|
From 1967 to 1979 I was a very serious home vintner even winning some awards for my wine. We made a lot of wine and had fun doing it. We used to make it from just about anything and now that I no longer make it I got to thinking about it today as I went to buy some wine.
The gas prices are driving up the prices of just about everything and we personally find ourselves doing without things now. i.e. our landscaping budget has been cut this year, we are back to bread making instead of bread buying, we are driving less each month and the list goes on. I got to thinking about how young families are making it and I also got to thinking about all the things in one’s garden one can make wine from.
With that in mind, I dug out some of my favorite old recipes and would like to share them with anyone who is interested.
Here is a smaller recipe for starters. One can make wine for about 55 to 60 cents a bottle. Because there are so many varieties of apple available, it is a good idea to test the acid level of your fruit for this wine. First, test your favorite wine. Then adjust the acid level of your home-made wines to equal that amount.
Apple Wine (This recipe can be used to make pear wine also. Use pears that are just starting to ripen)
16 cups apples, cored and chopped
2 pounds raisins
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon yeast nutrients
1 1/2 teaspoon acid blend
1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme
1 campden tablet
1 gallon water, hot
1 package wine yeast (for 1 to 5 gallons)
Place fruit in primary fermentor. Pour boiling water over it. Let sit overnight.
24 hours later, add balance of ingredients. Stir to dissolve sugar. Stir daily for 5 to 6 days or until frothing ceases. Strain out fruit and squeeze as much juice out of it as you can. Siphon into secondary fermentor and attach airlock.
For a dry wine, rack in three weeks, and every three months for one year. Bottle.
For a sweet wine, rack at three weeks. Add 1/2 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup wine. Stir gently, and place back into secondary fermentor.
Repeat process every six weeks until fermentation does not restart with the addition of sugar. Rack every three months until one year old. Bottle.
If wine is not clear, or still has quite a bit of sediment forming between rackings, Fine the wine as follows.
Use wine finings or plain gelatin. Gelatin: use 1 teaspoon per 6 gallons of wine. Finings: 1/2 teaspoon per 5 gallons or as per package directions. Soak in 1/2 cup cold water for 1/2 hour. Bring to a boil to dissolve. Cool. Stir into wine. Let sit 10 to 14 days. Rack. If not clear enough yet, repeat process. DO NOT increase amount of gelatin or finings. The mixture will stay suspended in the wine, preventing it from ever clearing. Bottle once wine is clear.
The wine is best if you can refrain from drinking it for one full year from the date it was started.
Got Grapes then make some Dago Red.
Basic Red Italian wine is sometimes called “Dago Red” by some of the old timers.
There isn't any specific wine or recipe for "Dago Red." The name simply refers to any red wine made in an Italian style outside Italy. "Dago Red" should be made with an Italian variety of grape, but any darkly pigmented red (read "black") grape will do.
Dago Red (recipe makes 5 gallons)
70 pounds of any black wine grape
4 tsp pectic enzyme
1/2 to 3/4 tsp potassium metabisulfite
3 tsp yeast nutrient
1 pkt red wine yeast
Wash and crush grapes, then move then into primary. Adjust acidity to 6.5 grams per liter and sweeten if necessary to bring specific gravity to 1.088 if necessary. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon potassium metabisulfite on grapes and stir in well. Cover primary and let sit 12 hours. Sprinkle pectic enzyme on grapes and stir in well. Recover primary and let sit another 12 hours. Add yeast nutrient, stir well, and add activated yeast. Cover the primary again and set aside.
Punch down the cap daily, stirring juice as you do so. When vigorous fermentation subsides and specific gravity is below 1.020, press and transfer juice to secondary. Fit airlock and ferment to dryness. Rack, adding 1/4 teaspoon potassium metabisulfite stirred in well. Top up and refit airlock.
After wine clears, wait 30-45 days and then rack again, top up and refit airlock. Wait additional three months, stabilize, sweeten to taste, (we prefer ours dry), wait ten days, and rack into bottles. Age three months before tasting. May require additional aging.
The beauty of bottling these is regular wine bottles as opposed to ˝ or 1 gallon sized jugs, is one gets a chance to try a bottle of wine each month and to record the tasting information. That way, one can chart the best course for that particular wine as to when to start drinking it, so your guests are not grimacing while trying to compliment you on your efforts!
|
Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books. Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my site.”
Didn't really find what you were looking for?
|
|
|
| |
|
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](images/rss.gif "Subscribe to our XML Feed for RSS")
(Read 50+ times)
