Port for Dummies?

[skinnydipper]

I see port style wine recipes on this site all the time, every one of them sounds wonderful! But it seems that recipes typically list ingredients without the steps. I have a rudimentary understanding of the process, you stop fermentation early by fortifying. But what are the procedures? I would love to stat making some ports but I don't know where to begin. Is there a port for dummies out there somewhere?


Thanks,
Joel

 

[Goodfella]

I would suggest you make it the same way you would make wine, except with a port style recipe.


Ferment it to dry (like wine). Then back sweeten and fortify. It is easier, and more consistant than trying to stop fermentation.

 

[skinnydipper]

I noticed that port style recipes have malt. I tried to make a pumpkin wine last year, it was my first and I made several mistakes along the way. I would like to make a pumpkin port, would it be a safe assumption to use a pumpkin wine recipe plus malt extract as the base wine?

 

[Goodfella]

1) I would use more lbs per gallon of fruit.
2) I would use light Malt
3) I would use something more to add body (bannanas)


There is a couple other things as you go. But I don't want to confuse you yet. But I would help you as you go.....

 

[Wade E]

You could fortify it or you could keep adding sugar during fermetation until your yeast gives up. As said above the fruit shold be almost dbled to help hide the added abv. Making a port is not much different then making a wine with the exception of Chaptalizing (adding extra during fermentation). I too will be making a Pumpkin Port pretty soon but Im cheating by using a F-pack. this f-pack is the stuff that Dunkin Donuts uses in their Pumpking Spice coffees and Lattes. I was given a big container of this stuff.

 

[skinnydipper]

Thank you for the responses, I think I'll give the pumpkin port a go!

 

[vcasey]

I too will be making a Pumpkin Port pretty soon but Im cheating by using a F-pack. this f-pack is the stuff that Dunkin Donuts uses in their Pumpking Spice coffees and Lattes. I was given a big container of this stuff.

I'm looking forward to hearing about this one. Last year I made a pumpkin wine and mead. Looking forward to trying the wine over the holidays, the mead will need to wait at least another year. It looked like cornbread while it was fermenting and smelled like stinky feet.
VC

 

[skinnydipper]

1) I would use more lbs per gallon of fruit.
2) I would use light Malt
3) I would use something more to add body (bannanas)


There is a couple other things as you go. But I don't want to confuse you yet. But I would help you as you go.....

Be careful what you ask for Goodfella - you just night get it

Here is Medpreztel's pumpkin recipe that I wanted to try:





I received a nice PM from a member here about my Pumpkin wine recipe. I thought I would share it with the whole forum. Please feel free to comment on it.


Martina's Pumpkin Wine

Yield: 3 gallons

2.5 gallons water, boiled
12 lbs pumpkin
2 cans of Welch's white concentrate
7 lbs sugar (or SG to 1.090)
2 tsp of shaved ginger root
1 tsp tannin
3 tsp yeast nutrient
3 tsp acid blend
1.5 tsp pectic enzyme
1 packet of Montrachet yeast

I froze the pumpkin pulp for about a month before I started this. Make sure you put it in a straining bag when it's frozen. You get a lot of extra water with them. It's a mess otherwise.

After about 6 months (racking when there was about an inch of sediment at the bottom), I added 1 can of welch's after I sorbated.

A month after that, I filtered and then bottled.

You could also add 2-3 cinnamon sticks to your recipe, but I didn't want to overpower the must with cinnamon flavor. I thought 2-3 was a lot.


In this wine, you can definitely taste the ginger in it -- not too strong, but it's definitely there. The extra can of welch's after 6 months gave it (what I call) vinosity and some depth. It also sweetened it up a little. Make sure you have your pumpkin wine sorbated before you add it though.

Hope this helps, keep us posted!

Martina

 

[skinnydipper]

Goofella- maybe we can build a port for dummies through this thread, or start a new thread? Might be fun, maybe some others will join in with other recipes as we progress?

So - tis pumpkin season, I plan on making three gallons since my three gallon carboy is empty, so I will pick up a few pumpkins tomorrow. I will get enough for about 24# of flesh, correct? The Jack Keller recipe I made last year said to grate the flesh, which I did. I read another recipe somewhere to remove skin and chop, which is what I plan to do with this recipe. I will then freeze my 24# of chopped pumpkin flesh.

 

[vcasey]

I used golden raisins instead of Welch's and no ginger in mine. The wine I left alone but the mead got pumpkin pie spices and I used 71B yeast for both. The pumpkin was peeled and the meat frozen for a couple of weeks (and the seeds toasted and consumed quickly) then I used the food processor to shred the meat. Like Goodfella says for a port I would use more pumpkin and DME but no bananas. Instead of bananas I would use raisins but both serve the same purpose. For the DME I would give serious thought to a darker DME to perhaps add some caramel flavors. My thought process goes along the lines that you are making something so different why not go all out.
VC

 

[Goodfella]

Yeah.... let's roll with this!!!


I would start out very light on the Ginger (if any), and very light on the cinnimon. You can add more any time you want, but you can't take it away.


I start my Port at SG 1.115.


I would say FOR SURE on the white raisins. I the darker malt extract is interesting too....

 

[vcasey]

I may roll with this as well, but if so will only make a gallon batch (depends on inventory) and I'll use raisins, dark DME, pumpkin pie spices, maybe some dates. I will not be able to start until next week after I (groan) bottle. This will give me something to think about while I play with the Zins today. Anyone else want to join in?
VC

 

[Goodfella]

You two should start on the same day... So you can do it side by side.


You will have to count me out on this one. (I hate pumpkin anything) HAHA


But I will be following your progress and throwing in my 2 cents.

 

[vcasey]

It will not end up tasting like pumpkin. Pumpkin is kinda bland, the spices is what will make the beverage. The pumpkin wine I made tasted like a chard that needed a bit more time to age. The mead was still pretty young but the spices were what I noted tasting prior to bottling.
VC

Oh well looks like this will have to wait a bit. Everything is full and I need to keep the gallon jugs available for some other projects. Might go on and pick up a pumpkin and freeze it for later.

 

[skinnydipper]

Okay - I have 12 pounds of pumpkin in the freezer. I'm afraid I'm going to have to go with the one gallon option also. The original recipe she said the pumpkin was in the freezer for 6 months, I assume it doesn't need to be that long - but how long do I need to freeze it?

 

[vcasey]

I would give it a couple of weeks. Have fun with this I wish I could join you because it sounds like a unique idea.
VC

 

[skinnydipper]

I would like to work on this next weekend, wich will be just a few days over two weeks in the freezer. Too soon?

 

[vcasey]

Nope you'll be fine and be sure to keep up up to date!
VC

 

[Waldo]

If you guys wanna get started on your ports quicker just get some canned pumpkin and a good strainer bag and give er hell !!!

 

[vcasey]

If you guys wanna get started on your ports quicker just get some canned pumpkin and a good strainer bag and give er hell !!!

But then you miss the cornbread look when the must ferments!
VC