Recipe; Elderflower Blush Quickie 2012

This is the second 5 gallon batch of Elderflower wine I'm making this year. The first of this year's batches is here. I think I first made an Elderflower blush simply because I couldn't lay my hands on enough white grape juice when I went shopping (you can find that recipe here). It turned out to be a happy outcome. The colour is beautiful. So I'm making more. However this year I'm making it with a little difference, the timing worked out fine to start this batch on the lees of this year's Elderflower Quickie, the yeast still being viable.

Recipe for 5 Gallons

5 Litres Red Grape Juice (Rio D'Oro)
5 Litres Apple Juice (4 Vitafit, 1 Rio D'Oro)
3.5 Kg Sugar
5 Teaspoons Pectolase
5 Teaspoons Tartaric Acid
5 Teaspoons Nutrient (Tronozymol)
Yeast (Lees from previous brew, Gervin D, malic acid reducing)

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and of course, heaps of elderflowers

Method

The method is pretty much exactly the same as for Elderflower Quickie 2012 so I'm not going to repeat the description. Just click the link and follow those instructions - with 2 exceptions! When I made the quickie brew I carefully decanted (poured) the wine into the secondary vessel when the primary fermentation was over. This left behind a little sediment, the lees, which contains live yeast. This is absolutely suitable for using again, and that's what I've done. So ...

1. Don't add crushed campden tablets, you'll stun the yeast and the fermentation may be tricky or slow to get started. Make sure to add the cold/cool ingredients to the fermenting bin first, if you add the hot dissolved sugar solution first then you'll kill the yeast in the fermentation bin.
2. Don't add any more yeast.

Discussion

If you're starting this brew from scratch then just follow the method instructions in Elderflower Quickie 2012 (but add crushed campden tablets and your choice of yeast) or the blush recipe and method from last year's wine.

You'll maybe also notice that the yeast nutrient is different. I ran out of the old one, and this new one came recommended. It smells much stronger, that B vitamin smell that you'll know well from marmite (or vegemite if you're from Australia). Don't worry tho, the yeast gobbles it all up and your wine won't taste like marmite.

Recipe; Elderflower Quickie 2012

Late spring and early summer always gets me excited because that means Elderflowers. Last year I made 10 gallons of Elderflower wine, in 2 batches. It wasn't too much, and it was - as usual - delicious. This is a wine that you really can't go wrong with. The good news is that it's not too late to get stuck into a brew. Tho don't hang around cos those delicious flowers won't be around much longer.

This recipe is pretty much a copy of last years, tho i couldn't get my hands on exactly the same brands. I don't think it'll make any difference.

Recipe, for 5 gallons;

5 Litres Apple juice (4 Vitafit, 1 Rio D'Oro, both from concentrate)
5 Litres White Grape Juice (Rio D'Oro, not from concentrate)
3.5 Kg Sugar
5 Teaspoons Pectolase
5 Teaspoons Tartaric Acid
2 Teaspoons Yeast Nutrient (Nutrivin)
3 Campden Tablets, crushed.
Yeast - Gervin D (malic acid reducing).

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And loads of elderflowers in 2 muslin bags (probably around 3 litres)

Method

If you're a regular reader then you'll know the drill. If not then follow the links to brews from previous years and you'll find more detail there.

Dissolve the sugar in a pan of water while heating it up. Meanwhile pour all the juices into your fermenting bin. Add all the other ingredients (except the yeast and the elderflowers). Rinse out the juice cartons with water and add rinsings to the fermenting bin too. Add the sugar solution and then make the volume up to 5 gallons. Now stir the mixture sloshily for a few minutes so that you get plenty of air into it. I use a whisk. The yeast will need this to multiply, form a healthy colony and get your fermentation underway at a good pace.

You should have an OG around 1070-1080. Don't aim any higher cos you want to drink this soon, like 6-8 weeks. If you try to make it strong then it won't be a pleasure to drink in this short time frame. Put the lid on the fermenting bin and leave it overnight. Next day do the sloshy stir again, and then add the yeast. Cover. Each day for the next few days, stir sloshily.

