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I love the spring oak leaf wine as made by the Scottish company Cairn O'Mohr. Anyone out there know if you can make this at home? - the leaves on the oak trees at the moment look oh-so-invitingly green and wonderful. Unlike the mysterious lava lamp effect going on in the demi-john of last summer's meadowsweet wine... No idea where that came from. Am hoping I can siphon past it; the rest of it is super clear (because the sediment is bobbing around at the top of the jar like a pickled alien, mmmm).
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i have seen this made on a episode of hugh fearnley-whittingstall either river cottage,or cook on the wild side and it looked relatively easy! -
Hi Nelly
I think I have couple of recipes for oak leaf wine and I've found one of them in my trusty copy of CJJ Berry's First Steps in Winemaking.
It's been a few years since I made it (time constraints) but it's very nice. (mine turned out rather like sherry). Any way, here goes;
Oak (or Walnut) Leaf Wine (sweet)
one gallon of oak (or walnut) leaves
3lb sugar
2 teaspoons citric acid
1 gallon water
Yeast and nutrient
Pick young leaves (older ones are quite bitter with tannin). Boil 4-6 pints of water and dissolve the sugar whilst boiling. Once dissolved, pour the boiling water over the leaves and leave to infuse overnight.
Next day, strain into a fermenting jar, then add the citric acid, yeast and nutrient and shake well. top up to bottom of neck with cold water, then ferment out in a warm place.
Rack when it clears and the rack again 2 months later.
I think I bottled it at that stage and left it at least 3 months before I sampled it, yum!
Blessings
GillWe are each of us, a multitude... within us is a little universe... Dr Carl Sagan
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rack it!!
Hi! Nelly, I really would rack that meadowsweet wine if it is behaving like a lava lamp. Have a sip during the process as it might be worth stopping it with a campden tablet.
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['Scuse late response; I don't have constant access to the Internet and I'm still on prehistoric dial-up as my rural abode is at the end of the line as far as broadband is concerned]. I will get on and rack that meadowsweet today or tomorrow. The pickled alien, at closer inspection, appears to be a giant blob of something furry so the thought of taking a sip (usually a good one!) is not entirely appealing. Probably necessary though. I'm relying on the fact that the wine is otherwise beautifully clear to hope that all is not lost (though I also realise that it may equally have had it and be contaminated beyond redemption). Is this what they call the learning curve? It's not technically moving any more (unless it bobs about when I leave the room) so I'm guessing that fermentation has finished (I made it last August so I'd hope so). If it tastes unredeemingly vile I'll feed it to the compost heap and get started on some elderflower instead.
I've made a batch of oak leaf wine, hoping it's not too late in the year as far as the tannin content goes. Worth a try and it's under June with CJJ Berry, so I'm not arguing.Comment
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OH I wanted to get a brew of this going to as its early June but how much yeast and nutrient do I need for one DJ worth? Is it a teaspoon of each? To hear this is close to a sherry is fab news!
Peaceful days are in the garden!Comment
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Well picked my oak leaves this morning and have the must going I also added a couple of ingrediants smells great so far
Peaceful days are in the garden!Comment
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What a great golden honey color! And its now bubbling away like crazy, glad I added 2 ingredients to the recipe it smells heavenly
Peaceful days are in the garden!Comment
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Hi Gardenwitch. I'm a complete novice at any sort of wine/beer/alcohol making, so excuse the ignorance. Did you follow the above recipe for oak (I've got a treet in my new garden just gaggin to be made into wine!!), and what were your "also added a couple of ingredients" ? Any advice would be much appreciated
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Hi Mac: yes i did use CJ berry's recipe above, and I also added 1 teasppon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon almond extract to the ingredients. Its bubbling away turbo speed, but not so explosive that it bubbles out of the airlock. Good luck with you brew
Peaceful days are in the garden!Comment
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Thanks for that. Will hopefully get it going this weekend!
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Hi, I have a book called "Drink your own garden" which has lots of those type recipes. Even Birch sap, Sycamore sap and lots of other things.
A realy good book as it gives you recipes for the seasons and not just wine, mead, some beer and cordials. The ginger beer is good. The carrot wine was realy good,hic.
If you or anyone is interested I got mine from abebooks.co.uk it's by Judith Glover and isbn 0713413476Comment
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Don't make the tomato wine from this book, CJJ Berry says you can make wine out of anything "except,god forbid" tomato,he's right too,you could put it on your chips,but drinking it is not pleasant.Originally posted by gingerlover View PostComment
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Hi burnie, thanks for that, never got around to trying the tomato, quite pleased now.
Is the CJJ Berry book good then? Now I have a plot I'm bound to get an excees that at some time I can't even give away so am duty bound to try to brew lots of wine and beer,lol.
Just got the raspberry wine on the go today and roll on Christmas.
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If you only read one wine-making book, it should be the CJJ Berry one!Originally posted by gingerlover View PostHi burnie, thanks for that, never got around to trying the tomato, quite pleased now.
Is the CJJ Berry book good then? Now I have a plot I'm bound to get an excees that at some time I can't even give away so am duty bound to try to brew lots of wine and beer,lol.
Just got the raspberry wine on the go today and roll on Christmas.
Quite simply it covers all the essentials, and if you can't make good wine 4 batches out of 5 after reading it, you shouldn't be doing wine!
(note, must get on e-bay and find another copy)Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.Comment
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