Recent content by Chris Pittock

Hi wrongway, No, I haven't yet tried Dragons Blood, but it is on my (very long) "To Do" list :h However, most of my wines follow a similar recipe. I tend to use frozen fruit as it's cheaper than fresh fruit and always available. I just chuck mine directly into the fermentation bin and strain...

Sounds good. Are there any makes, models or suppliers that people would recommend or that I should stay away from?

Up until now I have racked and cleared my wines for about a week and then bottled them straight away. They usually get drunk quite young too. Last night we have the last bottle of an Apple & Orange I made in October. Because of lack of bottle racks, I'm considering making larger batches (5...

I've always wondered about this. When I started 20 years ago, I used to float corks in sodium Meta' and used a saucer to hold them under the fluid. Recently though I just throw them into my VWE solution just before I bottle, which only means they are floating for a few minutes. When I need one...

Thanks guys, that's been very helpful. Are those refractormeters I've seen on eBay any good and easy to use?

This is a technique type question and something that I have been wondering about for a while. When I make wines from juices, tinned fruit or packaged fruit, the sugar content is listed on the labels so I can work out how much sugar to add to get the results I want. If I am using just juices I...

I recently made some Chilli & Mango wine. It smelt like a beef casserole while fermenting in the bin, but that cleared after racking. It's a bit strange to drink, with a lovely warming after taste. If I use chilli's again I will make a deep Merlot style red with perhaps a dash or two of coco...

How is yours going? All the recipes I've read say to simmer the bananas in water for 45 minutes before straining into a fermenter. With all the fruit wines I've made up until now I've just fermented the fruit and juices, etc. in a fermentation bin for 3 to 5 days and then strained into a glass...

My current stash is all under a year old, the oldest being about 3 months. I did once find a bottle of CWE Black Cherry at the back of my cellar that I made in 1996, which at that time was 13 years old. I was apprehensive of drinking it, but when I did it had a wonderful rich syrupy texture with...

Thus far I have aged my wines in bottles and usually get 5 3/4 750ml bottles from a demijohn (4.5 to 5 litre size). However, I am planning to up my wine production to 5 gallon (Imperial) batches. That way I can store in 4 full demijohns and 5 or so bottles. That way I can save a bit of space in...

I design my own using MS Word, print them off a laser printer and cut them using the office guillotine. I use Pritt stick to glue them on as it comes off really early after use. Just a little hot water. wine by Chris P, on Flickr wine2 by Chris P, on Flickr sloe by Chris P, on Flickr

Hi Joe, It's a small world. I live about 30 miles from Arundel, which I know well. I have family in the area and I'm a member of a bikers group which meet at Bury Hill, which is only a couple of miles away :b

Hi Everyone, My route here was also via Google. I was looking for new recipes and tips. Regards Chris

Hi All, I joined the forum yesterday, but I’ve been making wine for about 30 years. Damn, I am getting old Over the years I ferment every couple of years or so. But last autumn I became a bit obsessed and have been going at it with far more enthusiasm than usual. I think I’ve made about 100...

I mostly buy new bottles from Wilkinson’s here in the UK, which I always wash with hot water, washing up liquid and a bottle brush. Once rinsed I use Harris No-Rinse steriliser as I’m now on a water meter. The problem I find with used commercial bottles is that few of them are corked these...