Waldo's Port Wine

[Waldo]

Following is the recipe I formulated for this Port:


1 can Vinters Harvest Black Current Fruit Base


2 16 oz Bottles of Red Grape Concentrate


12 lbs. Sugar


1 lb. dried banana chips (unglazed)


6 oz dried elderberries


1/2 lb. golden raisins (chopped)


4 Tbsp. Acid Blend


4 Tsp Yeast Nutrient


2 Tsp Yeast Energizer


6 Campden Tablets


Water to 6 Gallon


1 Pkg Wyeast Portwine Liquid yeast


Finally got all my ingrediants in today and started my Port this evening using the following steps:


Cleaned and sanitized primary fermenter & all other utensils I anticipated using in preparing the must.


Poured the Red Grape concentrate and Black Currant base into fermenter.


Dissolved 6.5 lbs of the sugar in boiling water and while letting it cool I


(a) chopped up the 1/2 lbs golden raisins


(b) Added Raisins, Banana Chips & Elderberries to strainer bag


(c) Added water 4.5 Gallon water to fermenter


(d) Added Yeast Energizer and Acid Blend to must and stirred until my arm fell off...Then stirred some more.


NOTE HERE: The liquid yeast I found out when I got it today has a packet of nutrient inside it that you break open inside the liquid yeast


( similiar to those heat packets that you crush to mis the chemicals that generate the heat) and thus I did not have to add the Yeast Nutrient I have listed on my recipe.


Added sugar water to must and gave it another good stirring and checked SG at 1.070 at a must temperature of 74 degrees.


Tasted the must,,,Oh Yeah !!!! Added strainer bag and covered the fermenter and will let it sit until tomorrow evening at which time I will check SG once again and then bust open the liquid yeast packet. Let it work as directed and should be pitching the yeast about this time tomorrow evening.


ANOTHER NOTE: Once fermentation has been going, I will check SG and once it reaches 1.020 I will dissolve the other 5.5 lbs sugar and feed it to the must. There should still be plenty of hungry yeast cells as this packet of liquid yeast has over 5 BILLION live yeast cells.

I have anticipation of this being a really good one.

 

[Wade E]

Sounds really good. I see you got another Black Currant.

 

[jobe05]

Sounds interesting Waldo and looks like a good recipe. The liquid yeast would be interesting, never used it myself. Keep us posted (in otherwords PICTURES!!!!!)

 

[NorthernWinos]

That just sounds so good....all that fruit...yuummm!! Got to be good.
Will it be a 5 or 6 gallon batch????

 

[Wade E]

6 gallons, what else. I dont think Waldo knows how to do anything in a smaller scale anymore. He go's bigtime!

 

[Waldo]

The Port Must...

 

[bmorosco]

NICE!!!

 

[kutya]

Someone tell me the difference between liquid yeast and dry yeast?? I normally make a yeast starter and pour it in. I'm assuming with liquid yeast you just pour it in? Or do you still make a starter??? I've seen liquid yeast, but have never tried it. Waldo, this recipe looks great I hope you keep us posted as I'm sure you will....

 

[masta]

Liquid yeast has advantages like the variety of strains and more importantly the flavor profile of the finished wine.


This is why beer brewers like myself use liquid yeast since the yeast is critical to the flavor of the finished beer.


Bottom Line: You have some flexibility in regards to final ABV and flavor profile with dryyeastbut liquid yest gives you much more but comes with asubstantially higher price tag.

 

[Waldo]

HELPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I fear I have botched this one big time but will await some input from someone who may know. I pitched the yeast yesterday evening on my Port and of about 30 minutes ago...NADA !!! Here is what has happened. I noticed an oily sheen across the top of the must so i drew a sample off the top and sure enough it is almost greasy feeling on anything it comes in contact with. I went back and checked and the dried, unsweetened, all natural bananas I put in the must had " Banana Oil" added to them which I did not catch beforehand or #1 I would never have bought them and # 2 I sure would not have put them in my must. So, Is this batch doomed for the drain pipes orwill it maybe go ahead and ferment or, based on the premise that the oil is on top can I drain must from spigot and salvage part of it.

 

[NorthernWinos]

OH NO!!!!!</font>

You got to try something, go for the spigot thing and leave the nasty oils in the bucket....You may loose some of those beautiful juices...but worth a try....

Keep us Posted....

 

[Wade E]

I would definetly try draining it. You may only end up with a 5 gallon batch but anything at this point is worth saving .

 

[pkcook]

Waldo,


Before I did anything, I'd try another inoculation of yeast. Did you use a yeast starter? If not, try one with some of the must in the jar. That looks way too good to let the drain drink it. I don't believe the oil will be that big of problem. I'd wait till after you get it fermented before getting too concerned about it. The yeasties are pretty incredible creatures and who knows what they might take care of? Keep us posted and good luck!

 

[rshosted]

Waldo, that is a pretty tough problem. My thought is get rid of the top. Maybe even put it in a fridge or freezer and get it very cold. The oil should thicken more than the wine. You could scrape it off or use a coffe filter to get it off the top?

Or use your spigot. I would get rid of it because my thought it the yeast will not get as much oxegyn if they are using all the oxygen from the wine and teh oil would prevent more from getting in there...?

Let us know what happens....

 

[bmorosco]

Waldo get rid of the top I would tip the fermenter and either use a turkey baster and siphon off the oil..Sorry to hear about that..

 

[Waldo]

"In the counsel of many is Wisdom"
After consulting with George and his advice being in agreement with the consensus here, I went ahead and transferred the must to another fermenter using the spigotand left over half in the original fermenter to try and clean the oil off the top as I felt as George did that the oil was blocking off the oxygen to the must, thereby inhibiting fermentation.

About 2 hours after I did the transfer I had a good fermentation going.

I have slowly been adding more out of the original fermenter into the new one and I have now salvaged about 4.5 gallon of the must. Just not sure what I will call it now but without benifit of the raisins, bananas and elderberries it will not be the Port I intended.


FOLKS, here is a good lesson in not assuming anything and paying attention to detail....like reading ALL the ingrediants on everything you are adding to your must to make wine.

Am I disappointed.......SURE
Did I Learn from this.........You Bet I Did
What is my next course of action?...I Have already ordered everything needed to make another batch.

 

[Wade E]

Ordered another Black Currant huh. We are going to put the companies workers kids through college.

 

[jobe05]

Waldo:


Since you are at the begining stages of fermentation, could you just add the ingredients to this batch to bring you level back up to 6 gallons?


Question: Why would one add dried banana's anyways? If you could add fresh, or somthing else to the wine if your only adding them for body? What was your reasoning for adding dried banana's? I have heard of a few people doing this and so far, all of them had ill results from it.

 

[PolishWineP]

Oh Waldo!

I'm going to have to give you the title I often give Bert. Poor Waldo! But, thank you for share and maybe preventing some other poor soul from going through this very thing.

 

[Wade E]

He probably was trying to eliminate the mess of a fully ripenmed banana
mess. I probably would try the same as the mushy banana mess kind of
scares me off.