After a few days you'll be wanting to think about those elderflowers. Keep an eye on the weather forecast, you want a dry sunny day ideally. Make sure you smell the flowers, the good ones smell divine, the ones you don't want smell like cat's pee. Not all elderflower trees are equal! Collect enough sprays to fill about 1 - 2 carrier bags. No need to pack them in, just drop them in. This will be plenty. Trust me, when you add the flowers late into the fermentation then the flavour is extracted much better due to the alcohol content. The fermentation will also have tailed off so those wonderful aromas won't get blown away by escaping gasses.

Put your flowers into one or more plastic bags (depending on their size). Tie the top up. Leave it overnight or for 24 hours. Then shake it for a few minutes. The flowers will all drop off the sprays, along with the pollen from them (looks like yellow/orange dust or sand). Remove the stalks/sprays and bag the flowers into 2 muslin or nylon mesh bags.

Your fermentation should have been going for a few days to a week, if it's a little longer it won't matter, as long as it still fermenting all will be fine. Mine was going for 9 days before I added the flowers. Decant or siphon the wine into a secondary fermenter fitted with an airlock and then add the flowers. When the fermentation stops remove the flowers and rack off the sediment. Degas, stabilise and leave the wine to clear under airlocks. Rack again once it's clear and it won't be long 'til your sipping delicious elderflower wine around 11% ABV.

Discussion

If you don't have a big airlocked fermentation vessel then you'll have to add the flowers at the start of fermentation, and remove them when you move the wine into 1 gallon demi-johns for their secondary fermentation. This will still result in a good wine, and it'll still be ready to drink after 6-8 weeks. The only down-side is that you'll need more flowers to achieve the same level of flavour. At least a litre per gallon of wine. But give it a go with what you can find, this is delicious wine. Whether the elderflower flavour is strong or subtle (or anywhere inbetween) I'm sure you'll be delighted with it, and so will your mates.

Bottling

Sometimes I forget to write a bit about the basics that go on, or updates. I do quite well with writing about starting new brews tho. Tonight I bottled some wine, and enjoyed it, and at daft o'clock I'm still awake. It's been a busy day, and there's more to do but I'm tired now. So I'll just blog instead.

All the brewing activity started because I'll soon be away for a little while doing a workshop. So I checked what needed brewing attention. 5 gallons of the Cranberry & Blueberry wine need racking into DJ's. But there are not 5 empty DJ's. So that means I have to bottle wine. After some 30 minutes of poking around the assorted 30 full vessels, and consulting my better half, the decision was made. I was going to bottle a gallon of Rose Petal, a gallon of Green Tea & Ginger and a gallon of Ginger & Lemongrass.

And so I did, and for each gallon I bottled I got to drink a glass. So it's a good night. The wines are all excellent. Sometimes this is a problem, if they are all good then you want to make them all again. If this keeps on happening then you have a lot of variety to work into your routine. And if you want to keep on experimenting then you just have to brew more. You see how this can quickly become an obsessive and crazy kind of thing!

There's something else I'm enjoying about the flavours from the evening, and memories of food it's gone with. The Green Tea & Ginger goes so well with a curry, the Ginger & Lemongrass goes a treat with something like Thai Green Curry. So I wonder if a Rose Petal wine goes well with Turkish and middle eastern food?

None of these wines take an age to become good drinking. At most a year and in the case of the Ginger & Lemongrass only about 6-8 weeks. So what are you waiting for? Me ... I still have more brewing stuff to do tomorrow .... racking, degassing and stabilising.

Enough of my ramblings. Cheers.

Recipe Blueberry & Cranberry Quickie

One of my better half's favourite quickie wines is Blueberry & Cranberry. I made heaps of it in 2010, and basically this is an attempt to make another one. So here's an old post for how I've done it before, because I couldn't find the same ingredients this time around.

Ingredients; 5 Gallons

5 Litres Red Grape Juice
2 Litres Blueberry Juice Drink
3 Litres Cranberry Juice Drink
3.33 Kg Sugar
Yeast Nutrient
4 Teaspoons Pectolase
3 Teaspoons Tartaric Acid
2 Teaspoons Citric Acid
Water to 5 gallons
Yeast; Gervin D (GV D)

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The blueberry and cranberry juice drinks that I used were just the best I could get. So the highest fruit content, but always watered down. They were also all natural ingredients, no preservatives. But they were blends of various fruit juices. So the named fruit is the dominant one.

