All Excited!!

[kernowyon]

Well done Bride XIII , welcome to the very addictive club of wine makers. I have three lots on the go at the moment.
Pumpkin
Blackcurrant
Elderflower!

Keep us posted please!

HF, where did you get the recipe for pumpkin wine?? or can you post it on here? I have a huge pumpkin that will be carved up for hallowe'en, and you can only make so many pies and soup!!

thanks

[BrideXIII]

So long as you took a note of the readings it will all sort of become clear in time. Basically, you need the starting SG so that you know how strong the brew is when it finishes (also helps to know if it has stalled or finished fermenting sometimes).

Well done on your brewing so far - hope the fruit juice doesn't go ballistic and overflow everywhere now! It sometimes starts quietly then goes daft so be warned.

I have left plenty of space in the juice ones, it still needs a litre of water added later when it slows right down, so it should be ok, not sure about the mead though, they are abit too full, so I may have to syphon some of if they go mental.

I am loving CJJ's book, he is no snob when it comes to winemaking is he? I love the way he lists the basic stuff, then tells you how to make your own as well, makes the whole thing less costly (if less consistant), but worth having a go.

[shirlthegirl43]

I am loving CJJ's book, he is no snob when it comes to winemaking is he? I love the way he lists the basic stuff, then tells you how to make your own as well, makes the whole thing less costly (if less consistant), but worth having a go.

Just watch the starting SG - you don't want it much over 1.08 or it may well finish sweet. His recipes tend to call for a lot of sugar!

[BrideXIII]

Just watch the starting SG - you don't want it much over 1.08 or it may well finish sweet. His recipes tend to call for a lot of sugar!

well I didn't use any of his recipes,

the fruit juice was abbc one and that started at 1.060
and the mead was 1.020

[Hilary B]

Mead with spicy flavourings is called Metheglin (or something similar. It's years since I've seen it written down) while mead with fruit juice flavours is Melomel. All very nice if they work properly!
Must try soon.....

[BrideXIII]

Mead with spicy flavourings is called Metheglin (or something similar. It's years since I've seen it written down) while mead with fruit juice flavours is Melomel. All very nice if they work properly!
Must try soon.....

I love metheglin, however I thought it best to start out with a straight forward one first attempt.

[BrideXIII]

Question re: tannin

CJJ and people on here have mentioned adding strong tea to the brew, to add tannin.

but I cant find out when?

I didn't add it to the fruit juice wine, and I think it might be a good idea, is it too late?
when do you put it in?

[shirlthegirl43]

Usually at the start. I wouldn't do it with this batch of fruit juice as it might spoil the lovely light flavour a fruit juice wine can have. Try it with the next batch and compare.

Also, if you want a cheap and simple wine - check out the recipe I posted for tea bag wine (sorry no time to find it and link it just now)

[BrideXIII]

Usually at the start. I wouldn't do it with this batch of fruit juice as it might spoil the lovely light flavour a fruit juice wine can have. Try it with the next batch and compare.

Also, if you want a cheap and simple wine - check out the recipe I posted for tea bag wine (sorry no time to find it and link it just now)

thanx hun, i did see your teabag wine recipe, might give it a go as I love iced tea, will need to buy some teabags tho, I only drink peppermint tea normally.

[shirlthegirl43]

About 80p for the teabags, similar for the wine and you get around 6 bottles of alcoholic fruit tea - result!!! (well I reckon so anyhoo)

[BrideXIII]

About 80p for the teabags, similar for the wine and you get around 6 bottles of alcoholic fruit tea - result!!! (well I reckon so anyhoo)

sounds like my sort of bargin!

will look up the recipe next time i have a spare DJ lol.

going up to tesco's sunday for the big water bottles, funny story last week:

con and I went up to get the big water bottles 2 of, its a 30 minute walk, so there is us, struggling home under the weight, when suddenly i just stopped walking and said ' why the hell are we carrying these home with the water in ?'

DUH!!!

[shirlthegirl43]

Lol :d:d

[Hilary B]

sounds like my sort of bargin!

will look up the recipe next time i have a spare DJ lol.

going up to tesco's sunday for the big water bottles, funny story last week:

con and I went up to get the big water bottles 2 of, its a 30 minute walk, so there is us, struggling home under the weight, when suddenly i just stopped walking and said ' why the hell are we carrying these home with the water in ?'

DUH!!!

Perhaps the answer is an instinctive feeling that it would be WASTEFUL to do otherwise?????? (yes I know, some waste is trivial, but when we have been taught that waste is WRONG the instinct kicks in)

[BrideXIII]

well we have just started off 10 litres of CJJ's tea wine, I have bookmarked the fruit tea one, (took me a while to find it) but as we already have 10 litres of fruit juice wine going I wanted to try something different alongside it.

we used two five litre water bottles, with balloons as airlocks, and are at present collapsed with laughter watching the balloons inflate.

this could easily get out of hand, it's just too simple to do so far

[BrideXIII]

things grow apace, having bottled the red from the kit, the electrician arrived, and I had to clear out the hall cupboard for him, and lo and behold, 3 more demijohns, must have been the rest of my dads stash and I had forgottten i had them!

so.......... two more red grape juice wines on the go, this time with added sugar to pump up the alcohol content ( first time i have had a go at this myself rather than follow a recipe..I am rather proud )
and one of rose, well white grape really, with a touch of red, and will blend it from the reds later, I love rose so have to try to make one batch at least.

the cider is clearing nicley, only 5% but that means I have an excuse to drink it at xmas cos it won't keep well.
the original fruit juice wines are clearing nicely too, so all in all it's going well. these are all low alcohol which in a way suits me because I will drink far too much of them.