2 Meads

[OldCanalBrewing]

I am doing a one gallon batch each of:
Orange Blossom
Saw Palmetto

I am just going to ferment dry, however, with the orange blossom I would like more of a pop of the orange flavor rather than subtle. Would I squeeze and orange into the first racking, or add some juice during ferment? It just started fermenting now.

Also, would/should I even backsweeten? If so, just use the same honey I fermented with?

Thanks

 

[Deezil]

Dont use the juice, just use some rind... The orange peel, with out the white pith because the pith bitter.... Lots of citrus flavor in the rind though

 

[ckassotis]

A lot of winemakers out here are doing fruit juice blending with their wines, and I think it has the potential to produce some excellent results. Orange peel and juice after/during fermentation will all create unique profiles and would all add to the orange taste.

As for backsweetening, all personal taste. Backsweeten with honey or some fruit concentrate, depending on whether you have enough of the fruit flavor and/or you want some sweetness to your wine when it is dry and finished with primary.

 

[Neviawen]

Add some rind to primary fermentation to get some of the citrus taste from it. If you don't mind adding a tad bit of sweetness back once it is clear, you can back sweeten with orange blossom honey. It doesn't take much to get that orange/honey taste back without making it too sweet. (I just bottled an orange spiced mead and this is what I did.) I found that the spices in my mead were overpowering the orange taste and this helped.