February Wine of the Month Club

[ColemanM]

Ok ok I'm in this month!! Been reading these threads since November so I guess I should contribute. You all sound like culinary experts with your fruit and adjunct combinations!! I'll probably dumb down this thread but here it goes... I bought a 500ml Warre's 10 year tawny port (a little bit just for the small bottle) and found it a little light for my taste. So I decided I will try to create something like that. A blackberry raisin port. I will most likely add a can of white grape concentrate and a banana with MFT powdered oak in primary and Bordeaux blend cubes in aging. Debating on using a Cotês des Blancs yeast and kill it with residual sugar or ec1118 and see where it takes me. Will let you all know when I start it. Thanks for the fun thread

 

[Jericurl]

Glad you are joining in.
If it makes you feel better, I"m doing the 1 gallon fancy pants experiments just so I don't end up with several gallons of something that may not turn out the way I had hoped!
Next month I'm doing a 3 gallons of straight Welch's white grape peach as my wine club contribution (though knowing me, I'll have to pull off 1 gallon and do something to it, just to keep to the spirit of WOTMC).

eta: I think we have two people wanting to do a port this month now. If you have any questions about a port, The Rayway recently did one with James from Galveston helping her along. I'm sure either one of them would be able to steer you in the right direction if you need it. I'm working my up to feeling confident enough to try making a port.

 

[Jericurl]

Carolyn,
Blueberry/Peach sounds lovely. When you are doing searches, are you finding any particular spice added to tie the two together, or do they naturally pair? Are you planning a 50/50 split?

 

[wineforfun]

Ok, for this month, I just started (racked from primary yesterday) the chocolate covered cherry wine. Not sure how this is going to turn out as it looks like chocolate milk right now.

Tomorrow I am going to start a gallon of the "Awesome White" (Welchs White Niagara concentrate). It is listed in WMT's recipe section.

 

[Jericurl]

D.J.,

I was looking at that exact recipe as a base for my Kama Sutra wine!

 

[Jericurl]

Just got my shipping notice.

I bet I'll have my mead started by Wednesday. I'm excited.
For those who have made mead before, I'm thinking of making it between 9-10% alcohol.
Here I have a small confession to make....I really do clean everything and sanitize, but I've also taken comfort in the fact that not many bad beasties can survive in the 12-14 % wines I've been making.

I'm a little concerned about whether or not I'll need to completely be psychotic while making this mead...

 

[jamesngalveston]

wineforfun...I saw some chocolate wine in the grocery store yesterday, by a big winery...It looked just as you states...Chocolate milk....

 

[buckhorn]

Wow -- it's Feb 3 and this thread is already at 5 pages....

Due to the weather and doing extra around the farm to keep my Father-in-law out of the extreme cold ... I did not get my Choco-Covered Cherry started in January.
Since it is next on my list to be put into my large primary (want to be sure I have enough room for the fermentation on this one, just in case) - I will just carry through and do the choco-covered cherry this month instead.

@James - my cousin gave me glass of some chocolate wine he got at the state store (Choco-Vine) - it tasted like chocolate milk. Could be dangerous to have in the house...

@Carolyn - I wouldn't worry about duplicating what someone else has done. It is all about what you like and what you want to have in your winery stash. There have been some wonderful sounding recipes included here and if you "borrow" one, then at least you have someone to go to with questions on your specific recipe should you have them.

 

[kryptonitewine]

Wow --



@Carolyn - I wouldn't worry about duplicating what someone else has done. It is all about what you like and what you want to have in your winery stash. There have been some wonderful sounding recipes included here and if you "borrow" one, then at least you have someone to go to with questions on your specific recipe should you have them.

Yup it's all fair. I made lonestarloris strawberry chocolate and then the next month tweaked it to raspberry chocolate. We're all just having fun.

Soon I'll be copying loris mezza luna and Sangiovese. She's going to think I'm stalking her. Or am I??? Mua-ha-ha-ha



Jim

 

[ckvchestnut]

This month's thread is looking really fun! I'm really a newbie I think I'll be only using vanilla and oak to complement the blueberry peach. If anyone has suggestions for spices let me know... But when I did my search for that combinations so many recipes (food) came up with the two - funny cuz I just got the combo idea in my head before looking to see if it could work.

So i intended on doing a 1 or 2 gallon batch but then the next day - hubby said no do 3 gallon batch, so I threw everything in the fermenter. Now thinking I'll be needing to top up the fruit a bit. I can taste both fruit in the must with the blueberry dominating. I have a feeling that no matter what ratio I go with the blueberry will dominate.

That said that's kind of the way I want it. So I'll aim for brewing a blueberry style port wine with peach accent flavor. Nope no 50/50 it's all in the fermenter together. So my plan is to accent my blueberry dominant port with peach
Schnapps essence and maybe peach schnapps as well if I need any backsweetening. I had a long day at work so I'll post my recipe tomorrow morning. I didn't get home til 7 and then just finished dinner. So what do you all think?

