I thought I'd share a 1 Gal Ribena wine I put on a while back and just tasted.
For those unfamiliar with Ribena, it is a blackcurrant drink sold in a concentrate (cordial) format as well as a ready-to-drink product. I used the 1 litre 5:1 concentrate bottle, where they expect you to dilute the concentrate with 4 or 5 litres of water to make the drink.
Batch Name: Currancy
Varietal: Blackcurrant
Batch Size: 1 Gal/3.8 L Jug (5 bottles)
Date Started: May 14, 2013 2:00 PM
Cost of ingredients: $8.00
1L bottle Ribena concentrate
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1/2 tsp red acid blend
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp tannin
50-200 grams white sugar [see note]
1 pkg bentonite
1 pkg Lalvin EC-1118 yeast
In your hydrometer jar pour in 3 units of water and 1 unit of ribena. Test the SG -- if it's not already 1.085 then calculate how much sugar you'll need for the full gallon. It won't be much.
Boil the Ribena concentrate in an open pot on the stovetop for about 20 minutes to rid it of the sorbate and other preservatives. When cooling go ahead and mix in the precise volume of sugar you calculated you'd need. Let cool significantly (this will take a while as sugar really holds its heat), then add the yeast nutrient, acid blend, pectic enzyme and tannin. Make up a bentonite slurry with a small amount of water added to the bentonite pkg and add it to a 1 Gal jug. When the Ribena is simply warm pour into the jug. Use a small amount of hot water to rinse the pot of any leftover Ribena then add to the jug and top up with cool water. Add the yeast and put an airlock on the jug.
Expect slow but steady fermentation.
Current ABV level: 11.5%
Initial Chemistry:
SG: 1.082 TA: n/a % pH: n/a SO2: n/a ppm
Batch History
Here's the label I did up:
For those unfamiliar with Ribena, it is a blackcurrant drink sold in a concentrate (cordial) format as well as a ready-to-drink product. I used the 1 litre 5:1 concentrate bottle, where they expect you to dilute the concentrate with 4 or 5 litres of water to make the drink.
Batch Name: Currancy
Varietal: Blackcurrant
Batch Size: 1 Gal/3.8 L Jug (5 bottles)
Date Started: May 14, 2013 2:00 PM
Cost of ingredients: $8.00
1L bottle Ribena concentrate
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1/2 tsp red acid blend
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp tannin
50-200 grams white sugar [see note]
1 pkg bentonite
1 pkg Lalvin EC-1118 yeast
In your hydrometer jar pour in 3 units of water and 1 unit of ribena. Test the SG -- if it's not already 1.085 then calculate how much sugar you'll need for the full gallon. It won't be much.
Boil the Ribena concentrate in an open pot on the stovetop for about 20 minutes to rid it of the sorbate and other preservatives. When cooling go ahead and mix in the precise volume of sugar you calculated you'd need. Let cool significantly (this will take a while as sugar really holds its heat), then add the yeast nutrient, acid blend, pectic enzyme and tannin. Make up a bentonite slurry with a small amount of water added to the bentonite pkg and add it to a 1 Gal jug. When the Ribena is simply warm pour into the jug. Use a small amount of hot water to rinse the pot of any leftover Ribena then add to the jug and top up with cool water. Add the yeast and put an airlock on the jug.
Expect slow but steady fermentation.
Current ABV level: 11.5%
Initial Chemistry:
SG: 1.082 TA: n/a % pH: n/a SO2: n/a ppm
Batch History
Code:
Date Event Value Details/Observations
May 14, 2013 2:00 PM Start
May 17, 2013 6:15 PM Note Not as active as other musts, given the sorbate and sulfites this makes sense. It did take off, eventually.
May 17, 2013 3:15 PM SG Reading 1.080
May 23, 2013 4:55 PM SG Reading 1.005 Still bubbling away - thought it might be trapped gas but it was still fermenting.
May 27, 2013 2:25 PM Battonage Smells good.
May 27, 2013 2:25 PM SG Reading 0.998 Still bubbling.
May 28, 2013 3:30 PM SG Reading 0.996 Settled well after battonage shake.
May 30, 2013 2:03 PM SG Reading 0.996 Still going (or releasing trapped gasses).
Jun 13, 2013 5:30 PM SG Reading 0.996 Added some wine smoother after taking final SG reading.
Jun 13, 2013 5:30 PM Battonage Changed airlock for a jug cap and did another battonage shake to improve mouthfeel.
Jun 13, 2013 5:30 PM Stabilized Clarified with one ampule each of siligel and liquigel.
Jun 27, 2013 1:10 PM Battonage Last one.
Jun 28, 2013 4:30 PM Bottled Looks great, smells great, tastes awesome!
Aug 12, 2013 9:00 PM Tasting Note This turned out surprisingly well!Here's the label I did up:
