Thinking about making some port

[vacuumpumpman]

Steve(the pumpman), I thought charcoal was a no-no in wine making?....pal i can`t express how inpressive you pump is..(to a JR wine maker )...degassin ...is a gas....lol

I clean the 195 grain alcohol by using distillers charcoal to remove any odor ot taste. And you are correct charcoal is a no-no in wine making
I am glad you are not feeling gassy tonight (sorry I couldn't help it !! )

 

[spaniel]

For a black raspberry port I'm making, I got it up to 15% ABV then back-sweetened to 1.030. Added Everclear using this calculator. Targeted ending up at 20% ABV. It is really young but it tastes out pretty well.

Now, fortifying a grape wine, if you want to make quality product you will need to be using some quality brandy if it is only 40% ABV. It is going to get pricy.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

For a black raspberry port I'm making, I got it up to 15% ABV then back-sweetened to 1.030. Added Everclear using this calculator. Targeted ending up at 20% ABV. It is really young but it tastes out pretty well.

Now, fortifying a grape wine, if you want to make quality product you will need to be using some quality brandy if it is only 40% ABV. It is going to get pricy.

Thanks for that website !!
I also agree with the pricey of using some good quality brandy.
I just used to calcuate the difference at 8% wine and target alcohol of 18% you would have to add 2.27 gallons of 40 abv of brandy or .63 gallon of grain alcohol for 5 gallons of wine

 

[Runningwolf]

Dan
If you dont mind me asking what is the ABV of the brandy you are using ? I know most brandys are typically 40.

Steve, I thnk the stuff I was using was also the same. I used buttershots for the Apple Port and Hazelnut for the coffee port.

ok Runningwolf....question is ....after primary.....using a 3 gallon carboy....adding the brandy .... it will overflow a 3 gallon CB....BUT NOT enought for a 5 gallon cb.... what about the headspace?

I mixed it up in a larger container then poured back into the 3 gallon carboy. The extra was racked into a wine bottle under air lock.

 

[oliveking]

What would be the best fruit to use for a port wine?

 

[Deezil]

What would be the best fruit to use for a port wine?

Something with bold flavor - raspberries, elderberries

Can do lighter flavors too but it takes more.. finesse.. Or backsweetening with concentrate so you dont lose the fruit character to the brandy

 

[Runningwolf]

Something with bold flavor - raspberries, elderberries

Can do lighter flavors too but it takes more.. finesse.. Or backsweetening with concentrate so you dont lose the fruit character to the brandy

...blackberries.

If I was making a fruit port (Light or bold) I would keep out enough sweetened juice (unfermented) to add as a flavor pack at the same time I fortified the wine. No need for sorbate if you're fortifying around 18% alcohol. Yeast will actually stop at a lower abv but I'm not sure what that number is.

 

[g8keeper]

now i know tjis is going to sound perhaps like a joke, but i'm actually serious...to me, just experimental....but i was thinking, what about making a welch's concord wine....turning around and oaking it, and then fortifying that and turning it into a port???....like i said, just contemplation....i know johnt wouldn't approve, but how about some other input....

 

[Runningwolf]

The investment would be minimal. Another idea might be to add raisins or bananas to the fermentation to give it more body.

 

[g8keeper]

The investment would be minimal. Another idea might be to add raisins or bananas to the fermentation to give it more body.

hmmmm...me thinks me hears some wheels starting to spin a little, huh, dan???....lol...actually, i was already thinking about the welch's with oak, and then read this thread, so that got me thinking even more when it came to possibly doing it as a port....and yeah, the raisins or bananas for body, of course always a good suggestion, probably opting for raisins in this situation....

 

[hobbyiswine]

My first batch of welchs concord is turning into a bit of a project wine. Its currently in the carboy sitting on a hefty dose of oak chips waiting on a final degass (really need to bite the bullet and get an all in one pump). I think after cold stabilizing i am going to end up backsweetening some and making maybe a gallon of port. I was hoping to make a dry concord but think its going to be on the tart/sour side unless i sweeten it up. Think i will stick to the vinifera red for dry wine from now on but hopefully i will end up with a few different wines from this batch. Maybe the port will even work out! Who knows. Its fun to mess with. We will find out in a few months.

 

[dcteague]

Interesting thread. I've been in the process of making a fruit port (blueberry mainly) and the info in this thread has been very helpful as I plan the last parts of the process before I bulk age for the next several months.

Seems that getting the final volume to work out to fit into standard sized carboys is always a bit hit or miss depending on a number of factors (volume of fortifier, back sweetening volume, etc.). I think after reading through this, I'm going to go buy a few gallon jugs and extra airlocks for what won't fit into either my 3.5gal or 6.5gal carboys. Having a few gallon jugs sound like a good idea for experimenting anyway.