Started Daylily Wine!

[Steve in KC]

what does it taste like?

 

[MedPretzel]

Very fruity. I know this isn't going to help a whole lot, but it tastes a lot like my hibiscus wine.


It's going to be sweetened up, I think. I still can't quite decide for sure. Maybe I'll do 1/2 and 1/2.


Does this help?

 

[MedPretzel]

Very gassy at the moment, and will filter.





A couple of months (hopefully) and then it'll be bottled.

 

[MedPretzel]

NOt quite clear yet.

Edited by: MedPretzel

 

[jobe05]

Wow Thats got pretty color to it.


Now we nees a sniffer and tasting link on this forum so we can all sample each others wines........ Ya think George can work that out?.......


Nah...... I shouldn't have said that, now it's going to drive him nuts to see if he can do it.

 

[MedPretzel]

Okay, I couldn't stand it any longer, and I filtered tonight.

Me, in not such a good picture.

But the daylily filtered well:

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Nice, Martina! Is that the first pass?

 

[masta]

Wine has a beautiful color and looks like the filtering did wonders for it.


Nice to see a face with the post and not just a hand...LMAO!

 

[PolishWineP]

You are in inspiration to me! I want to start branching out into other things. (Dang! Can't quit that job or comute yet. Note to self, figure out way to buy more time...) The day lily is what really got my attention. I do need to learn which plants are a danger to me though, before planting! Keep up the great work!

 

[MedPretzel]

Aw, thanks everyone!





Bilbo, This is the first and only pass through the filter. I usually only do it once, and it seems to work well. I have a medieval-vinbrite gravity filter, and it's just a time thing. One day I will have to get myself one of those mini-jets everyone loves so much!





Masta, thanks for the nice compliments! IWhen I look at the pictures now, I keep thinking, I should have straighented up my work-area!!!!! Luckily, you don't see where I keep my supplies (bottles, empty and filled), this-n-that, etc...





PWP, thanks for your kind words. It's you all who inspire me. Daylily wine is excellent, and I can only recommend to make it. I will post tasting notes and what I would do differently once I've bottled it.

thanks again, everyone!








Martina

 

[MedPretzel]

I guess this is one of the last updates for the daylily wine procedure:


I bottled tonight. YAY!





And I thought I'd give Stinkie a run for his money

:





Here it goes!!!














Proper sanitation is a must for your equipment. I got a no-rinse sanitizer from FINEVINEWINES to do the trick (LDCarlson)

Not only is it important to have clean bottles when starting to bottle, but you must sanitize them as well. Here are the unsanitized, yet clean bottles (faced down in the box so I know I have cleaned them thoroughly).

The bottles were sanitized in a 5 gallon, food-grade pail. The bottle tree is from FINEVINEWINES and here you can see the 24+ bottles on it:

After sanitizing the bottles, you need to work fairly quickly, but it's important not to forget your other equipment. Very bad photo, since Spencer decided he wanted to see what was going on. (I tried to cut him out, but he's still there!)

Now the bottling can begin!

After about 24 bottles, the 187-gift bottles are filled and foreseen with their santized caps:

Awwwww....

One 187 bottle was not quite filled.... Shhhh!

Ahemmm... Back to winemaking: Here are my bottles without corks:

I only use FINEVINEWINES corks. They sit nicely and are a breeze to put in.A quick dip (5 at a time, usually) in the sanitizing solution, and off we go. Hmmm. I wonder why my hand is so unsteady?

And here the (almost) final product:

I'm going to let them sit for about a week the way they are, and then think about putting the labels on them.





That's it!

 

[Waldo]

Bravo!! Bravo !!

Bravo !!

Martina you have excelled once again my good frtend

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

There's no doubt you gave Stinkie a run, and then some..

But what is your Palmolive? Chew on that and then let us know!

By the way, the series of photos was not only entertaining, but also
informative. I think a number of us newbies got some valuable pointers on
how to go about a bottling session. Thanks so much.

Bill

 

[MedPretzel]

Yikes,

I forgot a Polly Palmolive!!

I guess I have no mascot, except my cats, but some people think they shouldn't be around the wine (which they usually aren't). But whenever they see the camera, they're THERE, stuck like glue tome.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Martina, Stinkie has Palmolive sewn up. You need your own "brand item".
There must me some quirky Cleveland object sitting on one of your
shelves. Look with more than your eyes, Grasshopper...

 

[jobe05]

MArtina, those look really good. I have bben toying with the idea of doing some 187ML bottles with every batch for tasting over a period of time. The ones I have found at my local shop takes #7 corks. Although this is fine, your screw caps have me intrigued. Were they used? Just often wondered how a home brew could get those caps on with the bottom part of the cap that is serrated (sp), so they break when first opened. Is there a capper for this type cap?

 

[MedPretzel]

I reuse them. One of my sources for bottles loves to sell sutter home white zin in the 187 ml bottles. I take great pains (!!!) to sanitize everything and to reuse the caps. If the caps do not close well, out they go (thrown away). I know a lot of people are hesitant to re-use the caps, but I really haven't hada leaker yet. I store the wines upright in a milk-crate. I have to say that usually, I can re-use the caps 2 times, and then their time is up.

Again, if I notice that the threads are loose, the cap is thrown away. I don't even try to mess with it.





I also use beer bottles, which are seen here (top part of the "X")

I like them because they are perfect for 2 glasses of wine - for dinner or for just those "only 1 glass of wine" evenings. I didn't do it with my hibiscus wine, only because I'm too lazy.





Bottom line: Cleaning the bottles and sanitation is everything. I haven't had any problems with them at all. Edited by: MedPretzel

 

[MedPretzel]

I couldn't wait.

Here we go a-labeling!

 

[MedPretzel]

Oh yes, I tried something new out today when labeling. (Can you find my mascot?)





I used plain copier paper (2.88 at walmart) and cut the labels with a paper cutter. (3 across, 3 down, lots of excess because the darn printer can't print closer to the edges) I used a glue-stick to put them on. I did the edges all around and then an "X" in the middle, from each corner to the opposite one.





The printer has been acting up with the colors lately (I think one color is close to empty) so the labels are a lot pinker than the original label I had designed. I still think it looks decent, and the only place where you really notice that it's not "correct" are the 187-gift bottles.





Bummer.





But, that concludes the daylily wine and most likely post until "real aging" has taken place and my husband can give me his input.

I couldn't take it, and opened the first bottle (duh!) tonight, and gave it to my husband to try. He LOVED it. He said it had the right bite, the sweetness and taste. He couldn't believe it was daylily (I always ask him what he thinks it is!). He said it tasted like a fruity-grape wine.


It's been fun (as always) and I hope someone else is daring enough to make it. It's a great recipe as it is, and quick to clear and no hassles. What would I do differently? At this point, I probably would add a wee bit more acid (maybe 1 tsp more for 5 gallons). I'm interested to see how this one ages. 6 more days, and it's off in the green bin with these bottles. Outta sight, (not quite) outta mind.

Edited by: MedPretzel

 

[jobe05]

I like that label, good job and thanks for the pics.