Pepper Wine - RED SAVINA!!!! - I'm going for it!

[BigDaveK]

This is pepper wine #8 this year and I decided to go nuclear.

For a couple years in the early 2000's the Red Savina was rated the hottest pepper in the world, hitting over 500,000 on the Scoville scale. And it's the first pepper wine where I had to wear gloves at all times. It's also the first one that I didn't simmer - I knew the fumes would make the house uninhabitable - so I poured hot water over the chopped peppers and tightly covered.
During primary my usual tastings were restricted to a drop or less. This is crazy stupid HOT! With my face two feet above the bucket I started coughing every time! Then I started laughing- this is absolutely insane!



Transferred to secondary this morning.
How does it smell? I don't know, I started coughing.
How does it taste? Well, it exceeds everything sane and holy. Demon wine. Possibly a refreshing drink after swimming in fire and brimstone.
In very small quantities it will be a cooking wine......maybe.

I also have some Trinidad Scorpian which hits 1,500,000 on the Scoville scale. I think one ridiculously stupid hot wine is enough.

On the other hand, I learned capsaicin doesn't affect fermentation.

 

[BigDaveK]

Racked this morning.
Has a nice generic wine smell. But there's also an unusual extra aroma. If you didn't know it was a pepper wine I don't think most people could identify it.
Flavor? I actually tasted about half a teaspoon. For a fraction of a second there's an incredible fruit flavor. And then the heat hits - Oh, Sweet Baby Jesus this thing is super spicy hot. Intensely hot. Crazy stupid insanely hot.
Mouth feel? No friggin' way I'm putting enough in my mouth to find out!!
This will be a cooking wine. And maybe I'll make a small batch of vinegar, also.

 

[Ohio Bob]

I am so glad you’re the Thomas Edison of wine making!

 

[vinny]

I didn't even see the original post. I throw heat and wine in a lot of dishes so I can see this getting used up, maybe over years? chili, spaghetti, etc.

What do you do with peppers that hot?

I was pretty intrigued by the last one you made, but I can't see myself going for the crazy hot. I prefer it when mouth feel isn't described in pitches only dogs can hear.

 

[winemaker81]

I was pretty intrigued by the last one you made, but I can't see myself going for the crazy hot. I prefer it when mouth feel isn't described in pitches only dogs can hear.

Ditto. I like spicy food, but there are limits. When I literally can't feel my lips, I've passed that limit.

I might make a gallon of a garlic/pepper wine, but I'd use a mild pepper. Well, milder than 500,000 Scoville units.

 

[BigDaveK]

What do you do with peppers that hot?

I ferment a lot of peppers. They'll easily last a year. Most will go towards salads, sandwiches, pizza and snacking. I'll also throw various quantities in the blender to make hot sauces with varying degrees of heat. The super hots are used sparingly but worth it. There's a fine line between spicy hot and inedible.

When I first started growing them I read you need to wear gloves when harvesting. I thought it was silly hype. I now wear gloves when harvesting.

I have to admit that if you're not a pepperhead these babies are useless.

 

[winemaker81]

When I first started growing them I read you need to wear gloves when harvesting. I thought it was silly hype. I now wear gloves when harvesting.

You have to wear gloves to harvest, yet you're going to put it in your mouth.

Think about that ...

Yeah, I know, the pepper are used sparingly, like when I use Everclear 151 to fortify a wine. But the thought is there ...

 

[sour_grapes]

You have to wear gloves to harvest, yet you're going to put it in your mouth.

Think about that ...

Well, it's not that it will be painful to your hands... and your mouth is not the most tender thing that you hands touch. Think about that!

 

[winemaker81]

Well, it's not that it will be painful to your hands... and your mouth is not the most tender thing that you hands touch. Think about that!

I learned VERY quickly to not handle garlic then put in contact lens .....

 

[Terryfirma]

You have to wear gloves to harvest, yet you're going to put it in your mouth.

Think about that ...

Yeah, I know, the pepper are used sparingly, like when I use Everclear 151 to fortify a wine. But the thought is there ...

Just a guess: I think the gloves are so that you can remove your contacts later that day without searing your eyeballs?

 

[winemaker81]

Just a guess: I think the gloves are so that you can remove your contacts later that day without searing your eyeballs?

Yup!

Touching ANY sensitive membranes after handling garlic or peppers really sucks. Only the forgetful or abjectly stupid do it more than once.

 

[vinny]

Only the forgetful or abjectly stupid do it more than once.

That hurts! I was distracted.