Recipe; Green Tea & Ginger 2011

Haha! feeling good cos I said I'd be back soon with this ... and I am! I first found a recipe for this wine on Jack Keller's website. Since then I've tweaked it a little, tho not much, it was an excellent starting point.

Ingredients for 5 gallons

200g Sencha (Japanese green tea, loose leaf, brand yamamotoyama)
5 Kg Sugar
6 Lemons, unwaxed (zest and juice)
3 Limes (zest and juice)
500g Sultanas (sundried) washed and chopped.
200g Root Ginger; peeled, bruised & chopped.
5 Campden tablets; crushed
5 Teaspoons Pectolase
4 Teaspoons Tartaric Acid
2 Teaspoons Citric Acid
Yeast Nutrient
Sauternes Yeast

OG; 1091

Method

Ok, this is a fun brew to make, there's lots to do ...
Get a gallon of water on the stove and get the heat on. While it's there put the green tea into a muslin bag. Tie it up but leave as much space in the bag as possible so the leaves can swell. If you're in doubt use 2 muslin bags, they only cost pennies and you can reuse them. Chuck the "tea-bag(s)" into the pan of water, put the lid on and bring to the boil.

 The Green tea, bagged and ready for the pan.

Meanwhile, weigh out or measure all your other ingredients. Wash the sultanas well, then drain them and then chop them. Put them into a muslin bag too, and as with the tea tie it up with plenty of space for swelling. It's best to chop, rather than use a food processor. It's a bit of a chore but broken up seeds, releasing lots of bitter flavours, is worse.

By this stage the tea will likely have come to the boil. Tip the "tea" into your fermenting vessel. Put the "tea-bag(s)" back into the pan, add another gallon of water, bring it to the boil with the lid on.

Now zest the lemons and limes. Take the extra care to remove as much of the pith (the white spongey bit) as possible. This will also release unpleasant bitter flavours, so don't put it in your wine (I use a potato peeler, then a very sharp knife to "fillet" the little pith left from the zest). Next finely chop up your zest and put it in a muslin bad. Don't tie it up yet tho. Then peel the ginger, bruise it (I whack it with the end of a rolling pin). Then chop it finely and add to the muslin bag containing the zest. Tie it up now.

Lemon, lime, ginger and sultana processing ... in progress.

Chances are the second brewing of the tea will be done around now. So pour it into the fermenting vessel, with the "tea-bag". Put another gallon of water onto the stove, add the muslin bag of sultanas and the bag of zest and root ginger. Bring to the boil with the lid on, then simmer for around an hour. If you have want you can also get 4kg of sugar dissolved in another pan of hot water now.

Meanwhile juice the lemons and limes, I use a cool tool, and get about 300ml of juice with minimal effort. A juicer will break up the pips and likely result in pith tainting the wine too. Pour it into your fermenting vessel. Then add the other acids (tartaric and citric). Add the 4kg of dissolved sugar now too.

When the zest/ginger and sultanas have simmered for about an hour tip the lot into your fermenting vessel too. You've got about 4 gallons of liquid in there now, and 4 kg of sugar added. You still have a gallon of liquid to add and some more sugar. But that is for later. Put the lid on it and leave it to cool down (probably the next day).

Next day then ...crush your 5 campden tablets, add the pectolase and the nutrient (follow the instructions on the tub for the amount, there are plenty of brands and amounts vary). Dissolve them in a little water and add to the fermenting vessel. Give it a stir to mix it all properly. If you want to aim for a precise original gravity then this is a good time to measure it. I usually aim for 1090-1095 for this wine. Usually at this stage it's a little above that range, so it's a pretty safe bet that adding 1kg of sugar and 1 gallon of water will bring down it into the range we want. Don't add that sugar and water yet tho. Put the lid on it and come back tomorrow.

Today is the day we really get it going. Add the remaining gallon of sugar solution to reach your desired gravity. Dissolved in warm or hot water is good. Give it a very good stir, get as much air it as possible, I use a whisk and go for it for a few minutes. Measure the gravity, mine was 1091.

Slightly gratuitous piccie. I just love seeing a full 5 gallon fermenting bin. It's not a beautiful colour, but don't worry, it turns out good. Having the hydrometer floating about makes it look like I know what I'm doing.

Now add your yeast and put the lid on. Next day you should be a happy person with evidence of your brew having started. Stir it sloshily, every day, for the next few days. After a week or so remove all the muslin bags and move the fermenting good stuff to secondary fermentation under airlock(s). Then, you know the routine, rack, stabilise, degas etc as usual.