Waldo's Port Wine

[Waldo]

Waldo:


Since you are at the begining stages of fermentation, could you just add the ingredients to this batch to bring you level back up to 6 gallons?


Question: Why would one add dried banana's anyways? If you could add fresh, or somthing else to the wine if your only adding them for body? What was your reasoning for adding dried banana's? I have heard of a few people doing this and so far, all of them had ill results from it.

My thinking, perhaps erroneous jobe was that I might benifit by the bananas being dried in that I would achieve the extra body I was wanting without the mess of fresh bananas. Has anyone else used dried bananas?
Anyway, I found some more, whole red bananas, dried, from Mexico that are definately all natural so I am going to try them. Will I sample one first to make sure I get no oily residue from them.......ya damn betcha I will !!!

 

[jobe05]

Waldo:


I think it was Jack Keller! On his blog a while ago he did the same thing. When he originally bought the dried Bananas, he was certain to double check to make sure they were all Natural. It was a while from the tie he bought them and made his wine, only to find out his wife thought they were better right out of the bag, leaving him with not enough. So he went back to the store and bought another bag. Although they said they were all natural, they had oil in them. Exact situation as yours. I forgot if he indicated what he did to rectify the problem.

 

[Waldo]

Waldo:


I think it was Jack Keller! On his blog a while ago he did the same thing. When he originally bought the dried Bananas, he was certain to double check to make sure they were all Natural. It was a while from the tie he bought them and made his wine, only to find out his wife thought they were better right out of the bag, leaving him with not enough. So he went back to the store and bought another bag. Although they said they were all natural, they had oil in them. Exact situation as yours. I forgot if he indicated what he did to rectify the problem.

Well heck..If ole Jack did it, I don't feel near so bad

Just kidding...I would like to know if he did indicate what he did if you can find it jobe.

 

[jobe05]

Here it is Waldo:


January 21st, 2006




A belated Happy New Year and Hello to all. The holidays were very good to us and we hope they were to you, too.


I recently decided to make a banana wine from a recipe sent to me by Jason Killingsworth, using dried banana chips. Here is the recipe:
Banana Wine


<UL>
<LI>10 oz. Dried bananas
<LI>1 can concentrated Niagara grape juice (orange is not a substitute in this case)
<LI>1 gallon warm water (warm enough to bring concentrate to room temp)
<LI>2 lbs sugar (this will vary, SG should be 1.093-1.095)
<LI>1 crushed Campden tablet
<LI>1/2 level teaspoon yeast nutrient
<LI>3 level teaspoons acid blend
<LI>1 packet Montrachet yeast </LI>[/list]


Put banana chips into a straining bag and mix all ingredients except yeast into primary. When must is room temperature sprinkle yeast gently over the must. After a "cap" forms, stir must daily for 5-7 days. If possible, strain must into secondary and wait 3 weeks, Siphon, top up and fit airlock and repeat and in another 3 months siphon into another secondary or bottling bucket. The FG should be 0.995 or lower and no stabilizer required. Bottle and age at least 10 months. Aged, this is a wonderful table wine that will go well with any non-spicy chicken, fish or even bar-b-q. [Recipe from Jason Killingsworth]
How Things Go Wrong




I bought a bag of banana chips at a local supermarket. I checked the label and it said they were 100% dehydrated banana chips "atomized in sulfur dioxide as a preservative." I brought them home but neglected to tell my wife they were for wine, so she opened the bag and ate a few. I decided it would be easy enough to buy more, so let her have the first bag.


It was perhaps a week before I returned to the market and bought another bag. The chips were in the same location in the store as the previous bag, but the package's label was just a little different in shape. Still, the chips looked the same. I brought them home and started the wine. Because I was out of Montrachet yeast, I used Gervin's No. 2 (French Strain) and made a starter solution, which I added to the must after it was at 72 degrees F. The next morning I noticed small globules the color of butter floating on the surface of the must. Indeed, they felt like butter when rubbed between thumb and fingers. I dug through the trash and dug out the bag the bananas had come in. The label indicated two additional ingredients -- honey and soy oil.


For five days, twice a day, I skimmed a teaspoon or so of soy oil off the surface of the must. It congealed on and inside the nylon straining bag, stuck to the sides of the primary, and in general looked unsightly, but it really caused no harm to the must. I strained it through a 0.075 (millimeter) mesh screen and continued fermenting the must. It has been two weeks and I think it is doing fine.


