Damson wine

Picked 25lb of damsons today in around half an hour - very ripe, but plenty left on the trees even though it had obviously been picked recently, Started 2 fermenting buckets as per below

Recipe per 3 gallon batch:

• 11.5 lb damson
• 11.5 lb sugar
• 23 pts boiling water
• 3 tsp pectalose
• 3 tsp Yeast Nutrient
  
• Youngs Burgundy red wine yeast

Day 1 - 24/09/11 - getting started

Put fruit and sugar in fermenting bucket and poured over boiling water. Added the pectalose and gave the barrels a very good shake to help the fruit break down and the sugar dissolve.

Once done the fruit could clearly be seen rising to the top with the skins coming off. Finally covered with muslin for 24 hours.

Day 2. - 25/09/11 - pitching

Dissolved the yeast nutrient (around 4 tsp) in approx 1/4 pint of cold water. The nutrient was quite damp. Poured it into the bucket.

There was quite a bit of undissolved sugar sitting at the bottom of the bucket so gave a it a good scrape and stir for a few minutes but there was still quite a bit refusing to dissolve.

Fitted an airlock to each bucket
.

Day 19 - 14/10/11 - racking off

Racked off the wine tonight, we managed 6 demijohns of syphoned wine, of which the sample tasted nice and fruity :) Strained the rest of the must through a sieve, then muslin cloth, for a further 1 1/3 demijohns, for a stronger version. All air-locked and looking lovely, should have 44 or so bottles of wine!

Day 131 - 03/02/12 - racking off

Racked off again into 6 demijohns. Tastes promising

14/04/12 - bottling

Bottled 35 bottles. Tastes good

Damson, Blackberry and Elderberry Wine

Thought I would use up the bits and bobs from the freezer so made up a mixed fruit wine to see how it turns out

Recipe for 1 1/2 Gallons:

1 lb 9 oz Elderberry

1 lb 4 oz Blackberry

1 lb 15 oz Damsons

1 lb 3 1/2 oz Chopped Raisins

1 1/2 tsp Pectalose

1 1/2 tsp Citric Acid

1/1/2 Campden Tablets

7 Pints of boiling water

2 Pints of boiling water to mix with sugar

3lb Sugar

Youngs Burgundy red wine yeast

1 tsp Yeast Nutrient

Day 1 - 22/09/2011 - getting started

I started by cleaning and sterilizing the fermenting barrel an emptying all the fruit inside including the chopped raisins. I then pour 7 pints of boiling water over them and let the mixture cool down, then added the Pectalose and citric acid. I would have added the Campden Tablets but I did not have any so I will get some tomorrow. I will the leave the must till tomorrow night before I pitch.

Day 2 - 23/09/2011 - Pitching

I add the campden tablets, and the yeast nutrient, and then the sugar dissolved in 2 pints of boiling water to the must. I then created a yeast starter with some luke warm water, a teaspoon of water and the yeast, after 15min when it was frothing, I pitched it into the fermenter.

Day 3 - 24/09/2011 - Froth and juiciness

Checked the must this morning and the fruit has broken down nicely, and there are nice bubbles rising around them. Used a spatula to stir the mixture and pressed the fruit against the side to help them break down further. Will continue to do the same for the next few days.

Day 7 - 28/09/2011 - Racked looks great!
Racked off the wine today, usual method of pouring through funnel with muslin cloth, and squeezed out the juice. Managed to get 1 and a 1/2 demijohns, and the wine looks fantastic and is blood red. Already going great guns and bubbling nicely.


Here is a pic of the wine with the apple wine behind



Day 53 -13/11/2009 - Second racking off

Racked off the wine again today which went nice and smoothly. Had a little taste and it seemed very nice indeed :)