthy-eating" kick, it usually EXCLUDES alcohol.

3) It was made by you, the woman of his dreams! If he loves you, and you made the wine, he must (by default) love the wine.

4) Tell him that, for every glass he drinks, he gets a free pass on taking out the garbage.

One of the above is BOUND to work!

 

[Jericurl]

Lol @ JohnT

1. That's probably the only reason why I was able to convince him to help me gather so much of it.

2. If I mentioned "healthy" eating to him, he would probably check me into a mental institution.

3. Aaaawwww....this is true. I'll float that out there and see if he bites.

4. .....I don't know if this is a trade off I'm willing to make....I mean, he takes out the trash AND I get more wine vs I take out the trash and he drinks the wine....hmmmmm....

 

[Jericurl]

Anyhoo,
To get this back on track...

I was planning on letting this sit without disturbing it till the end of October, then rack again.
Then let it sit until the end of November.
If it isn't clear by then and I decide to bulk age it, should I go ahead and add some type of additive to clear it up? Or do you only do that just prior to bottling?

 

[JohnT]

Jeri,

Good plan.

Many use a "holiday schedule", that is to rack at Holloween, Then at Thankgiving, and then at Easter.

 

[Crown_King_Robb]

Prickly pear makes for good margaritas too. (since wine is off the list)

 

[Jericurl]

Prickly pear wine is on the left.

It appears to be clearing nicely.

 

[the_rayway]

Hey Jeri,
Just found this thread - looks interesting! I don't think we can grow these up here, although I thought I saw them at the grocery store a few months ago...for like $2/each. Yikes!

Love the colour of this wine!

 

[Jericurl]

Yikes, that is a lot of money for a prickly pear.

I have a friend that lives in Quebec and she was able to find some growing about an hour away from her.
They are a bit harder to find the further north you travel, but you might still find them around somewhere.

This batch is just quietly aging out right now.
It looks pretty clear right now. I don't really see any more sediment but plan on racking it one more time at the end of the month.
It's still a very dark color when you look at it in the carboy, and a dark magenta in the glass.
Very pretty to look at.

 

[sgx2]

I just bottled my first batch of this.

It's a pale, white wine these days -- a far cry from what I saw after first racking (see attached images)...

I could never get the slight haze to clear -- I tried hitting it with pectic enzyme twice and also tried amylase enzyme twice (in case it was a starch haze).

My wife and I agree that it's a lovely, herbaceous wine with hints of clover and summer heat.

 

[JohnT]

Hey Jericurl,

How's that wine? Have you racked it since October?

 

[the_rayway]

Wow sgx2, I can't believe that is the same wine! What a difference.