CC's not so fine WINE diary

[CrealCritter]

Friday evening I checked my watermelon wine, it's was still quite cloudy. I just couldn't figure out why, after 10 days cold crash it should have been crystal clear. I've been following the directions that came with the wine base.

Now the thing about wine making that is interesting to me, is problem solving. Scratching my head and reading my little stick-it note and the instructions, I never degassed the wine and the instructions never said to either. So I syphoned a little out of the carboys and degassed both with my homemade wine whip. There was huge amount of co2 gas in each carboy.

I then stirred in benonite, topped of and placed back in my temperature controlled freezer to to cold crash again. I hope they come out clear this time. In my opinion, a step of degassing, adding benonite and cold crashing really should be in the instructions.

 

[CrealCritter]

Yesterday on my semiweekly trip to my buddies home brew store, to pick up a few things. He had a apple cider kit sitting up by the register in a large plastic zip lock bag. I asked him what it was doing in the bag, he said, while cutting the box open, that he nicked it with a razor knife, and it has a small hole in it. Then he asked me if I wanted it for free. Heck yeah I'll take it for free. Just a matter of being in the right place at the right time I guess .

The cider yeast that comes with this kit sells for $6.99 alone. It's a high ester producing yeast, that is characteristic of hard cider and good for upto 18% alcohol tolerance. I've made both pear and apple cider wines from the same brand of yeast and I really like the end product. So with this batch of free apple cider, I'm going to harvest the yeast after primary fermentation for future use to try it to make different flavors of cider wines.

Cider wine is my own creation form experimentation. I'm sure I'm not the first to do this but the final produce, sure does have a great flavor profile.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Timing is everything! Congrats on the freebie!

 

[CrealCritter]

Geese a guy puts a jug of almost done frementing wine on the kitchen counter and ladies get so noisy... My wife and daughter in law gave me the third degree about this little gallon jug. What kind of wine is niagara??? Why is it so light colored? When will it be done??? what will it taste like??? Can I try some???

Its time for first racking.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

That's a great compliment!

 

[CrealCritter]

I signed up for on-line wine making classes last week. I just completed my first lesson and test. I got a 100% yippee!

Major take aways...

1) Yeast + must + sugar - oxygen = ethanol/alcohol (C2H5OH) + carbon dioxide gas (CO2)

2) Yeast + must + sugar + oxygen = water (H20) + sulfur dioxide gas (SO2)

3) Yeast needs a small amount of oxygen initially to multiply (ramp up). Once it consumes a certain amount of oxygen present in the must, then it will begin to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide gas.

4) All wine contains some level of sulfur dioxide. The acceptable level of ethanol & sulfur dioxide in commercial wine is regulated by big brother.

5) legal limits on how much wine you can make without a license. In most parts of the United States this limit is 100 gallons per person per year or 200 gallons for a married couple per year. Producing more than this will requires a license from big brother.

 

[CrealCritter]

Wife's Red Clover wine is done except for bottling. I didn't feel like getting all my bottling gear out for just a gallon of wine. So just racked the clear wine into a clean and sterile gallon jug and capped it. I'll bulk age for a little while until next time I bottle.

I also backsweetened with with the same white grape juice I used as a wine base to ferment the red clover wine according to my wife's taste buds. Both my wife and I agree we like it, i've not tasted a wine quite like it before, it's different and mildly earthy tasting...

It finished golden colored at 13.6% ABV.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Has she given it the taste tester stamp of approval?

 

[CrealCritter]

Has she given it the taste tester stamp of approval?

Yep she sure did, It's her wine. I won't be drinking none. And no I don't want to be inclined to put my hair up in a man bun either.

It's my attempt of non snake oil wine tincture for ladies. 3 to 5 ml, 2 to 3 times per day; may be added to hot water as a tea.

http://pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=107&pid=33&gid=000270
"Modern scientific tests have shown that red clover contains isoflavones, plant-based chemicals that produce estrogen-like effects in the body. Isoflavones have shown potential in the treatment of several conditions associated with menopause, such as hot flashes, cardiovascular health, and osteoporosis."

 

[CrealCritter]

I taste tested my apple juice wine this evening. I must say the addition of 6 cinnamon sticks, 6 whole cloves and 6 whole allspice in a muslin bag really helped bring out the apple flavor. It smells and tastes delightfully delicious, it reminded me of thanksgiving apple pie desert.

Of course it made me burp a few times because its still actively fermenting and has not be degassed of CO2 yet. This is my highest ABV attempt yet with a OG of 1.135 plus topping off with apple juice and whatever sugars are in 6 cinnamon sticks, 6 whole cloves and 6 whole allspice. If this finishes out to just 1.000 it will be at least 18.5% ABV. Its most definitely "hot" right now and makes my ears heat up on the way down.

I might need to purchase a Proof and Tralle Hydrometer so I can get a better reading of the alcohol in the wine. I've been wanting one for a while now anyways.

I sure would like to take this spiced apple wine and distill it into brandy. But that is totally against the law here in Illinois Illinois already gets enough of my money through taxes and licenses, I sure don't want to give them anymore through fines.