Joy of Home Wine Making (43 page)

2 lbs. fresh or frozen blueberries

2 lbs. fresh or frozen blackberries or mulberries

½ pint red wine concentrate or 1 lb. dark raisins

water sufficient to make up the gallon

2 lbs. sugar or 2 lbs. light honey

1 tsp. acid blend

¼ tsp. tannin

1 tsp. yeast nutrient

1 Campden tablet, crushed (optional)

½ tsp. pectic enzyme

1 packet Montrachet or Burgundy yeast

Prepare all the fruit, including the raisins if you use them, put in nylon straining bag, and place the bag in the bottom of a sanitized primary fermenter. Mash the fruit with clean hands or a sanitized potato masher. Pour in the fruit concentrate. Boil the water with the sugar or honey, skimming if necessary. Sugar gives a more “generic” taste than honey does.

Pour the hot sugar water over the blueberries and blackberries or mulberries and grape concentrate. Add the rest of the water needed to make up the quantity. Add the yeast nutrient, acid, and
tannin, including the Campden tablet, if you choose to use one. If you use the Campden tablet, wait at least 12 hours before adding the pectic enzyme. In another 12-24 hours, check the PA and add the yeast.

Stir daily. In a week or two, lift out the fruit bags and let them drain without squeezing. Discard the fruit. When the PA goes down to 2 to 3 percent, rack off the wine into a glass carboy, and fit with an air lock.

Rack it twice more during the next six months or so. Wait till the wine clears and it ferments out dry. You can sweeten this a little, if you like, but don’t add more than two ounces of sugar. Bottle and sample it in six months.

ANOTHER GENERIC RED

1 lb. fresh elderberries or ¼ lb. dried elderberries

2 lbs. dark plums or blackberries

2 lbs. beets

sufficient water to make up the gallon

2 lbs. sugar or 2 lbs. light honey

2 tsps. acid blend

no tannin

1 tsp. yeast nutrient

1 Campden tablet (optional)

½ tsp. pectic enzyme

1 packet Montrachet or Burgundy yeast

Prepare all the fruit, put in nylon straining bags, and place the bags in the bottom of a sanitized primary fermenter. Mash the fruit with clean hands or a sanitized potato masher. Simmer the cleaned, sliced beets in 2 quarts of the water JUST until tender. Discard or eat the beets.

Boil the water with the sugar or honey, skimming if necessary. Sugar gives a more “generic” taste than honey does.

Pour the hot sugar water and beet water over the elderberries and plums or blackberries. Add the rest of the water needed to make up the quantity. Add the yeast nutrient, acid, and tannin, including the Campden tablet, if you choose to use one. Cover and fit with an air lock. If you use the Campden tablet, wait at least 12 hours before adding the pectic enzyme. In another 12 to 24 hours, check the PA and add the yeast.

Stir daily. In a week or two, lift out the fruit bags and let them drain without squeezing. Discard the fruit. When the PA goes down to 2 to 3 percent, rack off the wine into a glass carboy and fit with an air lock.

Rack it twice more during the next six months or so. Wait till the wine clears and it ferments out dry. You can sweeten this a little, if you like, but don’t add more than 2 ounces of sugar. Bottle and sample it in six months.

GENERIC WHITE

½ lb. golden raisins

2 lbs. fresh or frozen peaches or apricots

1 12 oz. can frozen apple juice

1 6 oz. can frozen orange juice

2 lbs. sugar or 2 lbs. light honey

sufficient water to make up the gallon

2 tsps. acid blend or juice of 2 large lemons

½ tsp. tannin

1 tsp. yeast nutrient

1 Campden tablet, crushed (optional)

½ tsp. pectic enzyme

1 packet champagne yeast

Soak and chop the raisins. Clean, pit, and chop the fruit. Put the fruit in a nylon straining bag and place it in the bottom of a sanitized primary fermenter. Thaw the juices. Mash the fruit with clean hands or a sanitized potato masher.

Boil the water with the sugar or honey. Skim if necessary. Sugar gives a more “generic” taste than honey does.

Pour the hot sugar water over the fruit and thawed juices. Add the rest of the water needed to make up the gallon. Add the yeast nutrient, tannin, and acid. After the must has cooled, add the Campden tablet, if you choose to use one. Cover and fit with an air lock. If you use the Campden tablet, wait at least 12 hours before adding the pectic enzyme. In another 12 to 24 hours, check the PA and add the yeast.

Stir daily. In a week or two, lift out the fruit bag and let it drain without squeezing. Discard the fruit. When the PA goes down to 2 to 3 percent, rack off the wine into a glass carboy and fit it with an air lock.

Rack the wine twice more during the next six months or so. Wait till the wine clears and it ferments out dry. You can sweeten this a little, if you like. Add 2 to 4 ounces of sugar in a syrup. Bottle it and sample in six months.

A WHITER SHADE OF PALE GENERIC WHITE

3 large grapefruit, preferably organic

1 lb. golden raisins or ½ pint white grape concentrate

1 12 oz. can frozen apple juice

2 lbs. sugar or 2 lbs. light honey

water sufficient to make up a gallon

1 tsp. acid blend or juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp. yeast nutrient

1 Campden tablet, crushed (optional)

½ tsp. pectic enzyme

1 packet champagne yeast

Prepare the zest of one of the grapefruit. Then peel the fruit and remove as much of the white pith from the sections as possible. Put the fruit into a nylon straining bag. Add the soaked and chopped raisins if you are using them. Mash the fruit with a sanitized potato masher or your very clean hands. Thaw the juice.

Boil about three quarts of the water and sugar or honey and pour the hot sugar water over the fruit and apple juice or concentrate if you use it. Add the rest of the water needed to make up the gallon. Add the yeast nutrient and acid or lemon juice. Wait until the must cools down to add the Campden tablet, if you choose to use one. Cover and fit with an air lock. If you use the Campden tablet, wait at least 12 hours before adding the pectic enzyme. In another 12 to 24 hours, check the PA and add the yeast.

Stir daily. In a week or two, lift out the fruit bag and let it drain without squeezing before discarding the fruit. When the PA goes down to 2 to 3 percent, rack off the wine into a glass carboy and fit it with an air lock.

Rack the wine twice more during the next six months or so. Wait till the wine clears and it ferments out dry. You can sweeten this a little if you like: add stabilizer and 2 to 4 ounces of sugar in a syrup. Bottle and sample in six months.

GENERIC ROSÉ