[Wade E]

Ive always been told that wine that has been sweetened will actually taste sweeter later as the alc mellows in. This is not always true as I made a Cranberry wine late 2006 and my wife was always the taste tester for when to stop sweetening, well she had a cold at the time and when she said it was good I tasted it and it as way to sweet and Im usually the 1 that tends to like it sweeter but this 1 was even way to sweet for me. Late last year i opened a bottle of this wine and it was pretty darn good and tonight I opened another bottle and dang, this stuff is ready to drink now. The sweeteness has mellowed very nice now and is so darn good that i would enter this in a comp. if I still have any moula left over after the holidays for George's sake. This was a Vintners Harvest Cranberry and 1 of only a few from them that I can honestly say make it right after the Black currant. For anyone who has not made either of these 2 wines from them I highly recommend these Vintners Harvest Wine Bases and they are just a little harder to make then a kit only becusae you have to have a few more supplies like a fermenting bag and acid blend handy although you dont need a fermenting bag with the Black currant as its all juice and no fruit. Easy as pie and very rewarding.

[K&GB]

Wade,


I did the VH black currant, but I'm disappointed with the results so far. Gave it a little american oak and back sweetened just a bit with red grape concentrate before bottling. How do you finish yours, dry, sweet, semi-sweet?


BTW, I've got the blackberry and pear on order from George.


KenEdited by: K&GB

[smurfe]

Ken, what size batch did you make? I like the VH bases but found that I either make a 3 gallon batch or use 2 cans of base for a 5-6 gallon batch. If not they come out a bit thin. Others say they make 5 gallons with one can and it comes out to their liking. For my fruit wines i ferment them to dry, stabilize and back sweeten to taste.

[Wade E]

I like mine semi to sweet and use black currant juice to sweeten it back so I actually used 1 can to 6 gallons. If I were doing it dry then I would to 2 cans to 5-6 gallons. How did you make yours as Im very suprised that you didnt like it!

[K&GB]

Not to steal your post here Wade, but my recipe was as follows:


1 96 oz can concentrate
3-1/2 cans water
6 lbs sugar
1 bottle wine expert red grape concentrate
2-1/2 tsp acid blend
1 tsp grape tannin
1 tsp pectic enzyme
3 campden tabs
Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast


Started 4-21-08 SG 1.090
5-15 stabilized with K-meta and K-sorbate
5-20 added super kleer and american oak
6-8 rack off of oak
6-23 racked onto 1/3 bottle wine expert red grape concentrate
8-26 added 1/8 tsp K-meta
8-31 bottled


The wine tastes dry and tart with pronounced woody oak flavor. Not much bouquet or flavor, but it's still young.

[Wade E]

Wow, 1 can to a 3 gallon batch and you didnt like it huh, oh well, guess everyone cant like it!