February Wine of the Month Club

[the_rayway]

Hot dang! Carolyn, your port is sounding amazing. Just SO yummy! Have you considered any American oak at all? I've read that it contributes more vanilla flavour than Hungarian.

Jeri - cherries and rosewater? Sweet. You must have the most creative brain to come up with some of these combinations. So many I would never have thought of! I definitely want to hear how it comes along.

After my awful, terrible, horrible ( ) experience of having to dump a batch, I'm considering doing up a second go at February. What's love all about if not second chances?

What do you all think of an Earl Grey Tea Mead? I've got a good 24 bags of tea, and some really nice Cara Cara oranges to pop in for zest and juice. Thoughts?

 

[ckvchestnut]

Hot dang! Carolyn, your port is sounding amazing. Just SO yummy! Have you considered any American oak at all? I've read that it contributes more vanilla flavour than Hungarian.

Jeri - cherries and rosewater? Sweet. You must have the most creative brain to come up with some of these combinations. So many I would never have thought of! I definitely want to hear how it comes along.

After my awful, terrible, horrible ( ) experience of having to dump a batch, I'm considering doing up a second go at February. What's love all about if not second chances?

What do you all think of an Earl Grey Tea Mead? I've got a good 24 bags of tea, and some really nice Cara Cara oranges to pop in for zest and juice. Thoughts?

Thanks Ray! I'll have to check and see what I have lying around for oak. I read that Hungarian oak imparted a fair deal as well. I have to go back to my reading and post what I found. Perhaps medium plus, but I really do want to add some darker heavier layers... Will refer back to my research on most cubes.

I have NO experience with meads or tea related alcohol but it sounds good? How could tea, honey and alcohol not blend well? Have you tried the Dutch rooibos tea?? I have z feeling that would give a really nice aromatic wine? It has a mixture of floral and spice?


Carolyn

 

[LoneStarLori]

I have used the Hungarian a couple of times and I think it would go really nicely with the blueberries. It sounds like you have a really nice port going there.

I have been reading all of everyones recipes for the month and they sound so good! Sorry about having to dump yours, Rae. It reminded me how easily things can go wrong.

I was going to do a carrot for this month then got side tracked trying to salvage a bad batch of an Orchard Breezin Watermelon. The LHBS sent me a replacement of Strawberry Sensation since they didn't have any Watermelon. (Fine with me because I didn't know why I ordered watermelon anyway.)

I decided to make this my Feb project with a tweak because it won't really be the beach-wine cooler I am trying for as is. This kit is a Reisling that is back sweetened with a strawberry flavored fpac. I opened and tasted the fpac and it had no color but loads of sweetness and strawberry. So I would end up with a white wine flavored with strawberry and no color? Yuk.

After debating what to do about this for a few days while fermentation was already underway (starting SG 1.074), I decided to try adding berries. My plan was to get some color in there but I didn't want to bump up the abv too much since it is meant to go to the beach. I thawed out and tested the juice of a no-sugar added, triple berry blend and the abv was 1.035. Now correct me if I am wrong in thinking this, but it should not up the abv since it is lower than the current SG of the must at 1.04.
So, after thawing and treating with a little pectic enzyme, I threw in 2 1/2 pounds of frozen triple berry blend and it finished fermenting in a couple of days. I racked it right on schedule so I don't think the berries kicked up the sugar. It's been 3 days of stable so I'm going to start clearing it today. The color is just what I was looking for. I will step add the fpac because I don't care for a super sweet wine and Reisling is already pretty sweet.

Does anyone see any problem with adding the berries to the kit? I think I covered the haze by using pectic enzyme and I will kmeta it today when racking and clearing.

 

[ckvchestnut]

Sounds like a bit of a frustrating time Lori but it sounds like you have a nice light and fruity Riesling wine on your hands. I would have done the exact same thing to get the colour. Can't have something that says strawberry and is clear would seem too processed or fake to me. That would be good served up on a little ice and some sliced strawberries!

So it was an orchard breezin strawberry kit?


Carolyn

 

[LoneStarLori]

You got the idea. Ice, Ice baby. I will only bottle about 1/2 of it. The rest is going in a "party pig". It holds 2 1/2 gallons and has a spigot. That way I can fill up plastic water bottles on beach day.

Yes, Orchard Breezin Strawberry Sensation. It will probably be the only "party wine" kit I do this year.

 

[ckvchestnut]

I'll have to try it sometime! Does your party pig look like a pig or is it just a generic cooler with spigot? Sounds cool!


Carolyn

 

[wineforfun]

Wow, I was away for a few days and you ladies are rip roarin' ahead. They all sound very good/interesting. I will keep tabs on how they turn out as I would like to give a few of your recipes a try.
Unfortunately I had to dump a 1 gal. batch a few months back Rae. It sucks, but hey, live and learn.
My two WOM are just in clearing stages right now.

I am, however, getting ready to bottle my Dec./Jan. WOM. Elderberry(1 gal. oaked, 1 gal. plain, semi-sweet) and Welchs Grape Concentrate(1 gal. spiced, cinammon/clove and 1 gal. plain, sweet)

Good work everyone, keep it up.

 

[ckvchestnut]

Sounds great wineforfun! hope you'll end up liking the elderberry - I sure do. Lori, I was just looking at some of the orchard breezin kits. I think I have to plan for the summer as well. I saw the one you bought, it says it's a white wine. They have another one as well called splendid strawberry blush... which is a blush of course. But your own tweaks probably made that white one better than what the blush could be on it's own but you might want to give it a try. I personally haven't done any of them yet. That green apple looks refreshing for summer also. Has anyone here tried the blackberry blast?

