Sparkling Brut Apple

[NorthernWinos]

No family secret, or any secret there. It is 'The Specialty of the House' around here.
We just make a 6 gallon batch of dry apple wine. Up to now we have used our own apples, so it also an Estate bottled wine.
Then we just follow a procedure like those posted on a few Web Sites. Like:

http://honeycreek. us/makingsparklingwine.htm

Once the wine is finished fermenting you DO NOT stabilize it. You put it in a priming bucket [fermenting bucket with a spigot] add: 1 3/4 cups regular white sugar [desolved in water]and a packet of good Champagne yeast [re hydrated] Stir while bottling into Champagne bottles...top with plastic tops and wires...set for 2 months....use a sturdy box with dividers. We put several layers of newspapers in the bottoms of the boxes for a bit of padding.

We shake the bottles about once a week during this time. Then invert the bottles...up side down in the box...and 'riddle'...lift, twist and gently drop the bottles onto the tops. This settles the lees into the plastic corks. We always do a clear bottle so we can watch the procedure. Also if you had any loose wires you will be able to tell that there is pressure in the bottle....the wire will become tight as the pressure pushes the plastic cork up to the limit of the wire. Kind of gives you 'the creeps', they say they might explode, but so far we are lucky.
Then comes the dégorging...place several inverted bottles in a freezer till the neck shows ice crystals...then pop the tops, the ice plug flies, put your clean thumb over the top to stop the fizz. Then use one bottle to top off the other bottles, drink any excess. Recap with plastic tops and wire and wait [again] for the fermentation to make you some new bubbles.
It's the best!!! Worth the extra wait and procedures.
ENJOY!!!!
This post should be moved to another area, so others can do it too...but I sure the heck don't know how.Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[NorthernWinos]

Here is the photo [maybe] that didn't go into the above post.

I see the URL didn't work either....

 

[jobe05]

That looks interesting and different. Can you do this with other fruits or juices otherthan apples. And if I understand this procedure, you freeze these slightly in order to get the lees out of the bottle? Do they pop like normal champaine corks pop when you open them after freezing? That always scares me...... But it looks worth it.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I think any low alcohol fruit wine would work, kind of light and fruity. I forgot to mention they say not to do more than 10% alcohol wines to start with, we start apple wines at S.G.1085. I don't know how much more alcohol you gain when adding the 1 3/4 cups sugar when you bottle, but it sure 'knocks your socks off'...must be the bubbles that go to your head.
Yes, you freeze the bottles slightly to make the lees in the cork and neck dégorge, all the lees fly out in a plug, the plastic cork is full of brown yeast deposits. You rinse and reuse those plastic corks, the wires wear out after a few uses.
Yes, they pop like normal champagne when you dégorge them, kind of messes up your friends [or me] in passing, we do it outside. We put the bottles still up-side-down in an old freezer. In that freezer 1 1/4 hours and it's ready...just ice about 2" in the neck. Then you have to let it sit again after dégorement....it builds more bubbles.
We keep wanting to try other fruit wines, will someday...every now and then we do a batch of wine we contemplate making a few bottles sparkle...but haven't as yet.
The hard part for us is getting the champagne bottles. We drive 125 miles to where we use to live in the 'Lake Country' and get the bottles from a Friend who caters in a convention center at a resort. If you know friends who are having weddings, hit them up for champagne bottles, or 'dumpster dive' after New Years or after weddings at restaurants...
The last 2 cases we got had screw tops, and no punt on the bottom......what a surprise, but they seem like strong bottles and there is a lip on the neck for the wires to grab.....we have one of those 'test' bottles in the line up in the new boxes of wine....we'll see if they hold up. I have a thick layer of newspaper and towels under those boxes...just in case it blows the top.....time will tell.
Keep us posted if you try this...It's not Rocket Science. The bubbles take time....but worth it....ENJOY!!!

 

[NorthernWinos]

An update on the ***Sparkling*** wine.This batch is now in the 'Riddling' stage.
When the apple wine was bottled it was not stablized....1 pk of re hydrated Lalvin 1118 Champagne Yeast and 1 3/4 cups of sugar dissolved in a small amount of water was added to the bottling bucket....bottled into Champagne [Sparkling Wine bottles] *stir bucket while bottling to keep yeast suspended.Cap with plastic corks and wire tightly.

After sitting 2 months upright, shaking occasionally to disperse the yeast...the bottles are turned up-side-down and 'riddled' for two weeks..

Lift the bottle and drop it from a few inches into a padded crate, use newspapers etc.This settles the lees into the cork.

After 2 weeks of riddling the bottles can be dégorged...this is done by freezing the inverted bottles for an hour or so, or until there is ice in just the neck of the bottle.....then gently remove the cap dislodging the icey plug with the plastic cork....top off bottle with the same wine and recork...let rest for 2 month more...you will be rewarded with those lovely bubbles.

Worth all the extra time and work!!!

 

[pkcook]

NW,


When you remove the plastic cork, how much liquid do you loose? Where do you freeze your bottles? Do you start with a low alcohol yeast and let it finish then go to the high alcohol EC-1118 yeast?Edited by: pkcook

 

[NorthernWinos]

We use Lalvin 1118 to make our apple wine, and ferment to dry. Next I am going to ***Sparkle*** some Pineapple/Apple/Banana Medley and some of the Welch's White Grape Medley, just going to do half of each batch...just for grins.
We freeze about 6-9 bottles at a time in a chest freezer[depending on how much room is in there], it takes about 1 hour +15 min in that old freezer to just get the wine in the next crystallized.
You got to be quick with your CLEAN thumb, put it over the bottle top to stop the rush. At this point of the procedure you have the bottle neck pointing upward a tad....use one bottle to top off the other bottles...use a funnel and pour the wine down the side of the neck to prevent foaming, then recap with clean tops.
You can also drink the wine at this point, sometimes we just dégorge a bottle to see how it is coming....however...once it is recapped it has to sit awhile to gain more bubbles.The wine doesn't loose too many bubbles when it is so cold, but tends to be a bit flat for awhile after recapping...so patience....wait for the bubbles.