Winemaking

[Sunbaneglasses]

I have realized that you can ferment anything containing sugar and that the results can be quite tasty. Inspired by a recent batch of muscadine wine that I made in a five gallon glass jug in an unused closet upstairs I have decided to try making wine from other fruits as well. Right now frothing away in said closet is this concoction: About 10 very ripe peaches cut into cubes, 2 pint jars of my mother-in-laws peach preserves, 2 large bags of dried apricots, sugar until it tasted right, about 5 gallons of water and wine yeast culture. When it stops working and clarifies I will draw it out, bottle it and hope that it tastes good. Anyone else ever try their hand at wine making?

[Avatar]

Why don't you try...I dunno...grapes?

--A

[Sunbaneglasses]

A muscadine is a wild grape that grows in abundance here, seems like every other oak tree has a muscadine vine growing in it.

[Zarathustra]

As I've mentioned in the general discussion forum (IM Drunk thread), my father has made wine for decades. I'm a homebrewer myself, but I know a little about winemaking vicariously.

You're right, you can make wine from just about anything. Some of my dad's best wine was made from dandelion (yes, the weedy flower). Also, sumac wine was very good. Persimmon made a very unique, tasty wine. Basically, anything he could get for free was a potential base for his wines. Doing it yourself gives you the opportunity to be creative and adventurous. You have already made at least a batch or two, so you sound like you know what you're doing. But there is always room for improvement. Plenty of good, step-by-step info is available on the web, obviously. The only advice I can offer is to get yourself some good yeast, follow rigorous sanitation procedures, and be patient.

If you ever want to homebrew some beer, I could be a lot more helpful. I just bottled a porter that is creamy, chocolately heaven in a glass.

[Vraith]

I've had dandelion wine, it's quite popular among home-wine makers around here, quite liked it. [I think it's pops up in quite a few old tunes from your part of the world and points south, doesn't it Z?]

But sumac? Never heard that one...I'm gonna check that out [we have both sumac and "poison sumac" here, though I'm not even sure if they're actually related...the poison one is probably a bad idea.]

[Sunbaneglasses]

Might be one in the same, some people are allergic to sumac and some are not. It grows like crazy at the edge of the woods here, loaded with tiny purple berries right now.

[Vader]

You're right, you can make wine from just about anything.

You can, but just ain't call it wine.

[Avatar]

A muscadine is a wild grape that grows in abundance here, seems like every other oak tree has a muscadine vine growing in it.

Is that like a muscat grape? (As in what they make muscatel from? Awful sweet if so.)

I've had elderberry wine before and found it passable, but personally I'm a cabernet sauvignon kinda guy. The idea of wine made from...just...anything doesn't seem right.

--A

[Sunbaneglasses]

Avatar, read from my friend Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscadine Wild grape native to the southeastern United States, and damn fine foraging while taking a woodland hike.

[Avatar]

Seems to be similar, in that it says they usually make dessert wine from it. Personally, I can't be having with that much sweetness in a wine. But since you're making it from peaches and apricots anyway...

Enjoy.

--A

[Sunbaneglasses]

I have now realized a problem with the peach preserves I added, if I want the wine to be clear I must add an enzyme to break down the pectin which tends to make wine cloudy. I personally don't care if it is cloudy as long as it tastes good.

[Zarathustra]

You're right, you can make wine from just about anything.

You can, but just ain't call it wine.

Why not? I don't live in Europe.

The term wine can sometimes include alcoholic beverages that are not grape-based. This can include wines produced from fruits like apples and elderberries, starches like rice, as well as flowers and weeds like dandelion and marijuana.[1] The most common, narrow definition of wine relates to the product of fermented grape juice, though it is sometimes broadened to include any beverage with a fermentation based on the conversion of a sugar solution into alcohol (fermented beverages based on hydrolyzed barley such as beer are often excluded). Some drinks such as cider, mead and perry are also excluded from this broad definition of wine for historical reasons.[2] In many areas of the world, the commercial use of the word "wine" is protected by law.[3] In the European Union "wine" is legally defined only as the fermented juice of grapes.[1]