"Tea" Wine

[Bobp]

Has anyone ever tried making tea wine? I was thinking of trying twinnings Earl Grey tea... I have seen recipes for tea wine I just have never tasted any?? Would I be wasting my time?

 

[djrockinsteve]

I think St. Allie did. It's not a waste of time but you need lots of tea. Check the recipe section.

 

[LJPelletier]

I am currently in primary with an iced tea wine using Tetley iced tea concentrate. I have no idea yet whether I'm wasting my time or money yet, but I'm thinking it won't be all that bad.

What do you have to lose, 10lbs of sugar and a handful of tea bags? I'd say go for it.

 

[Bobp]

I am only set up for 5-6 gallon batches... i was thinking 5 boxes of twinnings earl greys steeped in 5 gallons of boiling water... leave the bags in a nylon strainer ... then use JKs basic tea recipe for the rest... maybe a couple of pounds of minced white raisens...
I wonder if the caffiene would affect the yeast or the process in any way? Would it be processed out or would you have a caffenated wine?

 

[non-grapenut]

Sometimes Earl Grey is made with bergamot oil...watch for oil sediment and rack more often, if need be, to ensure the oil doesn't go rancid. Check once/month for top floaters.

 

[LJPelletier]

I am only set up for 5-6 gallon batches... i was thinking 5 boxes of twinnings earl greys steeped in 5 gallons of boiling water... leave the bags in a nylon strainer ... then use JKs basic tea recipe for the rest... maybe a couple of pounds of minced white raisens...
I wonder if the caffiene would affect the yeast or the process in any way? Would it be processed out or would you have a caffenated wine?

Apparently caffeine helps yeast... check out these articles

http://www.miller-mccune.com/science-environment/caffeine-adds-life-to-yeast-4472/

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2006.05300.x/pdf

 

[LJPelletier]

I have heard of adding a tea bag into the secondary to provide tannins to fruit wine, but unsure how several boxes of tea bags in primary would affect the yeast either way. If there is a point at which caffeine would harm the yeast, only experiments would really allow us to know.

 

[Bobp]

Thats interesting...I beleive i will try a batch... Thanks for the response..

 

[BobF]

I've done two meads with herbal teas for flavoring. The first was 1g with herbal orange, the second was 3g with raspberry.

They both came out VERY good and keep getting better as time passes.

 

[mrzazz]

I made a 5 gallon batch with 1 large box of tea bags (100). Boiled 1 gallon of water with tea bags for 10 minutes then let sit until cool. Topped with sugar and water to 5 gallon mark (1.090). Fermented dry then added the zest of 2 oranges. Let that sit 1 week. Racked off orange zest. It turned out great.

 

[LJPelletier]

Good stuff MrZazz

 

[gonzo46307]

I do the 100 tea bags in boiling water method, but then I do a 6 gallon batch.

I use Luizianne Tea, and keep a 1 gal bottle of Tradewinds Sweet Tea handy to use to top off.

I boil/simmer the teabags in a gallon of water for about an hour...transfer to fermenting bucket, add water to the 5.5 gallon mark, then stir in sugar (I usually use three 4lb bags) to get to the potential alcohol you want. Throw in some EC1118, and let it go for a week (at around 72 deg F).

After a week, rack to secondary and let sit for another 2 weeks. Measure SG, if below .996 stabilize, sorbate, degass, clarify (using whatever method you choose) and top off with the store bought sweet tea, after a couple of weeks, rack off of sediment into fermenting bucket, add 50 teabags until desired color, then sweeten to taste.

I usually use the Tradewinds sweet tea for reference when back-sweetening. I then rack back into 6 gallon carboy, and top off with the sweet tea.

I use the "Wine on Tap" system for this type of "fermentation". The first batch last summer I did 2 bags, and 12 bottles. I just did a batch with 1 bag and 21 bottles. I'll do another batch before spring and get a couple more bags for myself...the bottles from my last batch have been spoken for already. It's very smooth over ice. Here's a pic of the final product...this is a 1.5 ltr bottle from the latest batch.

The beauty with tea, is that you can make it look, taste, however you want...it's a blank slate...do your own thing, experiment!

Peace,
Bob

 

[Bobp]

Ok well I finally got around to starting my tea wine..
I kind of went with my own idea on things...i printed a recipe from this site and refered to other recipes for "advice"
100 luzians family sized bags
20 Twinnings Earl Grey single sizes
1 lb red rasins
brought to boil in a 4 gallon pot let simmer 1 hour turning the bags over occasionally
made a sugar/ boiling water soution poured it into the primary over the chopped rasins added pot k, energizer, nutrient, acid blend, pectic enzyme @ 1/2 of normal amount i see in recipes,
started slurry waited 12 hours and pitched the EC118 slurry.. sugar was too high i think SG 1.117 but it is dropping
it seemed slow.. i stirred twice daily, but it's foaming up a cap, and obviously working just not loud and proud.. except for the HUGE amount of fruity odor it's putting off.. the rasins maybe?? not sour or rough at all.. actually tastes pretty good too.. but it's only 3 days in..we shall see..

 

[hobbyiswine]

I took a gallon of sweet tea into work today for a luncheon. Made me think...hmmm......I bet I can make wine from this?!?! I did a quick search and found this thread. Going to try and experiment with a 3 gallon batch. Will not get it started for a week or so.

 

[Bobp]

Good luck let us know how it goes... I think mine is going to be ok..i was worried.. but it's going ok now.. i beleive i'll be racking to a secondary in a couple of days.. I used the Luzians because thats the tea we drink atn home so we would be more likely to enjoy it.. and i just plain enjoy the earl greys..

 

[hobbyiswine]

Anyone ever use or hear of anyone adding acid blend to tea wine? Was thinking that the acid for a tea wine would be low and wondered if it might need a few tsp of acid blend but this is just guessing. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[GerardVineyard]

Is this something that needs to be aged or is it a wine that could be drank young? If I start some now, would it be ready to go by summer?

 

[djrockinsteve]

Guessing here but I doubt it would improve with age. Basically it's flavored water.

 

[Bobp]

I'm hoping it turns out to be a front porch drinker this summer... not to mention we have a few months between now and then..But there is so little information on it..i do not really know.. It does not taste bad right now... and smells fruity??
I intend upon the wine telling me when it's ready so to speak... once it clears.. and all looks good, i'l probably back sweeten, if needed, sorbate and bottle..

I did add acid blend because i was thinking the same way... no natural acid...

 

[hobbyiswine]

My tea wine recipe

Here is what I am thinking for my tea wine recipe. Any insight would be great!
3 gallon batch.

2 gallons tea
3 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp pectic enzyme
sugar to bump up SG if needed
Top off to 3.5 gallon mark with water
Add slurry of yeast (have red star but any other suggestions?)