Method

Dissolve sugar in about 1 gallon of boiling water. Put all ingredients apart from yeast into a fermenting bin. Stir must well to mix. Measure gravity to ensure it's in the range you want, adjust if necessary. Check temperature is on the right range for your yeast, it'll be written on the packet of yeast. Adjust if necessary. Stir very sloshily to get plenty of air dissolved in the must. Then add yeast and cover.

Each day, for the next few days, stir sloshily for a couple or 3 minutes and then cover again. After about a week transfer to secondary fermenters under airlocks. When it stops fermenting then rack, degas and stabilise. Fine if required (but shouldn't be).

Discussion;

This wine will be ready to drink 6-8 weeks from starting. It will be around 11% ABV.
The result will be a table wine, well balanced. A light, crisp, rosé with a clean edge. Something you would be happy to pay around £5 a bottle for if you bought it in a supermarket. Not bad for a few 10's of pence per bottle!

Update 12th June 2012;

This has turned out to be a fine table wine, just as good as the version I was trying to replicate. So i'm now quite happy that blueberry and cranberry quickie can be done in more than one way. Go ahead and give it a go with the juices that are available near you, no need to find ocean spray which may be a relief to those of you who get into the politics of food!

Recipe; Orange Wine

Really I should call this Citrus wine, but old habits die hard so I still call it Orange wine. This is the only sweet, strong, desert wine that I make. It looks like an old time recipe, the sort of thing that would come from one of C.J.J.Berry's books. Generally speaking I avoid those sweet strong wine recipes. I find they take an age to become good, like years. However this one works well in months, I guess it's because the acidity balances the sweetness and as both are big it means it can handle the high alcohol and the edge and oiliness from the zest too. It's all in balance.

I've blogged the recipe before, you can find it here, but as I made it a little differently this time I'm writing it afresh.

Ingredients for 3 Gallons;

30 Organic Juicing Oranges
9 Organic Clemantines
9 Organic Mandarins
6 Organic Lemons
2 Organic Pink Grapefruit
2 Teaspoons Tartaric Acid
2 Teaspoons Citric Acid
4.5 Kg Sugar
Yeast Nutrient
4 Teaspoons Pectolase
Water to 3.5 gallons
2 Campden Tablets
Yeast, Sauternes.

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Some of the ingredients

So you'll notice a lot of organic fruit, this is mainly because you'll use lots of zest in making this wine. Organic fruit won't have a heap of chemicals on it, which is a risk with other farming methods especially cos using zest isn't usually a daily thing, and certainly not in large quantities. So do go for organic. It's more expensive but it's the best option by far. It'll probably taste better too. Also this is a wine for special occasions, not something you drink with your feet up watching TV, so you may aswell splash out. Even buying organic fruit it'll cost you less than £1.50 per bottle.

Method

Get a gallon of water on the stove with the sugar in it. While it is heating up and dissolving wash all the fruit well and then zest 24 of the oranges and 4 lemons. Be extra careful to avoid the pith, it'll make your wine bitter. I use a potato peeler followed by a very sharp knife to slice the remaining pith off, and then chop the zest finely. It takes an age but it's worth it. Put the zest into a muslin or nylon bag, tie it up and drop it into your fermenting bin. This will probably have the hot dissolved sugar solution in it by now.

Juicing oranges; the likes of Maroc or Helios are good.

Squeeze all the fruit. Don't be tempted to use a processor or juicer because it will result in pith getting into the juice. Again, it's laborious but worth it. Add the juice to the fermenting bin, and all the other ingredients apart from the yeast. Give it a sloshy stir to mix well and cover, leave overnight.

Other Citrus fruits used; Clementines and Mandarins (but you could use Satsuma, Tangerine, Mineola etc). Also lemons and pink grapefruit.

Next day give it another sloshy stir for a few minutes and then add the yeast. Cover and leave overnight. 24 hours later your brew should be on the go. It's always a bit nerve-racking starting a brew with such a high gravity, but I've never yet had a problem with it. I put that down to the yeast, sauternes is great. This time it was even 5 months past it's best before date and it still fired up no problem.

Everyday for the next few days, give it a sloshy stir for a few minutes and then cover again. After a week or so transfer to secondary fermentation vessel under airlock. If you have to use single gallon demi-johns then you'll probably have to remove the zest. If you have a bigger then you can leave the zest in. I do the latter, this wine is big in every department and it can take it. I'll usually remove zest about a week later.

