I figured out what was wrong with it!
It is too ACIDIC. I drained all of the bottles back into a primary fermentor, added a bit of baking soda, and then added some fortifier and then filtered it.
Guess what?
It tastes pretty darn good now.
The problem is that I passed out several bottles of the crappy stuff and now I have to trade it out. That'll be fun :-)
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Make FINE WINE from home
Anyone can make frozen concentrate grape wine from home. It's easy. Take some Welch's grape concentrate, add some water and sugar, add some yeast, wait a week - and you have wine. You won't drink it and neither will your friends.
If you want to make terrific wine from home, you need to do a little more research and planning. The first thing you need is the BEST grape juice. Where do you get it? Where can you find it? How much does it cost?
You would be amazed...
You can easily have the very best juices and grapes shipped to your front door. All you need is a list of places to order them from. The best part? You can make the finest of fine wines for as little as $2 to $4 a bottle. The process is simple and easy. All you need is the step-by-step guide to do it.
Thank goodness there is a book you can buy by Alex London that has simple, step-by-step instructions. He also has a bonus that tells you exactly where to get the very best grapes and juices. This is the key to making wine from home. Get the GOOD STUFF!
You can buy Merlot, Pinot Noir, Red Zinfandel, Cabernet and other grapes direct from the vineyards and have it shipped directly to you. The price is extremely reasonable.
The best wines start with the best grapes - believe me - I know. I have tried making wine from a lot of fruits and fruit juices. The BEST wines come from the BEST grapes.
If you want to make terrific wine from home, you need to do a little more research and planning. The first thing you need is the BEST grape juice. Where do you get it? Where can you find it? How much does it cost?
You would be amazed...
You can easily have the very best juices and grapes shipped to your front door. All you need is a list of places to order them from. The best part? You can make the finest of fine wines for as little as $2 to $4 a bottle. The process is simple and easy. All you need is the step-by-step guide to do it.
Thank goodness there is a book you can buy by Alex London that has simple, step-by-step instructions. He also has a bonus that tells you exactly where to get the very best grapes and juices. This is the key to making wine from home. Get the GOOD STUFF!
You can buy Merlot, Pinot Noir, Red Zinfandel, Cabernet and other grapes direct from the vineyards and have it shipped directly to you. The price is extremely reasonable.
The best wines start with the best grapes - believe me - I know. I have tried making wine from a lot of fruits and fruit juices. The BEST wines come from the BEST grapes.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
What to do with your CRAPPY wine
I just finished 5 gallons of highly acidic grape wine made from concentrate. The alcohol is in the 14% range and it has a HUGE bite. Pretty much terribly acidic. What am I going to do with all of this?
Simple. Give it away!
I bottled it all in 2 liter magnum bottles and I affixed a label with a skull and crossbones on it that clearly says "drink at your own risk"!
I am passing it out as "bonus" Christmas presents and telling the recipients that it needs to be aged at least 3 months before they drink it. It will still taste acidic but not quite as bad as it does now.
I figure that if you keep anything for 3 months, and you wait for it to age - you will drink it. Only time will tell...
Simple. Give it away!
I bottled it all in 2 liter magnum bottles and I affixed a label with a skull and crossbones on it that clearly says "drink at your own risk"!
I am passing it out as "bonus" Christmas presents and telling the recipients that it needs to be aged at least 3 months before they drink it. It will still taste acidic but not quite as bad as it does now.
I figure that if you keep anything for 3 months, and you wait for it to age - you will drink it. Only time will tell...
Apple/Grape Wine
My first 3 gallon batch of apple grape wine is in it's 7th week now. I have just added some potassium sorbate to stabilize it. It was STILL fermenting at 7 weeks - unbelieveable. Now it has settled down.
My hydrometer reads right at 1.00 but it started a little above 1.1 so the alcohol content should be about right. I sampled it yesterday and it is quite sour. It will probably need to be sweetened. I plan on using a little more apple frozen concentrate.
I put finings in last night and it is beginning to clear. This stuff appears to be very cloudy, however, with a pretty good amount of finings, it should clear in about a week. I will keep you posted!
My hydrometer reads right at 1.00 but it started a little above 1.1 so the alcohol content should be about right. I sampled it yesterday and it is quite sour. It will probably need to be sweetened. I plan on using a little more apple frozen concentrate.
I put finings in last night and it is beginning to clear. This stuff appears to be very cloudy, however, with a pretty good amount of finings, it should clear in about a week. I will keep you posted!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Sparkling Wine and Champagne
Ahhh the Tiny Bubbles!
Sparkling wines and champagnes typical make their appearance during the holiday season every year. We make champagne cocktails many time and other times we just mix the bubbly with orange juice (a mimosa).
You can have a virtually unlimited supply of the bubbly if you decide to make your own. Here is a site that details how to do it: http://www.how-to-make-wine.net. While this is not the focus of the site, the book on how to make sparkling wines and champagnes is an added bonus.
It is highly recommended. It also deatils how to make your own wine. If you are just a budding winemaker, or an old pro, these books are an excellent resource.
Sparkling wines and champagnes typical make their appearance during the holiday season every year. We make champagne cocktails many time and other times we just mix the bubbly with orange juice (a mimosa).
You can have a virtually unlimited supply of the bubbly if you decide to make your own. Here is a site that details how to do it: http://www.how-to-make-wine.net. While this is not the focus of the site, the book on how to make sparkling wines and champagnes is an added bonus.
It is highly recommended. It also deatils how to make your own wine. If you are just a budding winemaker, or an old pro, these books are an excellent resource.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Homemade Wine Book
A new book has just been released that details how to make fine, delicious homemade wine. Not rotgut, jug wine, but excellent, full bodied wines that can win contests.
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Homemade Wine has just been made availabe and not only does it describe the intracacies of fine wine making from home, but also comes with 7 valuable bonuses. The book details the 7 deadly sins of winemaking and how to stop them dead in their tracks. It also details additives that will make your wine taste better.
The bonuses include a couple of hard to find wine recipes and one in particular that I like, "Fresh Grapes for Fine Wines". This nice little bonus selection contains sources for the "real thing" grapes and juices - like Pinot Noir grapes, Zinfandel grapes and juices, and Merlot grapes. As the author states, the best wine comes from the best grapes.
All in all, this collection is a must have if you are going to brew your own wine at home. The highlight is that anyone, with the right techniques and ingredients, can make fine, full bodied wines for as little as a dollar a bottle. It's a MUST read.
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Homemade Wine has just been made availabe and not only does it describe the intracacies of fine wine making from home, but also comes with 7 valuable bonuses. The book details the 7 deadly sins of winemaking and how to stop them dead in their tracks. It also details additives that will make your wine taste better.
The bonuses include a couple of hard to find wine recipes and one in particular that I like, "Fresh Grapes for Fine Wines". This nice little bonus selection contains sources for the "real thing" grapes and juices - like Pinot Noir grapes, Zinfandel grapes and juices, and Merlot grapes. As the author states, the best wine comes from the best grapes.
All in all, this collection is a must have if you are going to brew your own wine at home. The highlight is that anyone, with the right techniques and ingredients, can make fine, full bodied wines for as little as a dollar a bottle. It's a MUST read.
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