Dare I try damson wine?

[MrsCordial]

Thanks to everyone's sterling efforts, I have three demijohns of wine approaching ready to rack. I've made the Ribena wine and two lots of tea bag wine, as I screwed up the first time (though the proof of the pudding is in the eating) so had a second go. I have four demijohns sitting empty and a mash tub.

I've been given about 6lbs of damsons. I'm very tempted to try a damson wine, but as a complete beginner apart from the wines above, is it silly to attempt a fruit wine yet? I'll happily make damson jelly and chutney with them so it's not a case of wine or waste, I just wondered about giving it a go. What do y'all think?

[Bill HH]

I think its important that fruit is truly ripe and of course constant testing as it matures.

[rustylady]

Why not? What are you worried about? If you make sure everything is clean and sterile before you start and follow a recipe you have every chance of success.

[MrsCordial]

Thanks. RustyLady, when I first ventured into wine-making, it was impressed upon me by the extremely helpful bunch on this board that I needed to get the hang of it a bit before I started doing fiddly stuff, hence starting off with the real noddy stuff that I still managed to screw up a bit (though it all might be okay in the end - wine isn't yet ready to taste). I wasn't sure that three demijohns really counted as getting the hang of it!

I'm not sure how ripe the fruit is. It was on a branch of a damson tree that was blown down a couple of weeks ago, so they've been rescued rather than harvested in the usual way. I can imagine the effect unripe-ish fruits could have on the wine so maybe I should leave it.

[Nicos]

Awww..just go for it!

[MrsCordial]

Obviously, in no way am I influenced by how much I love damson jam

I may well go for it. Couple of qs: some recipes mention taking the stone out (*groan*), some don't. I really can't be, um, bothered, but don't want to make a big boo boo. Q2: is pectin enzyme the same thing as pectolase? I'm assuming yes, but not absolutely sure.

[Farmer_Gyles]

MrsC .... if you can't make up your mind, just send the damsons to me - I have a grand total of 13 damsons - I NEED MORE DAMSONS!

have a go at the wine - the more you do, the more you learn
so long as you have the fruit or fruit juice, water, sugar and yeast, you can make wine - just put them together and let the yeast turn the sugar into alcohol - it's a really simple process
there are loads of wine recipes on the internet - pick one for 4-6lbs of damsons and give it a go - it's not a precise science, so doing it differently isn't doing it wrongly, it's just different ...

[Closet Brewer]

Definitely try it! I've never made damson wine, but sloe wine is my favourite. You'll end up with something drinkable at the end of it, and will have refined your techinique at the same time.

Pectolase is the same of pectic enzyme.

I've always made sloe wine with the stones in - can't imagine it would hurt with damsons.

Good luck, have fun and don't be nervous!

(If you can't face damson wine this time, my friend swears damson gin is far superior to sloe gin, in case you need more ideas for the fruit!)

[MrsCordial]

I've made a decision *drum roll*. As I'm not sure about the ripeness of these damsons, being rescued rather than harvested, I'm going to make jam with these but use the next batch to make wine. We'll get shedloads of damsons from an elderly friend of ours when they're ready, literally carrier bags full, so I'll make wine with those.

[leicestershirelass]

Why not make Damson Port ... it's delicious. I've made it several times ... it's so easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:
4 lbs damsons
4 lbs sugar
1 gallon boiling water

1) Pour the boiling water over the damsons and leave them 10 days, stirring and squeezing them each day. Next run through a jelly bag and then strain twice without squeezing.

2) Add the sugar to the strained liquid and stir until it is dissolved. Add a teacupful of boiling water to raise the temperature and leave to ferment 14 days.

3) Skim and bottle, corking loosely.

[MrsCordial]

I'm just boiling water for damson port as I type. Can I just ask, after running through a jelly bag, why do I strain again twice, and can I just run it through the jelly bag again twice?

[MrsCordial]

AND another thing. As this is relying on the natural yeasts, have I scuppered the whole thing by using damsons that have been frozen for a week? Will the natural yeasts have died in the cold?

[Two_Sheds]

Why not make Damson Port

There's no yeast in that recipe, so I guess you're relying on natural yeasts on the fruit?
That's a bit hit-and-miss, so people might like to kill the wild yeasts (by sterilising or freezing the fruits) and then adding proper winemaking yeast.

have I scuppered the whole thing by using damsons that have been frozen for a week? Will the natural yeasts have died in the cold?

see above



"grapes [and other fruits]... are covered with a myriad of biological organisms, including yeast. There are thousands of different types of wild yeast. Many do not make good wine. Along with the wild yeast are other spoilage organisms and bacteria."

Wild Yeast: The Pros and Cons of Spontaneous Fermentation - WineMaker Magazine

[MrsCordial]

Thanks Two Sheds. Just the regular wine yeast I've used for everything else so far, or something port-specific?

[Two_Sheds]

if you want port-strength, then you probably need to use a stronger yeast, yes