Fruit T bag wine

[shirlthegirl43]

This recipe is from a wine making forum I belong to and all credit to Duffbeer for the gorgeous wine it makes.


Raspberry, Cranberry and Elderflower (Dry fruity light red)
For 1 gal

1 box Twinings t bags (16 or 20 in box ?)
2 ltrs red grape juice
1 tsp pectolase
1 tsp nutrient
1/2 t spoon tartaric acid (I used citric acid as that was what I had)
1 sachet Lalvin RC212 yeast (when I made it I used Youngs wine yeast)
Sugar to sg 1.080 or 1.090

Boil 2 ltrs of water in a large pan and switch off the heat, add the t bags and allow to infuse for about 15 minutes. Squeeze the t bags and remove, allow the liquor to cool.

Add to the d/j the grape juice, pectolase, nutrient and acid.
Add the cooled liquor and sugar until sg 1.080 / 1.090, add the yeast or starter, cover and ferment to dry.
Once ferment has ceased stabilise and leave to clear, use finings if you prefer.

[borage]

I'm looking forward to this, thanks for the recipe

[Nelly]

I've got a gallon of this on the go, many thanks to you, Shirlthegirl. Is it one that improves massively only with years spent hidden away at the back of a cupboard or can it be sampled earlier? What's your personal recommendation, from the depths of your experience, oh brewing expert? Just wondered...

[Mrs Dobby]

We had some of this that Shirl bought with her to Shell Island a few weeks ago, have to say it was lovely! And I believe it wasnt aged at all either, very quaffable indeed!

[Nelly]

Unaged wine exists?!

Now, that's the kind of reply I was hoping for! Though don't get me wrong, I can be patient (most of the time) when I need to be if there's a good brew at the end of it...

[shirlthegirl43]

It was all drunk within 2 months of finishing! I am going to make a few more batches (and try one gallon of raspberry, strawberry and loganberry) and see if any last till Christmas.

Thanks for the vote of approval on the wine Mrs Dobby I was surprised any lasted long enough to take to Shell Island

[Nelly]

Roll on October (ish)!! Even Christmas will do! Perhaps I'll get another gallon or two on the go as well. I've finally sterilised my collection of (very grubby, second-hand) demijohns so might as well fill them...

[shirlthegirl43]

Okay folks, I love this wine so much it gets drunk before the next gallon is ready. I have decided to make a 5 gallon batch this time to combat this (and in the hope I will be able to age a few bottles to see if it improves with keeping).

Recipe was adapted and multiplied to:

4 packets of raspberry, cranberry and elderflower tea bags, one of raspberry, strawberry and loganberry (well, the box was the same colour),
5 x 254 ml cans of red grape concentrate,
8 litres of red grape juice,
3 kilos of sugar and water to 5 gallons and starting SG of 1.09
5 tsp pectolase,
5 tsp nutrient,
2.5 tsp citric acid
2 tsp of yeast (just to make sure).

I put this together on 14th and it is fermenting happily now. Will report how it turns out in due course.

[hypnophil]

Hi, i am making this now, but my sg thing is not 1.08 or 1.09 its 1.11!
Does this mean i need more sugar or have added too much?
Any reply greatfully received, especially in the next few mins lol

[RedThorn]

think it's too much sugar but I could be wrong.....

[hypnophil]

oh blimey, is it ruined?
I think i will leave it anyway and see how it goes, hope it wont froth everywhere
Thanks redthorn

[Hazel at the Hill]

That means that you have more sugar in than you perhaps should have, Phil - it shouldn't cause a problem, but will give you a slightly stronger/sweeter wine than you may have been aiming for.

The yeast will keep going (fermenting) eating sugar and turning into alcohol until it either
(a)it finishes all the food (sugar) and starves
(b)the alcohol level is high enough to poison the yeast (about 15% for modern yeasts in my experience)

[hypnophil]

I made shirlthegirls's strawberry wine too but think that is better and going as planned.
Confused with this one when it said add sugar to 1.08 etc..
Thought it would be about the same as the others so chucked in a kilo, surely 2lts of grape juice cant be sweeter than two tins of strawbs in light syrup!!

[hypnophil]

Thanks Hazel, do you think i should dilute it?

[hypnophil]

I just checked the strawb wine with the hydrometer and it is good at 1.09,
Phew!!