BURGUNDY/STRAWBERRY

[NorthernWinos]

Mix up a batch of wine today....This time we are using up some of those cans of inexpensive Alexander's concentrate and some steam extracted Strawberry juice.


~~~~~~~~~~~~BURGUNDY/STRAWBERRY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


2 CANS ALEXANDER'S PREMIUM BURGUNDY CONCENTRATE
2 500 mil BOTTLES WINEXPERT RED GRAPE CONCENTRATE
5 QUARTS STRAWBERRY JUICE
5# SUGAR


"THE USUAL CAST OF CHARACTERS"


4 CAMPDEN TABLETS [The concentrate has some in it]
4tsp LIQUID TANNIN
4 tsp ACID BLEND
2 oz TOASTED OAK
2 VANILLA BEANS


S.G. 1087....I added too much sugar and got the S.G. up over 1.090...so had to add more water and adjust...So...this will end up being near 6 gallons instead of 5...more wine?]


TOMORROW:
6tsp YEAST NUTRIENT
3tsp YEAST ENERGIZER
3 tsp PECTIC ENZYME
YEAST.....?[Still a toss up between Lavin RC-212 or Red Star Pasteur Red]

 

[grapeman]

That should be a good one NW. You must have put up hundreds of jars of juice this year! Do you still have a lot of them there?

 

[NorthernWinos]

Yes....There is lots of juices still to turn into wine.....Many more batches to make. Have enough juice for another batch of Nanking Cherry, SandCherry, Strawberry, a couple Raspberry batches, a couple Crabapple batches, about 3 or moreApple, another Grape and numerous batches for Chokecherry wine....Thought I'd have used more up by now....The spare bedroom is still stacked with boxes of juice.

Welike making wine during the winter because we are both available more...during the summer things get pretty hectic and the wine gets to age a bit more....


Just think...soon we'll be out there once again pruning, picking and preserving out bounties...Time sure flies....Hope there are good fruit crops again this year.


How is Mrs. Apple????

 

[Waldo]

Should be another good one NW
We are supposed to get to the mid 70's today. Should make it fine since it is 66 dgrees right now. I got out yesterday nd pruned my Muscadines and Blackberries. Not sure if you are supposed to prune elderberries or not so I left them alone until I can find out for sure.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Hi Waldo....I hope this wine is good...it tasted pretty heavy on the Strawberry using only 5 quarts of juice....But is is very sweet at this point....so hope it will loose that during fermentation.


WOW!!! You have spring already. Not sure on pruning Elderberries....mine have been dying back some over winter...so I just removed the dead wood once they leaf out.....Enjoy your spring weather.

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Great Spring weather...27* and snowing!

 

[Waldo]

Actually mad it to 77 degrees yesterday and the same is forecast for today with a good chanc for some severe weather..May need to just skip work andplan on a day in the cellar

 

[grapeman]

That's just wrong Waldo! 77* !!!!!!!


But the storm/wine cellar sounds like a good way to spend the day safely!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Pitchedthe Red Star Pasteur Red Yeast last night and it's fizzing away this morning.....Life is Good!!!

 

[NorthernWinos]

February 9th....Racked to glass at S.G. 1.012....added more toasted oak chips.


The Red Star Pasteur Red worked just fine.....Will use it again.

 

[grapeman]

Sounds like it is coming along nicely.

 

[NorthernWinos]

This wine made from Alexander's Burgundy, WinExpert Red Grape Concentrate and some strawberry juice turned out really nice...will try something like this again....

Maybe next time will buy an inexpensive kit [box of grape juice] and add a few quarts of fruit juices...

Have 2 more cans on hand...Merlot....Will try another Merlot/Raspberry with more grape juice and less Raspberry juice.

These fruit blend wines are so much fun...endless possibilities.

 

[SmokinDawg]

hey waldo I found this for your elderberries hope it helps:


Pruning

Elderberries send up many new canes each year. The canes usually reach
full height in one season and develop lateral branches in the second.
Flowers and fruit develop on the tips of the current season’s growth,
often on the new canes but especially on laterals. Second-year
elderberry canes with good lateral development are the most fruitful.
In the third or fourth year, older wood tends to lose vigor and become
weak. In late winter to early spring while the plants are dormant,
remove all dead, broken or weak canes, plus all canes more than three
years old. Leave an equal number of one, two, and three-year-old canes.

 

[pelican]

As a very VERY lucky recipient of a bottle of this batch of this special wine, I saved it up now till it passed it's 1 year birthday - and I must say ......

W O W </font>

I was actually lucky enough to get 2 bottles - one we drank earlier on, and it was very good, but the longer rest in the bottle has transformed this from good to

FANTASTIC</font>

No improvement in this recipe needed at all. Just "Time in a Bottle".

Thank you NW for sharing it with us!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Glad you enjoyed it....

Do you want more strawberry plants????
Junebearing and Everbearing plants need to be thinned out.

 

[pelican]

I can always find room for more strawberry plants - have to wait for the snow to thaw to see whether the deer decimated the strawberry bed or not, but we can find room to tuck them in, if you have extras - yes, thank you!