Christmas wine recipe

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Ikeya

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Looking for a good Christmas wine recipe. I just don't know how cloves, cinnamon, cranberries, nutmeg, etc... would work for fermenting.... can you use it from the beginning or add after. Use extracts? I just made a great strawberry pomegranate that could be turned into a good Christmas wine. I just need some help???
 
I made a nice wine with dried cranberries (Craisins) and dried Zante or Corinth grapes (packaged as black currants). It was almost a rose but very nice and dry. Some people argue that dried fruit is oxidized but I disagree.
 
I plan to try this: Cranberry Clementine Christmas Wine - Celebration Generation It sounds really good. I washed and sorted some cranberries and stuck them in the freezer. I am currently working my way through a bag of clementines and saving the peels.
I plan to try this: Cranberry Clementine Christmas Wine - Celebration Generation It sounds really good. I washed and sorted some cranberries and stuck them in the freezer. I am currently working my way through a bag of clementines and saving the peels.
Just a question on the recipe, they add 2 lb sugar to back sweeten but do not add sorbate for another 5-6 months. sounds like it would ferment all the sugar and still be dry with a higher abv.
 
I started a batch of cranberry clementine wine on Monday. When I find a recipe online, I usually compare several similar recipes and create my own version. I increased the amount of cranberries and decreased the amount of sugar. Here is what I used for a 1-gallon batch:
• 3 lbs. fresh cranberries (frozen, thawed and rough chopped)
• Peels from 10 clementine oranges
• 1.5 lbs. sugar
• 1/2 lb. golden raisins
• 1/8 tsp tannin
• water to make 9 pints
• 1 Campden tablet
After 12 hours:
• 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
After 12 more hours:
• 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
• Lalvin K1-V1116

Initial Brix: 21 (potential ABV around 12%)
Initial pH: 2.78

Notes:
1. My pH meter is probably out of calibration, so it might be a little higher than that. It does not taste overly acidic. It is fermenting fine 24 hours after adding the yeast. I will check pH and taste it at the first racking. Normally I try to get pH around 3.4 or 3.5. But this wine might be more acidic.
2. I plan to add another 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient on day 3. Normally I add that all at the beginning, but because this is more acidic I wanted to give the yeast every advantage.
3. For sweetening, I usually brew my wine completely dry and then sweeten with Swerve. But you can add sorbate and sugar if you prefer.

I agree with your question about the recipe on the link. You need to add sorbate before you add sugar for sweetening.
 
I usually bulk age for 4-5 months once fermentation has stopped. Then another few months in the bottles, depending on the type of fruit. My goal for the Christmas cranberry wine that I started this week is to drink it next year for Christmas. This is a good time of year to get cheap fresh cranberries, so if I like it I might brew this every year in Dec.
 
I've been buying fresh cranberries at the local market as they were on sale after Thanksgiving, and freezing them but they just raised the price back up out of no where! $2.00 per 12oz,
 
I've been buying fresh cranberries at the local market as they were on sale after Thanksgiving, and freezing them but they just raised the price back up out of no where! $2.00 per 12oz,
The local Aldi & Pig had them for 99 cents per 12 oz bag. The local stale food store has the canned berries for 25 cents!! Just made 5 gallons with those and added a few cloves to it.
 
Yeah I bought 12oz bags for 50 cent each.... my freezer is full! Making wine and jam with it!!!
 
I live in Massachusetts and a friend has some cranberry boggs. 2 years ago we made some cranberry wine and this year we did another batch. Salute!
 
I started a batch of cranberry clementine wine on Monday. When I find a recipe online, I usually compare several similar recipes and create my own version. I increased the amount of cranberries and decreased the amount of sugar. Here is what I used for a 1-gallon batch:
• 3 lbs. fresh cranberries (frozen, thawed and rough chopped)
• Peels from 10 clementine oranges
• 1.5 lbs. sugar
• 1/2 lb. golden raisins
• 1/8 tsp tannin
• water to make 9 pints
• 1 Campden tablet
After 12 hours:
• 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
After 12 more hours:
• 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
• Lalvin K1-V1116

Initial Brix: 21 (potential ABV around 12%)
Initial pH: 2.78

Notes:
1. My pH meter is probably out of calibration, so it might be a little higher than that. It does not taste overly acidic. It is fermenting fine 24 hours after adding the yeast. I will check pH and taste it at the first racking. Normally I try to get pH around 3.4 or 3.5. But this wine might be more acidic.
2. I plan to add another 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient on day 3. Normally I add that all at the beginning, but because this is more acidic I wanted to give the yeast every advantage.
3. For sweetening, I usually brew my wine completely dry and then sweeten with Swerve. But you can add sorbate and sugar if you prefer.

I agree with your question about the recipe on the link. You need to add sorbate before you add sugar for sweetening.
I have copied your receipe, but what the heck is "Swerve"?....................................DizzyIzzy
 
Yesterday I racked my Cranberry Clementine wine into secondary. I did not measure the pH, but the taste is a little too acidic. I think that earlier the sugar masked the acidic flavor. Now I am trying to decide what to use to top it off. If I use more cranberry juice the pH will probably still be too low. One option would be to use the cranberry juice and add a small amount of potassium bicarbonate to raise the pH. Normally I try not to use chemical means to raise the pH, but this might be an exception. I was wondering if anyone has suggestions.
 
Yesterday I racked my Cranberry Clementine wine into secondary. I did not measure the pH, but the taste is a little too acidic. I think that earlier the sugar masked the acidic flavor. Now I am trying to decide what to use to top it off. If I use more cranberry juice the pH will probably still be too low. One option would be to use the cranberry juice and add a small amount of potassium bicarbonate to raise the pH. Normally I try not to use chemical means to raise the pH, but this might be an exception. I was wondering if anyone has suggestions.

IMO, it depends on how you want your final product. Dry Cranberry wine is not my favorite, so after aging a bit and after adding Sorbitol, I would sweeten to taste and that should cut much of the over acidic taste.
 

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