Saturday 4 February 2012

Orange Wine

From: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques33.asp

Orange Wine (2)

  • 8 medium-sized oranges
  • 1 lb chopped or minced golden raisins or sultanas
  • 1-1/2 lbs ripe bananas
  • 3 lbs finely granulated sugar
  • water to make up one gallon
  • 1/4 tsp grape tannin
  • 1 tsp pectic enzyme
  • 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  • wine yeast

Put two quarts of water on to boil. Meanwhile, peel the oranges and remove all the white pith (it is bitter and will ruin the wine). Break the oranges into sections and remove all seeds. Drop them in a juicer or a blender and liquefy (you may have to add a cup of water to the blender). Peel and slice bananas and simmer in one pint of water for 20 minutes. In a primary, add chopped or minced raisins (or sultanas), 2-1/2 lbs of the sugar, the orange juice or liquefied orange pulp, and two quarts of boiling water. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Over primary, pour simmering banana slices into nylon straining bag and allow to drip until cool enough to squeeze. Squeeze lightly and then discard banana flesh. Stir in tannin and yeast nutrient and enough water to make up one gallon total. Cover with cloth and set aside to cool. When cooled to room temperature, add pectic enzyme, recover and wait 12 hours. Add wine yeast. Ferment 7 days, add remaining sugar, stir to dissolve, and ferment another 3 days. Rack off sediments into secondary and fit airlock. Rack every 30 days for 3 months. Stabilize and sweeten to taste. After additional 10 days, rack into bottles and set aside one year to age. [Adapted from Brian Leverett's "Winemaking Month by Month"]


More or less like this, but:

Oranges and bananas were blended, less water was added in favour of orange juice. Less sugar.
 I fermented for 14 day in the primary fermenter (steel 5 litre pot) and then racked into the secondary fermenter.

I DID add PORT YEAST. Now it is fermenting very nicely.

Sunday 15 January 2012

Banana wine

BANANA WINE [DRY] (per Jack Keller's website )

  • 4 1/2 lbs peeled bananas
  • 1/2 lb banana skins
  • 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) white grape concentrate
  • 1 3/4 lbs finely granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp citric acid
  • 1/8 tsp grape tannin
  • 6 1/2 pts water
  • 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  • white wine yeast

Mash the bananas and finely chop the skins, placing both in primary. Meanwhile, bring water to boil and in it dissolve sugar completely. Pour water over fruit and skins and cover primary. When cool, add all remaining ingredients except yeast and stir well to dissolve. Add activated yeast and recover primary. Ferment vigorously for two days and strain through muslin into secondary. Attach airlock and ferment to dryness. Rack, top up, and refit airlock. Allow 90 days for wine to clear. If it does not clear on its own, add amylase according to its instructions. When clear, rack again, top up and refit airlock. Age 2 months, stabilize, and refit airlock. After final 30 days, rack into bottles and allow 3 months rest before drinking.

However, I changed it and added 2 litres of red grap juice instead of water. I also added a bag - 500 grams of Sainsbury's frozen red fruit, as well as acids and tannin. Then I simmered it all for half an hour and cooled. Then added yeast and nutrient.