 

[Jericurl]

Carolyn,

Sounds good so far. I was initially thinking 70% peach/ 30 % blueberry because I was afraid the blueberry would dominate, but if you are happy with the taste then great!
Do you think it needs any additional flavors to marry the two together, or do they mesh well? I have no idea as I have never attempted that particular mix. My major background in fruits is either pie or drinks and I've never tried that one. If you think it needs a spice in secondary, taste nutmeg, then taste your wine. Taste coriander, then taste your wine. Do either of those mix well?
I personally like nutmeg with peach and I like coriander with blueberry. Maybe one will work well.
(Because of that type of tinkering/experimenting, I already have a Dragon's Blood planned with rhubarb/basil. My rhubarb/basil lemonade is to DIE for, I figure a wine will be absolutely smashing as well.)

 

[ckvchestnut]

Thanks so much for your insights Jerry! I'll tasting and testing with some spices and they do seem to merry well on their own on fact it think they meld together but it could be due to the fact that at the moment I have more fresh blueberry than fresh (frozen) all fruit is frozen peach. The exception is I have two - 28!" Oz cans of peaches in light syrup! I'll post everything tomorrow!

 

[the_rayway]

February WOTM - Pink Lady Tea Wine
Tentative recipe:
- 1 cup Pink Lady Tea (white tea, citrus peel, rose buds) steeped for 2 hours in 3L water
- Juice of 4 oranges + zest
- Juice of 1 grapefruit
- 2 bananas w peels, sliced
- 4 oz mixed raisins, chopped
- water to 1 gal
- Sugar to 1.090, ended up being about 3 Lbs
- 1 Campden tablet, crushed
- Yeast will be BA11

I steeped the loose tea, zest, raisins, and bananas for 2 hours.
Strained into the bucket with the juice, campden, and sugar.
Put the tea and all the strained bits into a sanitized 'sock'.
Will wait 24 hours, take out the 'tea bag', then pitch the yeast.

 

[wineforfun]

D.J.,

I was looking at that exact recipe as a base for my Kama Sutra wine!

Jeri,
What is Kama Sutra wine..............please do tell.

 

[wineforfun]

wineforfun...I saw some chocolate wine in the grocery store yesterday, by a big winery...It looked just as you states...Chocolate milk....

James,
I have seen the wine you speak of. That is NOT what I am trying to make. I sure hope this doesn't turn out like that.
If you look in the recipe section on here, cmason has some pics of his and it is a clear, yellowish color. Not quite sure how it is going to get there, but hoping.

 

[ckvchestnut]

Ok here's my blueberry peach port recipe for 3 gallons:
- K1V-1116 yeast
- 1tsp grape tannin, 4 tsp yeast nutrient, two up front and the other two in 2 doses during ferment
- 1 tsp yeast energizer
- 4 tsp pectic enzyme
- 3 over ripe bananas peeled
- 3.5kgs (7.7lbs) frozen blueberries, (2 - 1.75kg bags of great value) 3.9lbs peaches (4 - 600gm bags of slices frozen peaches great value, and 2 - 28oz cans of sliced peaches in light syrup.
- water to top to 3.5 gals
- sugar to bring SG to 1.120 )I brought it to 1.130 by accident)
- 3 tsp acid blend
- 3.5 gms med toast oak chips or shavings for primary.
- 21 heavy toast Hungarian oak cubes for secondary
- brandy or peach schnapps for fortifying if needed, top shelf peach essence flavoring of needed
1.5tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
Or 1-2 large Madagascar vanilla beans

Run peaches through food processor to make a slurry, put in straining bag or nylons, put blueberries and bananas in nylons in a clean and sanitized fermenter. Add warm water to 3.5gallon level. Add sugar to 1.130. Stir well. Add grape tannin, 2tsp nutrient, energizer and acid blend. Stir in between each addition. Add pectic enzyme and stir, squeeze fruit to work in the enzymes. Leave for 24 hours. Rehydrate yeast, as per pkg instructions. Then add 125mls of the must let sit for 5 mins. Add another 125mls of must. Let sit util foaming nicely. Add to fermenter let sit for awhile util you see bubbling, stir gently. Ferment should be active right away with this method. Once fermenting has started add med toast French oak chips. Ferment until dry - hope to get as close to the 20% abv mark as possible. Then top up with brandy and/or peach schnapps to get to 20% abv if needed. Rack with 1/8 tsp of k-meta to ssecondary. Add any brandy / peach schnapps needed to get to 20% abv. Add top shelf peach flavouring to taste. Backsweeten with simple syrup to taste. Try 1.010 to start and backsweeten in increments to taste. Add 21 heavy toast Hungarian oak cubes and age for 5 - 6 months in secondary.

 

[Jericurl]

DJ,

It's just a fancy pants name to some concoction I'm going to make up this month to celebrate the month of LUUUURVVVEE.

 

[PHISHBONE]

Ok, Ill give it a shot. Gonna use DB but double the fruit and the sugar is coming from a case of skittles. Yes, The candy. Taste the rainbow!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[wineforfun]

DJ,

It's just a fancy pants name to some concoction I'm going to make up this month to celebrate the month of LUUUURVVVEE.

Silly girl..................you had me going there. I thought it was some high-tech "nasty" wine.

 

[kryptonitewine]

DJ

my quess is that your chococherry will clear out but it will take it's own sweet time. My choco strawberry and my choco raspberry have cleared. ALL the chocolate dropped out SLOWLY.