My Wine Recipe

[Granny Smith]

This wine takes about 4 months to make.

Wine

1 gallon (16 cups) water
1 quart (4 cups) fruit (any kind)
1 scant teaspoon yeast (I use regular bread yeast)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
7 cups sugar
1 box (15 oz.) Golden raisins

Using a stainless steel pan, with at least a 6 quart capacity, bring water to a boil. Cool to lukewarm, about 100 degrees.

Blend fruit in blender or food processor (not necessary if you are using small berries).

Add yeast to water and stir.
Add fruit to water and stir.
Add lemon juice to water and stir.
Add sugar to water and stir.

Cover and set aside.

Stir for 5 minutes every day, for 7 days.

On 7th day, add raisins and stir well. Cover and do not touch or move for 21 days.

Strain and put into a gallon bottle or equivilent. Cover with airlock or vented lid (I use a lid that I've inserted a small pipe through, then put a balloon over the pipe.) Allow to sit, undisturbed, for 3 months, to allow dregs to settle and wine to clear.

After 3 months, siphon the clear wine off (I use a length of aquarium hose) and bottle (you can put this into sterilized wine or liquor bottles or into quart jars). Makes about a gallon.

[eyeofthestorm]

Question about this: the first week, when it's sitting covered and I'm stirring it once daily - is it covered tightly or loosely? If loosely, do you think just some cheesecloth with a rubber band will do?

[Granny Smith]

Cover it loosely. I let mine sit in a pan with the lid on, but I've done it with cloth, too. (an old piece of sheet, if I remember right) It works just fine. You could eve put a cookie sheet or pizza pan on it or hold the cheesecloth on with clothespins.

[eyeofthestorm]

Gayle, somehow I missed your response to this.

Anyway, I did it today. A double batch (in two containers) of plum wine. Not wild plums, some other sort from the farm. I canned all day; by the end, I pretty much didn't care what kind of plums they were. In fact, if I hadn't cleaned them this morning, I wouldn't have made it.

But I did. I have them sitting in large (@ 1 and 3/4 gallon size) glass jars. The lids on those are not airtight, so I'm hoping that will do. I may even let it be that for the vented lid. They're the only containers I have that size, so I'm thinking when I strain, I'll strain into one of my big pots, wash the jars thoroughly, then return for sitting for 3 months. I haven't figured out where I'll put them that they won't be moved for 3 months.

Oh - is it ready to drink as soon as it's bottled, or does it need to age? I never thought about this until a neighbor started telling me his plum wine sits for 3 years...but it's even better if it sits for 4...(I haven't lived at the same address for 4 years since I left college.)

[Granny Smith]

It's ready to drink as soon as it's bottled, but my sister doesn't even wait that long. She likes it right after it's strained, but still bubbly. She says plum wine is the best. I prefer dandelion that has been aged.

[meemo]

I finally remembered the golden raisins. I'm goin to make some out of this wild plum juice I have.

[Granny Smith]

Until last year, I always followed the recipe to the letter. But, last year, I decided to see what would happen if you used regular raisins, instead of the golden kind. I made 2 batches, one with each kind. I couldn't tell the difference. The one with the regular raisins wasn't even a darker color!

[eyeofthestorm]

Okay, I need some feedback.

I was supposed to decant this this week. Instead, I chucked it Here's what happened.

First, let's presume I followed all the directions right (because I think I did...)

Second, I couldn't fit it all in one container, so I split it between two. I scalded both.

One container seemed all right..and the other had grown this big, nasty mold thing on top. I tossed that one (no brainer) then fretted over the other. DH & I thought it smelled all right (we could definitely smell the fermentation), he thought it was too much work to throw away. I, however, really really really don't want to get sick. So...I poured it down the drain. It was fizzy, which the other was not. I don't know if the other smelled of alcohol, I was trying to keep that big ol' patch of mold as far from my nose as possible.

Thoughts? Did I just not scald the other container well enough? I'm kind of worried about missing something obvious, and I'm starting to second guess myself...

[Granny Smith]

Not sure why one molded, but the other one should be fine.