Black Pepper

[CowboyPhil]

I did a search, but found nothing. Has anyone tried adding cracked black pepper to wine. Any reason you couldn't? It would add a peppery flavor I am thinking

 

[pjd]

CowboyPhil, I knew you had to be from Texas to ask that question! Actually I have thought about it. Heck if you dont like drinking it you can always cook with it.

 

[Julie]

I have done a test on black pepper and concord, I really liked it. What wine are you thinking of adding it to?

 

[oldwhiskers]

The wine making book I started with, The Joy of Home Winemaking, used cracked peppercorns in a lot of the recipes.

 

[fivebk]

I have a recipe for what I call a cherry zin that has crushed peppercorns in it. It does add a peppery taste to the wine.

 

[CowboyPhil]

I am trying something new, frozen grape concentrate, with duch cocoa and thinking of peppercorns and toasted french oak. Dry of course.

 

[CowboyPhil]

One the recipes you have seen how much wine are they making and how much of the peppercorns

 

[fivebk]

My recipe is for 6 gal and it uses 1 tablespoon of slightly crushed peppercorns. I think it will come down to a trial & error type thing for everyone has different tastes. (What is too much for one is not enough for another).

BOB

 

[CowboyPhil]

I think I am going to try adding 1 tsp to a gallon, along with the toasted french oak. This should be some interesting wine.

 

[oldwhiskers]

In the recipes in The Joy of Home Winemaking they pretty much used 10 peppercorns per gallon in the recipes. Here is what they said about peppercorns in general:

Ten bruised peppercorns do not so much add flavor as lend a warmth. I frequently leave them in
the straining bag when making beet or carrot wine. I've read that pepper was used by moonshiners
to warm up their product and make people think it was higher in alcohol than it actually was. If this
is true, it probably also helped to mask the off flavors from bad distilling and no aging.

 

[CowboyPhil]

Best help ever! Thank you that is just what I needed and just what I am trying to do to this wine add warmth.

In the recipes in The Joy of Home Winemaking they pretty much used 10 peppercorns per gallon in the recipes. Here is what they said about peppercorns in general:

 

[the_rayway]

Hey there Oldwhiskers!
I added peppercorns to my spiced apple wine - idea courtesy of Terry Garey It does add a warmth to it. So far so good, but the wine isn't ready yet!

 

[oldwhiskers]

I haven't tried the peppercorns yet, but that does sound good adding warmth to a spiced apple wine in the winter.

 

[CowboyPhil]

I added the peppercorns and the yeast yesterday to my Chocolate Concord Wine. I think it is going to taste great, but It will be a long time before I know for sure. I added 15 peppercorns, I know it said 10 per gal, but I thought what the heck 5 extra for fun.

When the SG drops and I move it to the secondary I will add the Toasted French Oak. I am looking forward to this wine. . . next year.

 

[deboard]

I added peppercorns to one of my wines once, but I added way too many. The wine was a little thin anyways, and I think if it had better body it would have been ok though.

 

[CowboyPhil]

I added peppercorns to one of my wines once, but I added way too many. The wine was a little thin anyways, and I think if it had better body it would have been ok though.

How much did you add and how much wine? and what kinds of wine, I want to learn from your uh-ohs

 

[deboard]

I know it was a 3 gallon batch. I'm also positive I didn't really measure, but I'm sure it was more than 30.

 

[ejr]

Place some peppercorns in turnip wine this thanksgiving like you i want to see how it turns out

 

[winemanden]

Pepper etc.

Reading this jogged my memory and I realise this may give my age away. I've just re-read Peggy Hutchinson's Home made Wine Secrets published 1976.
Here is what she says.
'Seasoned wine drinkers like to feel a tingling heat in their fingers and toes. You can get a whisky-like quality in heat by adding whole cloves, whole ginger, peppercorns or mustard seeds. You must wash them before adding. For a time you have the clove, ginger, pepper or mustard flavour; but it goes as it is kept, leaving only the tingling heat in the brew.'

I'm still not saying how old I am, but I made my first gallon of Beetroot wine 19 years before that book was published. They say you always remember your first time! What I remember is that we drank the first 5 bottles far too soon. No.6 I gave to my Father in law who hid it at the back of his cool larder. 12 months later it was Elixir of the Gods. Lesson learned, give your wine time to age. You won't regret it.

Regards to all and a Happy Wine-making New Year.

Winemanden.

 

[CowboyPhil]

@Winemanden Thank you, this is just what I was talking about that tingling the Chocolate/Merlot (w/Peppercorns) is done fermenting and is now being oaked. Then off to bulk age. I tasted it and even at this extremely 'new' state it is very yummy. I cannot wait until 1 yr from now to taste the final product.