When it's finished fermenting do all the usual stuff. Rack to demi-johns, degas, stabilise, fine if needed, rack when clear.

Thoughts

You may be wondering how much juice you get from all those fruits. Its between 2.5 and 3 litres. So you may be tempted to make the wine from bought juice. It'll save you a load of time and money, but you won't have any zest, and using a little won't be the same. Still, if your budget or time is constrained then you may want to give it a go.

Make sure to use mainly juicing oranges, certainly more than half of the fruit. After that use a mix of citrus fruits. I never do the same recipe twice, it just depends on what is available and/or a good price if there is a choice.

I think the pectolase helps with any pith you may have let get passed you! But don't depend on it, be fussy about getting rid of pith and then use the pectolase as a belt and braces precaution.

I haven't been able to find Sauternes yeast locally for a while. I could just mail order it, but i've decided to try a new yeast for next time. It will be GV3 (Gervin number 3). It looks to me like it's probably the same strain, but I don't know for sure.

Recipe - Rose Petal Wine

This wine has become one of our favourites, and it's very easy. It's also great for winter cos homebrew shops always have bags of rose petals. I'll crack on with doing the ingredients, method etc now because I've blogged chattier versions previously. See here for example, or see here for a different version. Personally I prefer the former version, so basically that's what I'm writing up here.

Ingredients (for 3 Gallons);

2.4 Kg Sugar
3 Litres White Grape Juice
3 Litres Apple Juice
3 Teaspoons Acid Mix (50:50 Citric and Tartaric)
2 Campden Tablets
Yeast Nutrient (Nutrivin)
Pectolase
1 Teaspoon Wine Tannin
Water to 3 Gallons
Yeast (Gervin D)
1 Bag Rose Petals (50g)

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The fruit juice is nothing special at all, just the cartons you find on supermarket shelves. The only thing to look out for is preservatives, avoid Potassium Sorbate (E202) like the plague, it stops yeast from breeding and is a commonly added preservative. So your brew will never get going. Luckily that still leaves you with lots of choice. After that it's your choice, pure pressed juice, from concentrate, or the fresh ones in the chill counter. I use Sungrown. It's not from concentrate and has no additives, best of all it's very cheap, around 80p/litre. You could also use red grape juice instead of white, I love the delicate colour I get with using white grape juice. That's probably the only difference it makes.

Method

Simply combine all the above (apart from yeast and rose petals), stir well and put the lid on. I like it to be a little warm, 25'C say, but check what the instructions say on your your enzyme tub. Then leave it overnight.

Next day give it a sloshy stir to get plenty of air in, measure the gravity, came in at1086 (just a little lower than last years). Now add the yeast, cover and leave overnight. Each day for the next few days, give the must a sloshy stir for a few minutes and then cover again.

After about a week transfer to a secondary fermentation vessel with an airlock. Now add the rose petals, in a tied muslin or nylon bag. Adding late means that you don't need as many. So my 50 grams will do 3 gallons rather than 1.

Leave this to finish fermenting then remove the rose petals and rack to demi-johns. Do all the usual from here, degas, stabilise, fine (if needed), rack.

Thoughts

Gervin D chosen cos it's acid reducing, referring to malic acid which apples have plenty of. Malic acid is harsh tasting so reducing it will do no harm at all. It's also low foaming and a quick starter.

I used an acid mix because sometimes rose petal wine catches my throat like white pepper does. The citric acid counters this effectively. Tannic compliments rose petals in my opinion, hence I added a little. This wine, like all those made with 2 litres of juice per gallon of wine, is all about balance. A little tannin is sufficient.

If you're into doing things in an eco way then homebrew can be a great ... erm ... self-congratulatory pat on the back. How about trying beet sugar instead of cane? The brand I know is Silverspoon. In terms of food miles it may be a lot better than cane sugar, all depends on where you live. Some say it gives the wine a very slight earthy taste. I think they're wine ponces. Both cane and beet go through a very simple process to result in refined sugar, and that's basically what you get in the bag, precisely the same stuff to the same very high level of purity. My chemistry degree leads me to being very confident on this.