Home Made Wine recipes. Recipes used during 2005 Blackberry, Rhubarb & White Grape Wine
Red grape Juice, Blackberry & Black current Wine
Part of the interest in Country Wines is that you can vary the fruit and contents to suit your mood, Obviously there has to be a balance but its all part of the pleasure of wine making to see how the wine turns out after months of waiting. Things this year have been a bit hectic to say the least but that doesn't stop you from starting the odd five gallon barrel of wine, after all the last thing you want is to drink your reserve or find that you have no wine that is ready to drink, or indeed no wine at all!
I have two recipes that have proved to be sound this year One is a variation of the Rhubarb & White grape and the other is the Red Grape & Red Fruit that has turned out to be a very nice wine this year albeit is still a bit young. All of the methods for making the wine and preparation are as per the previous pages and the last thing I want to do is to bore you so here are the basic recipes.
Red grape juice & Red fruit wine, to make 5 gallons 30 x 0.75 litre bottles
*15 litres or red grape juice Lidle's Super stores sell red grape juice at a very reasonable price.
*3/4 lb Blackcurrants *7 to 8lbs of Blackberries
*Start with 3 Kg of Sugar, Sweeten to achieve a specific gravity of 1085-95 on your hydrometer. ,*Pectolase 2 tea spoonfuls, stir into the mixture
* yeast nutrient 1 heaped tea spoonful stir into the mixture.
*3 crushed soluble campden tablets again stir into the mixture
* Yeast starter , remember to ensure that your yeast is working well before adding it to your mixture. I normally start my yeast and then slowly add small quantities of the mixture and keep doing this until you have a litre jug of the mixture working well then add this preferably the next day to your bulk mixture and you should have no problems in starting the main ferment, However remember to keep your mixture in a place where it will continue to ferment the last thing you want is the fermentation stopping. It can on occasions be very very difficult to re-start.
I started this wine with a specific gravity of 1095 and it finished at 0994. I worked that out at approx 13.5% alcohol content which is more than enough for any wine. The wine is clear and fresh and very fruity, so much so that if we are not careful it will be used before some of the other home made red wines
A Ros`e Wine, Rhubarb Blackberry & White Grape Wine To make 5 gallons 30 x 0.75 litre bottles
* 12lbs of Chopped Rhubarb *3 lbs of Blackberries * 9 litres of White grape Juice Sainsbury's sell very good all white grape juice.
* 1 heaped tea spoonful of pectolase *1 heaped tea spoonful of Yeast Nutrient *3 crushed soluble campden tablets * 5 kg of dissolved Sugar
Remember when it comes to adding sugar , the amount needed will vary a great deal due to the sugar content of the grape juice and fruit used. Rhubarb for instance will require a lot of sugar where as grape juice will require much less Your hydrometer it what will tell you how much sugar is required, it will not fail you use it to get the correct degree of sweetness for starting your wine and ensure you use it to determine the amount of sugar left in the wine.
Remember also that all the time there are bubbles being produced into the air locks sugar is being tuned in to alcohol by the yeast, it is therefore still alive. It the wine is still producing bubbles when the hydrometer reading is at 0994 use a small amount of the wine to dilute a few ounces of sugar and add it to the mixture this way you are feeding the yeast. when the alcohol reaches about 13.5% the yeast will die and the bubbles will cease. Left for a week or so and you will see the lees collecting in the bottom of your vessel .Don't leave to wine on the lees for to long or it will damage your wine decant it into another vessel leaving the layer of yeast and fruit particles behind. You may have to do this a number of times before your wine becomes really clear. For clearing you wine using finings see early pages.
Bets wishes Lofty Remember 'Don't drink then Drive'
Red grape juice & Red fruit wine, to make 5 gallons 30 x 0.75 litre bottles
*15 litres or red grape juice Lidle's Super stores sell red grape juice at a very reasonable price.
A Ros`e Wine, Rhubarb Blackberry & White Grape Wine To make 5 gallons 30 x 0.75 litre bottles
* 12lbs of Chopped Rhubarb