Mint Wine or Mead
Denise....I have made Mint wine, here is the recipe I used.
4 cups chopped fresh mint, not packed (if harvesting top most growth and the stems are not too woody, you can use as harvested; otherwise strip the leaves from the woody stems)
1 11-oz. can Welch's 100% White Grape Juice Frozen Concentrate
Approximately 3 cups of granulated sugar (to reach OG of 1.080-1.085)
1 tsp acid blend
K-meta or Campden per package directions (omit if making mead)
1/8 tsp tannin
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp pectic enzyme
Water to one gallon
1 pkt Montrachet yeast (follow package directions)
Bring half the water to boil, add the mint, simmer for 10 minutes COVERED. Remove from heat and allow to steep for just 1 hour COVERED. Add sugar to hot mint water, stirring until dissolved & then add grape juice concentrate. When room temperature strain (into your primary) off the mint leaves and then add tannin, acid blend, nutrient, and pectic enzyme. Don't forget to top up to 1 gallon volume. Check SG and adjust if need be. Allow to rest lightly covered overnight, then pitch your yeast. Stir at least 2x/day and transfer to secondary when SG has dropped by 2/3, placing airlock at that time. Rack in approximately 30 days, dosing with k-meta/Campden at this time, and every 60-90 days thereafter until clear and no longer dropping sediment. (this cleared very quickly for me) Backsweeten to taste (1.012 was nice for me), stabilize with k-meta+sorbate, keep under airlock for at least 10 more days, rack one final time before proceeding to bottle. Is great served nice and cold!
This wine clears beautifully. Try to age for at least 6 months, if you can.
*Note: 1 can/gallon of WWGJ usually results in a SG of 1.024, and 1 cup of sugar raises the SG of 1 gallon by 0.020, so it should take only 3 cups of sugar to hit a starting SG of 1.085*
**I did not use k-meta at the start of this wine because the mint had boiling water applied and was simmered and steeped, this action alone is significant enough to kill any wild yeast
***You can leave out the WWGJ, but I found that it helped provide nice body to this wine. I have made this with and without the WWGJ and much preferred the wine "with". If you make it WITHOUT the concentrate you do not need the pectic enzyme.