 

[wineforfun]

Carolyn,
I am very excited about the elderberry. It tastes great already so I am hoping time in the bottle makes it even better. I used 4.5lbs. per gallon of fruit, so it is full of flavor.

 

[ckvchestnut]

that's the way I see it, starts out GOOD and only gets better! and you can tweak and play with it to give it slightly different flavour profiles. I'm going to experiment blending it with some other of my wines once I'm ready...

 

[Jericurl]

Lori, leave it to you to come up with a genius solution! Sounds like a great idea to me.



Sooooo....I pitched my yeast this morning. It was D47. Normally by the time I get home from work it's rocking and rolling. I just checked it. Nothing. It's plenty warm here today. Hopefully it'll pick up soon.
Smells absolutely divine.

 

[cintipam]

Jericurl don't give up. By my notes D47 doesn't show its start quickly. It took 4 days for me to see anything, and even my hydrometer only dropped a point or so a day. But it does take off. If you can smell it now I believe that means you are fine.

I don't know if you've added nutrient and or energizer, but I did sprinkle a touch on top on alternate days. Like I said, a slow starter, and I wanted to be sure. Day 2 I sprinkled a touch of energizer (since I had added nutrient into the must already) day 3 sprinkled nutrient. Not a lot, just enough to make me know the yeast was being fed no matter what.

I do love the smell of D47.

Pam in cinti

 

[the_rayway]

I had decided to start a new batch of February wine, and since it was a tea wine that didn't work for me, I decided to try another tea batch ("why do we fall down Bruce?" "So we can learn to get back up again" - Batman anyone?).

Then to seal the deal, a delegation from China was in this week and gifted me some seriously awesome Jasmine Tea Like, I could sniff it all day good.

Jasmine Tea Mead
3Lbs Clover Honey
1Lb White sugar
water to 5L
1 Cup Chinese Jasmine tea (steeped over night)
1 small slice candied ginger
7 dates
2 bananas, no skins
juice of one cara cara orange
1/2 tsp yeast nutrient, with another teaspoon's worth stepped in as fermentation progresses.
Ec-1118 yeast

Keeping it cool, and trying for a long, cool, slow ferment. The jasmine smell is crazy good. I think jasmine and I have a past-life relationship, it stirs up all kinds of strange memories when I smell it. None are mine.

I think this will end up a nice, delicate wine. Will likely top up with steeped tea as things progress.

 

[ckvchestnut]

I had decided to start a new batch of February wine, and since it was a tea wine that didn't work for me, I decided to try another tea batch ("why do we fall down Bruce?" "So we can learn to get back up again" - Batman anyone?).

Then to seal the deal, a delegation from China was in this week and gifted me some seriously awesome Jasmine Tea Like, I could sniff it all day good.

Jasmine Tea Mead
3Lbs Clover Honey
1Lb White sugar
water to 5L
1 Cup Chinese Jasmine tea (steeped over night)
1 small slice candied ginger
7 dates
2 bananas, no skins
juice of one cara cara orange
1/2 tsp yeast nutrient, with another teaspoon's worth stepped in as fermentation progresses.
Ec-1118 yeast

Keeping it cool, and trying for a long, cool, slow ferment. The jasmine smell is crazy good. I think jasmine and I have a past-life relationship, it stirs up all kinds of strange memories when I smell it. None are mine.

I think this will end up a nice, delicate wine. Will likely top up with steeped tea as things progress.

That sounds awesome Ray! Hopefully you'll be more fruitful with this recipe


Carolyn

 

[cintipam]

Jericurl, has the D47 kicked in yet? It should show some progress via hydrometer by now, even if you can't see it happening with your eyes. If no action maybe it is not good to mail yeast thru the mail in just an envelope. My D47 is slow and steady but works fine. What I sent you was from the same purchased batch.

Carolyn, that sounds like a great recipe. Can't wait to hear how it tastes. I am curious as to why you used 1118 if you wanted a long slow ferment tho. 1118 is the fastest hardest ferment you can get!

I've been trying to up my game and make a few more "socially acceptable" wines to help introduce my hubby's wine picky family to my homemade wines. Just picked up a Luna Blanca kit (I was lucky enough to try some of this at a local wineshop, and it knocked my socks off) plus 5 varietal concentrates I bought from Home winery dot com. I plan to separate out some chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to do side by side battonage vs surlies, plus one more gallon to add frozen ingredients to increase the flavor profile. Unfortunately these projects have to wait a few more weeks til I get all my seedlings well started for this years garden.

I am really tired of winter!!!!

Pam in cinti

 

[ckvchestnut]

Hi Pam... It wasn't me who wanted a long slow ferment? I also didn't use 1118 I used k1v-1116.... It got near 20% on its own with step feeding.

Did you forget to drink your coffee this morning? ;-)

I racked this port this morning and put in 11 heavy toast Hungarian oak cubes. Will still wait til clear before adding any peach essence or backsweetening.


Carolyn

 

[Stressbaby]

Calamondin-Passionfruit Wine update:
Racked today. The wine is nice golden orange color. Tastes great for it's age. The passionfruit is hard to detect taste-wise, but the aroma is there. I added pulp of 4 more passionfruit to a mesh bag in the secondary to see if I can bring forward the passionfruit taste a bit more.

 

[cintipam]

Actually, I had coffee, but we switched brands and I didn't drink enough. Still a cup or two left so maybe I'll go hit it.

Sorry

Hey, coffee wine?

Pam in cinti

 

[vernsgal]

Hey, coffee wine?

Pam in cinti

I actually did that with a merlot. I added about a dozen coffee beans to the secondary for a few weeks

 

[Jericurl]

Pam, sorry, it did finally take off like a shot.

I racked it to secondary today and added a vanilla bean and another 1/2 tsp of rosewater.
I think this is going to be one that I work on slowly, bit by bit.