My Recipe for "Nero's Gold."
My name is Guss Imperio and I make Wine under the Winery Name of Sir Henry Street Winery. I called my wine "Red Devil Wine", and I make many, many varieties from raw fruit and from kits. My personal preference is fruit as I have developed my own recipes thru trial and error (more error than trial).
I am going to post this recipe I call "Nero's Gold" and you, my fellow winemakers, are more than welcome to modify/use/or process your own recipe from this basic recipe.
This recipe is formatted for a (6) gallon batch. I haven't made a 12 gallon batch from this recipe , but you can do the math, i.e., a 12 gallon would take double the ingredients, a 3 gallon batch, half the ingredients.
Making wine is very individual and personal to your style and taste. I'm only providing a recipe that works for me.
Always make sure that anything that touches your wine is clean and sanitized. And, keep a record of everything you do regardless of how insignificant you may feel it is. The little things are important.
This is a semi-dry, sweet-tart, wine made from Blackberries and Blueberries, with a Orange-Pinneapple twist. It ferments nicely and clears fast. This wine has bottled in less than two months , but your experience may vary.
Ingredients:
6 gallons of water
4 lbs of Blackberries (Frozen from Walmart)
1 lb of Blueberries (Frozen from Walmart)
1 can Welches (12 oz) Orange Pinneapple Concentrate
124 ounces (2 quarts) 100% Blackberry Juice
10 Tsp Acid Blend
5 Tsp Yeast Nutrient
2 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
2 Tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 Pkg Montrachet Yeast (Use your own favorite Yeast)
1 strainer bag
Good Luck
Clean and sanitize two pots that will hold three (3) gallons of water (I use Olsopure or Deerpark Water from WalMart.) Dissolve 5 pounds of pure cane sugar in one pot on the stove bringing the sugar to boil for 3-5 minutes. Put 6 1/4 pounds of sugar in pot #2 and bring to boil for 3-5 minutes. Make sure your berries are unthawed. Place the berries in a strainer bag, tie and secure the top, and place them in a primary fermenter of 7 gallons or more. Place the frozen concentrate into the primary. To the primary, add the hot sugar water over the berries and concentrate and stir (Note: the hot sugar water will help determine the color of your wine as it combines with the fruit.) Give the strainer bag a couple squeezes when the must is cool enough to work in the pectic enzyme. Add the 124 ounces of Welches Black Berry 100% juice and stir. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the yeast, and stir (Note: I always dissolve my chemicals before adding them to the must.) Add water, or Blackberry Juice, to top-up to the six (6) gallon level. You should have a S.G. reading of 1.110 or close. This should give you a finished ABV of about 12-13%-add more/less sugar for higher/lower desired ABV. Be sure to stir sugar until completely dissolved. Test the must with a hydrometer (you are looking for a S.G. of 1.110) Do not over sweeten. Cover the Primary with a cloth/towel/panty hose or material to allow CO2 gas to escape , but keep BUGS out. Do Not put the lid on the primary or attach an Airlock at this time. My wine fermentation room is kept at a temperature between 68-72 degrees. I like a higher fermentation temperature because it produces a sharper tasting, more colorful wine. And, on the other side of the coin, a lower temperature will produce a more fruity taste, paler, smoother tasting wine. OKay, You got everything in the Primary except the Yeast? STOP:COVER the Primary with a loose towel/cloth/panty hose and Wait 24 hours....
OK. After 24 hours THROW THE YEAST (I use Montrachet for this recipe). You can sprinkle the yeast on top of the must(don't stir it) or do as I do which is: Add yeast to 1 cup of warm water, let set 15 minutes, stir, add to primary and stir gently. ( I'm sure other strains of yeast will work very well with this recipe.) Make it your own...Experiment
Splash Stir(Stir Vigorously) and check S.G. every day while in the primary. I stir vigorously. I hold the Nylon Straining Bag above the primary as I stir and gently give it a squeeze( very gently) before placing it back into the primary.
OK, after four (4) days and 12 hours, I remove the Nylon Straining Bag. Yes, if it means getting up in the middle of the night, I remove it. (personal choice, you can leave the fruit as long or as little as you want---it's your wine). 4 days 12 hours works for me. I let the juice run out of the Nylon Straining Bag without a final squeeze at this point. And, stir the Must.
When the S.G. reaches 1.000 or below, and has stabilized (3 days with same S.G.), rack your must into a sanitized glass carboy. Try not to transfer the "lees" from the bottom of the primary. It's OK if some of the "lees" transfer, you can remove them with subsequent racking.
Add 1/4 tsp Potassium Metabisulfite dissolved in warm water----stir
Add 3 tsp Potassium Sorbate dissolved in warm water----stir
Add 5 Camden Crush Tablets dissolved in warm water---stir
Add Sparkolloid or a Clearing agent of your choice NOW. (Follow manufacture's instructions ).
OK. If your Carboy is not full to within 2 inches of the Bung, top-up with more Blackberry juice or a wine of your choice.
Fit the Carboy with a rubber stopper (bung) and Airlock filled 1/2 way with water.
At this point, I cover my carboy with a dark cover to keep the sun from robbing the color from my wine. Your choice to cover or not cover.
Leave it alone for TWO WEEKS.
After Two Weeks, I rack my wine into a clean, sanitized Carboy. Record the S.G. and replace the Airlock back on to the Carboy
Leave it alone for TWO WEEKS.
After Two Weeks, I rack my wine again into a clean, sanitized Carboy leaving behind any "lees" that might be there. Check S.G. and record it.(I'm looking for my wine to clear to a point I can put a newspaper behind the Carboy and read the print.)
Leave it alone for another TWO WEEKS.
After Two Weeks, I rack and NOW it's time to Sweeten.
I use 6 cups of sugar boiled more/less to taste
8 ounces of Wine Conditioner to taste.
1/4 Tsp Kmet--dissolved
3 Tsp Sorbate--dissolved
5 Camden Crush Tablets--dissolved
Stir gently
Secure Bung and Airlock and wait one week.
After one week. Check S.G. and taste. Sweeten to taste. Filter if your like (i use Buonvino filter).
If wine is not CLEAR....Wait another week. Do Not bottle cloudy wine. It will NOT Clear in the bottle (remember the newspaper trick from above).
I try to keep my finished, bottled wine, 6 months to one year before I drink it. It's your wine, you decide. This wine will be very good immediately after bottling and will definitely improve with aging.
Note: There are many variations to this recipe. Manage the amount of Blackberries to Blueberries or Blueberries to Blackberries as you would like. Replace the Orange Pineapple Juice with a frozen concentrate of your choice.
Let your imagination be your guide.
I want to thank all my friends and fellow winemakers for tips on methods and information.
Good Luck and "Never Treat any Wine as Ordinary."
I will post pictures of "Neros' Gold" as soon as my wife can figure out how to get the pictures here again.
Ciao for Now
Guss Imperio
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