Modern/Organic? Wine making?

[Seahorse]

I picked up a couple of older books on wine making at Oxfam this morning but it all seems very chemical based Obviously there must be ways to make wine without the addition of this packet and that formula but is it feasible on a small scale? If anyone knows of good books or websites on the subject, I'd be v. grateful!

Claire

[yoanbob]

dont know of any books or websites but if you tell me what the chemicals are i can tell you what bob uses instead and some can be left out all together, the stuff they tell you to put in before the end is a clearing agent, makes the wine look pretty in a glass but its the bit that gives you headaches, and its mostly made from fish guts.

[Seahorse]

Thanks Yo

Mmm.. fish guts!

I think the thing I can find least useful info about is 'Campden Tablets'. Fairly sure they weren't available in Ye Olden Dayes

If possible, I'd prefer not to use prepackaged yeast and pectolytic enzymes, at least once, to see how the results compare (although I'm sure they're likely much easier).

Claire

[seasprout]

Try this....

Seahorse, I've been chatting to a couple of people on the Garden Organic Website Forum (you need to be a member) (i am)they recomend this book.. Wine Making the Natural Way by Ian Ball.

Its here on amazon... http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_...he+natural+way

I've no experience in this area so will be nosey and see how you get on.

[wiccanlou]

I have never used fining gels I just rack the wine off repeatedly over a few weeks until it becomes clear.

[Seahorse]

seasprout - sounds like the biz! Have just ordered one from Amazon for a penny, so can hardly go wrong! Many thanks!

Claire

[carlseawolf]

when i made wine in the past the only things i added-
campden tablets - it sterlilizes the wine AFTER it has finished fermenting.
Neutriants - it's a glucoce based powder for quick starting your fermentation process
and should be added with the sugar and yeast at the beginning.
finning powder / gel - removes bits from wine quicker when the wine is finished to make it
clearer , standing in a container for a time will do the same job.
DON'T filter the wine because it takes the bits and the body out of
liquid.

just a quick note - SLOES they are bitter to taste raw as you most likly know , but if you
boil them with a little water they will go a scarlet colour and smell of
strawberry jam ( DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO TRY THE MIXTURE AS IT
WILL STILL BE AS BITTER ) and this can be made into a good
burgandy.

this is my recipe for sloe wine ; made in 100 lt water butts.

60 lbs sloes
10 lbs assorted red berries
35 bags of sugar
15 - 7oz packets of yeast
1 - 100g pot of nutrients
extra if you have it - 15 lbs of honey

step 1 - boil sloes in small amount of water , small amount is necessary to get colour and
also not to fill the barrel more than 2/3 full , top up the barrel if not at 2/3

step 2 - add yeast and nutrients and 2 bags of sugar , then you need to stir and leave
once a day for five days.

step 3 - strain of pulp so only liquid left , then add 1 lbs honey and 2 bags sugar to the
liquid once a week ( the sugar needs to be disolved in a little water to make it
easier for the yeast to eat ) and do that untill sugar gone or fermentation has
stopped , use the pulp to make a rose wine before throwing.
when wine has stopped sugar it to your taste

step 4 - when fermentation has stopped add 1 campden tablet per gallon and leave to
settle for a month , after that siffen of the liquid into smaller containers and
add some more campden tablets ( at this point don't disturb the sediment at
the bottom of the barrel or you will have to leave it to settle again ).


step 5 - the wine is now ready to drink and can be put into smaller bottles , and the rest
to be stored can be decantered again as sediment will have formed in the bottom
and at this point it's up to you if you add more tablets but make sure there is no
air in the container as this will help it go off.

this makes about 120 -70cl bottles of wine at about 70p a bottle.

a good wine book i found was - MAKING WINES LIKE YOU BUY IN THE SHOPS.
it had all kinds of recipies made from carrots to parsnips!

[yoanbob]

Isnt camden powder just b vitamins to feed the yeast?

[terrier]

one of the old ways to 'clear' the wine after fermentation was to add raw egg white. This forms a barrier that slowly sinks to the bottom and takes the unwanted particles that cloud the wine with it.

[Polly Fouracre]

Isnt camden powder just b vitamins to feed the yeast?

Campden tablets(powder)is a powerful sterilizer and will kill off not only undesirable yeasts,bacteria etc. but possibly you as well if you breathe in the fumes!!
It is used to sterilize all utensils used in wine-making but is not necessary in the actual wine.This will clear given time(sometimes a lot of time)
Seriously,if you suffer from asthma or any other breathing disorder,treat it with caution and read the instructions on the side of the pack.
I only ever use it to sterilize and rinse everything thoroughly afterwards.

[littlemark]

Campden tablets(powder)is a powerful sterilizer and will kill off not only undesirable yeasts,bacteria etc. but possibly you as well if you breathe in the fumes!!

I'd just like to re-iterate this point. I breathed in fumes whilst sterilizing our 70 litre fermenters last year, then went to the pub for a couple of pints of beer. Next morning I was due to drive over to Herefordshire for some apples but had a headache so debilitating I couldn't even consider getting out of bed, never mind driving a van. This year all sterilizing will be done outside, and more carefully.

Mark

[Seahorse]

Campden tablets(powder)is a powerful sterilizer and will kill off not only undesirable yeasts,bacteria etc. but possibly you as well if you breathe in the fumes!!

Erk!!! Really hope I can find a successful way round using these! The advice I've found online is a bit mixed but I shall certainly give more organic/traditional methods a go.

Claire

[Polly Fouracre]

Campden tablets are fine as long as you follow the instructions and take care not to breathe in the fumes.If dissolved in warm water they will effectively kill all bacteria,wild yeasts etc.
Rinse all equiptment after about 20 mins. in several changes of water and you will have a chemical free wine.
Campden tablets are also used to stop fermentation and to help clear wine.They are used by people who are too impatient to wait for their wines.All wines will clear in their own good time and be the better for it.It's the difference between a year's wait and maybe 18 months wait.A headache or a pleasant drink.And as has been said before a chemical hang-over is not nice!!