[hayles62]

You can always get apples and there are lots of other recipes here and don't forget Vegatable wines that's what I'll be doing when my freezer full of free hedgerow fruit has gone down.

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/suttonelms/apple20.html

http://scorpius.spaceports.com/~goodwine/winerecipes.htm

I made one from Pommegranette shop bought juice to Granieannie recipe and it is bubbling away like a good en.....

[GrannieAnnie]

I'm glad I have some use in life, even if it is only to help people get pi***d!!!!!    LOL

[silver8]

Many thanks everyone. Particulary like the sound of the orange wine. As a complete beginner looking to make fruity wines rather than with veg although hopefully be trying some of these when I know what im doing.
Sorry - just some general questions that may be a bit daft. When a recipe asks for, example, 5lbs of fruit can fruit juices be used instead and if so what is the comparable quantity? I know that most fruit juices are made from a concentrate. Is the concentrate a better base for wine and if so is it easy to get hold of?

[hayles62]

I followed tried and tested recipes for the first few demijons then when I got a little "feel" for it I started to experiment so won't know what the results are for some time but it's so cheap to make why not! also you can blend the finnished wine to get an acceptable balance if you find some are to heavy and some to light. Really nothing needs to be wasted.
 As for fruit juice wines I read that in America the prisoners save all their fruit juice and hide it and wait for it to naturaly ferment, granted I spose if you're banged up for a million years anything is good....
There's a lot of complicated stuff written about wine making but when you think years ago (and still) Mead was made out of 3lbs of honey 1 gallon of water and yeast then it can't be so difficult. I'm going to make some Mead just out of interest, has anyone ever tried it???

[Heather_S]

Dragging up old topics but I just syphoned off my first ever blackberry wine into another demijohn. I have no clue what i'm doing but I gave it a go with the natural yeasts on the blackberries and it smells right. It's a bit more like an alcopop than a wine though, not got much flavour-oomph but smells a bit like brandy  
http://www.jfolse.com/recipes/beverages/bev11.htm I used that recipe but had to reduce it down a bit. In the end I had far too much sugar water too so I only filled it(demijohn) up as much as it would go reasonably. Took longer than 6weeks to ferment, though, it was really bubbling the airlock at around 6 weeks. I strained through a coffee filter since that's what I had on hand with a crushed campden tablet added to it. Going to leave it for 24hrs at least then bottle in my glass canning-jar type bottles from ikea  

[hayles62]

I am actualy picking grapes this afternoon, someone in the village has a huge greenhouse full.  

[Celtic Eagle]

Quick update from the Celtic Eagle brewery

Rowanberry is fermenting fine should be racking this week.
I've got rosehip fermenting on the pulp that is due to go in a demijohn this week as well

I'll let you know how they turn out

[hayles62]

The Grapes were outside on a big pagoda type thing, loads of them proper juicy too. I will put some Roses in the garden next year for the Rosehips. I am also doing a thirty bottle wine kit so I keep my mits off the good stuff untill it's done.

[GrannieAnnie]

When I got rid of 7 demijohn's last year, I said to myself, well I'll have 3 just in case, but as I don't dirnk much, I don't think I'll be making much wine again, but you've started me off again!!!!!!  I found another demijohn in the shed, so that's 4 I've got now.

I've got a gallon of the ribena wine bubbling away merrily, a gallon of orange juice, and tonight I started off 2 gallons of carrot.  I've strained the water onto my sugar, and the carrots are cooling, but I'm not going to waste them!  As they were only cooked in the water then strained, I'm going to use the cooked carrots for soup!  May give the chooks some with their mash tomorrow!!!

I'm trying to be as frugal as possible!

[beancounter]

My top tip for improving any country wine recipe is to add grape juice (concentrate). Many old country wine recipes include (lbs of) chopped raisins or sultanas to add "vinosity" and grape juice concentrate (sold in cans to make 1 gallon of wine) is a more modern and convenient method.

I have found that 1 can split between 2 or 3 gallons , reducing the sugar called for in the recipe in proportion, makes a tremendous difference. The added body, depth and complexity can turn what would otherwise be a drinkable but boring alcoholic fruit juice into a proper wine with the flavour of the main ingredient.

This may be seen as cheating to some, and will add a few pence to the cost of each bottle, but I would urge anyone to try it at least once.

[Celtic Eagle]

Hi Beancounter

I wouldn't call that cheating at all in fact it's a great idea some of the recipe books use it as a standard method while others will say can be used in place of raisins. I haven't done it this year but I may well start doing this as I have just made a 5 gallon kit which was grape juice,water yeast No sugar what so all it smells fantastic. Lets be honest the cost increase is minimal compared to the improved quality look at the price of decent shop bought wine.!!!!!!!

[hayles62]

My grape must is looking beautiful every time I stir it and the red wine 5 gallon kit is ready to bottle today, it smells and looks great and at £13-99 plus 4 bags of sugar very reasonable. I will add grape concentrate in the next ones I do as I still have lots of frozen hedge row fruit so thanks for the beancounter....

Hey Gang we could have a wicked party

[Celtic Eagle]

Well the Rosehip is now in a fermenter looks good and smells wonderful looks like being a pale rose colour bit difficult to judge flavour yet but tastes OK to me.  By the way anyone bottled their sloe gin for Cristmas yet?

[hayles62]

Got loads of Sloes in the freezer just trying to budget in some Gin :?  But hey like puppies Sloe Gin isn't just for Christmas



Got me a Rumtoft from help the aged, looking forward to Strawberry time.

[Celtic Eagle]

Hi Hayles

What you going to put in the Rumtoft see you mention Straws what goes in with them. Hmmm looks like another way of getting rat-faced I'll just keep trying till I find the right one