The lesson, for those who have not inferred it, is to always read the ingredients on the label. As much as I preach this, it is embarrassing to admit that this time I failed to do so. I assumed the ingredients were the same as the first package. That was a mistake, but not a fatal one.

 

[Wade E]

Thats funny, I went looking for it, found it, copied and went to post
when I saw that jobe found it already. Took awhile to find it and read
some of the other stuff on the site.

 

[Waldo]

Thanks jobe......Well, I have been doing basically the same thing but I had very little of the oily residue left and I believe I have now salvaged what I guess will become........Heck..I don't know...Just A nice red wine I guess. The fermentation is going strong, the aroma is intensifying and has hints of blackcherries and chocolate if you can believethat. Have not tasted it yet but probably will in a couple of days. I did dissolve 2.5 lbs more sugar this evening and add to it.

 

[pkcook]

That looks good Waldo. Glad you didn't dump it and things are looking up!

 

[bmorosco]

Looks great waldo!!

 

[Wade E]

Looking good Waldo, how much do you think yuore going to get out of
this batch now. % gallons? Are you going to have to get a 5 gallon
carboy now or just put it in a few gallon jugs?

 

[Waldo]

With the addition of the sugar ands a little more water I am back up to 5 gallon now and I have 2 more carboys I picked up at the Mountain VAlley Spring water store.

 

[Wade E]

Are they plastic or glass?

 

[Waldo]

Definately glass wade and they sell them for 10 bucks each or at least they used to. I almost had to beg to get these but the promise of couple of bottles of Muscadine to the Managertipped the scales in my favor. The lady at the front desk told me that they had decided about 5 weeks ago not to sell anymore as it was costiing them more than they were paying for the bottles by the time they figured in all the cost of preparing and processing the invoice etc etc.

 

[Waldo]

That looks good Waldo. Glad you didn't dump it and things are looking up!

Thanks pk and bmorosco....I'm glad I didn't dump ittoo. Edited by: Waldo

 

[Wade E]

Good deal.

 

[Waldo]

IEdited by: Waldo

 

[Stvr]

Mr. Waldo,


I'm pleased to read that you didn't lose your batch. That must havebeen a little hairy going for a while!

Myself, I prefer to use fresh bananas for wine body enrichment and mouth feel. My first (successful) attempt at Banana Wine, I PEELED all 16 lbs. and tossed them in the bucket. What a fuzzy and gooey mess that was come first racking!!!


Anyhoo's, since then Inow then cut them into 1/4" thick silver dollars leaving the skins on. They stay mostly intact till racking time. I don't even bag'em and let them float free in the must.


Looks like a great recipe, continued good luck to you.Edited by: Stvr

 

[Wade E]

Leave the skins on ay, they dont impart an off taste? I have never used
bananas before but have been thiking about but didnt know if I wanted
to get that messy. Can you post that 16 lb. recipe?

 

[Waldo]

Mr. Waldo,


I'm pleased to read that you didn't lose your batch. That must havebeen a little hairy going for a while!

Myself, I prefer to use fresh bananas for wine body enrichment and mouth feel. My first (successful) attempt at Banana Wine, I PEELED all 16 lbs. and tossed them in the bucket. What a fuzzy and gooey mess that was come first racking!!!


Anyhoo's, since then Inow then cut them into 1/4" thick silver dollars leaving the skins on. They stay mostly intact till racking time. I don't even bag'em and let them float free in the must.


Looks like a great recipe, continued good luck to you.

Thanks stvr....I will take the fresh bananas under advisement. Do you advocate fresh, kinda ripe or fully ripened ( kinda black) for your wine?

 

[Waldo]

I racked the wine ( Notice I did not say Port)to glass tonight

As we reflect on what went wrong here, how it could have been prevented and I heal from the hurt of my stupidity I am comforted in the lamentations and open grief shown by my good friends ( ok jobe, get that smirk off your face) during this most troublesome time in my wine making experience. We shll all counsel together now and decide what I am going to call this wine as it no longer has the potential of being the Port I had envisioned at its conception......WAIT...A moment of silence please before you offer up your suggestions.................................................OK...Lets have them.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Whine Wine....

Seriously, I am so glad that you salvaged all those beautiful fruits and juices...It might turn out to be your best yet.

After your experience I bought some big red Flame Grape raisins...[to eat in oatmeal] but was thinking about wine....now I see that they too have oil on them...must keep them from sticking to each other, or preservatives.

Hope this wine turns out to be the best yet.