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[Marble-eye]

9 hours ago, Convert54 said:

A friend a few years back tried with pomegranite.  He gave me a bottle which was not very flavorsome and was a very pale red. I have no idea if that is usual outcome or if he did it wrong.

But this thread and you guys have got me interested in having a go. I have  several kilos of  frozen blackberries I would like to try with.

Thanks for the feedback Convert, that was what I was concerned about, if something is pretty tasteless to start with it must end up the same when fermented, think I'll cross it off my (wine) bucket list. 

Good luck with the blackberries. 

Edited September 21, 2021 by Marble-eye

[Marble-eye]

8 hours ago, JamesE said:

Good night! That will be some powerful wine. That yeast will ferment dry up to 18%!

Hi James, according to my calculations it should ferment up to 13% ish, or have I boobooed. 

Found this on the internet, it sorta confirms the figures I believe. 

 

"What should my OG be?

For wine, Original Gravity should be 1.070 (normal finished ABV will be 10.5%) to 1.090 (normal finished ABV will be 13%). Final Gravity should be 0.990 (for dry wines) to 1.005 (for sweet wines)." 

https://brewcraft.com/craft-food-making-tips/measuring-alcohol/

 

 

[stuhan]

14 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

Just started my red grape juice wine, the 12 carton pack of Malee from Lazada also ordered two 10 litre fermenting buckets with taps. Sterilised all the equipment. Put 8 litres of the juice in one of the buckets and took a reading, it read 12 brix (1.048) added one kilo of sugar which gave me a reading of 21.5 brix (1.090), added the Lalvin 1116 so will keep my fingers crossed.

Question: I fancy getting some pomegranite juice for the next batch, what colour will it end up and does it give you a sort of mellow wine? Any more info will be gratefully accepted.

Your red grape carton juice wine recipe sounds good and i am sure it will turn out great. Pomegranite wine should turn out a red colored wine and maybe a bit tart if dry,so you might have to back sweeten it.

[stuhan]

 

Tomato Wine

This recipe makes a 1 gallon batch, If a larger batch is desired, all ingredients will scale proportionately.  

***Note that 1 pack of yeast would be enough for 6 gallons.

 

Ingredients

3.5 lbs. Tomatoes

96 oz. water

1 cup Raisins

1.5 lbs. sugar

2.5 tsp. Acid Blend [ juice half a lemon]

0.25 tsp. Tannin [1x tea bag]

1 tsp. Yeast Nutrient

1 pack Lalvin EC-1118 wine yeast

Stage 1: Preparation

Wash tomatoes and remove any portions that are bruised. Cut into pieces.  Place into nylon straining bag. Press, crush and strain juice into primary fermenter. Keeping all pulp in straining bag, tie top and place in primary.  Stir in all other ingredients except yeast, cover and wait 24 hours.

Yeast Hydration and primary fermentation: in a large cup add 4 ounces of warm chlorine free water. This water is to not exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir contents of yeast packet into warm water and be sure to break up any clumps. Let mixture stand in cup for 15 minutes. Bubbling or increase in mixture size is a good sign of rehydration. Add an equal part of juice to the hydrated yeast mixture and let stand for 15 minutes. Pour yeast mixture into bucket and stir gently. Next, measure and record the Specific Gravity and temperature to establish a fermentation starting point. Recording your S.G. and temperature in a log will be helpful especially if you would like to duplicate your results next season.

***Place primary fermenter with lid lightly on (can use a cheese cloth or clean hair net over bucket) and in a location, that is 65-75 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Consistent stirring: Stir gently twice daily for 5 minutes. Stir once in the morning and once in the evening. Continue to monitor the yeast activity (bubbling, foaming, etc.) that is most active in this stage. Readings of S.G. decrease as sugar converts to alcohol.

Stage 2: Secondary Fermentation

Once the vigorous fermentation has subsided, rack to the secondary fermentation vessel, a one gallon carboy or jug, gently press the fruit to extract remaining wine, and fit the airlock with bung in the opening. Although yeast activity will decrease as the fermentation process proceeds, the process will continue on in this phase.

S.G. Monitoring: Check S.G.: if 0.990-0.996 the wine will be dry, if 1.000 it will be medium- sweet, if greater than 1.000 it will be a sweet wine. Allow fermentation to continue longer if needed for desired dryness. You should taste the wine to find the dryness or sweetness level that is desired. When the wine is ready, proceed to stabilization. Remember temperature controls the rate of fermentation, cool temperature will extend days required for fermenting your wine or stop the process prematurely leading to problem wine.

 

Edited September 21, 2021 by stuhan
EDIT

[stuhan]

 

Peach Wine

This recipe makes a 1 gallon batch, If a larger batch is desired, all ingredients will scale proportionately.  

***Note that 1 pack of yeast would be enough for 6 gallons.

 

Ingredients

2.5 lbs. Peaches

112 oz. water

2 lbs. sugar

1.5 tsp. Acid Blend or juice half a lemon

1 tsp. Pectic Enzyme

1 tsp. Yeast Nutrient

0.25 tsp. Tannin or 1x tea bag boiled in 250ml water

1 pack Lalvin ICV-D47 or EC-1118 wine yeast

Note: Use only peaches that are firm, ripe and not bruised or rotten.

Stage 1: Preparation

Wash peaches, remove stones and any brown patches, and weigh out correct amount.  Mash and strain out juice in primary fermenter. Keep all pulp in nylon straining bag, tie top and place in primary. Stir in all other ingredients except yeast. Cover primary fermenter.  After 24 hours, add prepared yeast.

Yeast Hydration and primary fermentation: in a large cup add 4 ounces of warm chlorine free water. This water is to not exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir contents of yeast packet into warm water and be sure to break up any clumps. Let mixture stand in cup for 15 minutes. Bubbling or increase in mixture size is a good sign of rehydration. Add an equal part of juice to the hydrated yeast mixture and let stand for 15 minutes. Pour yeast mixture into bucket and stir gently. Next, measure and record the Specific Gravity and temperature to establish a fermentation starting point. Recording your S.G. and temperature in a log will be helpful especially if you would like to duplicate your results next season.

***Place primary fermenter with lid lightly on (can use a cheese cloth or clean hair net over bucket) and in a location, that is 65-75 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Consistent stirring: Stir gently twice daily for 5 minutes. Stir once in the morning and once in the evening. Continue to monitor the yeast activity (bubbling, foaming, etc.) that is most active in this stage. Readings of S.G. decrease as sugar converts to alcohol.

Stage 2: Secondary Fermentation

Once the vigorous fermentation has subsided, rack to the secondary fermentation vessel, a one gallon carboy or jug, gently press the fruit to extract remaining wine, and fit the airlock with bung in the opening. Although yeast activity will decrease as the fermentation process proceeds, the process will continue on in this phase.

S.G. Monitoring: Check S.G.: if 0.990-0.996 the wine will be dry, if 1.000 it will be medium- sweet, if greater than 1.000 it will be a sweet wine. Allow fermentation to continue longer if needed for desired dryness. You should taste the wine to find the dryness or sweetness level that is desired. When the wine is ready, proceed to stabilization. Remember temperature controls the rate of fermentation, cool temperature will extend days required for fermenting your wine or stop the process prematurely leading to problem wine.

 

[JamesE]

1 hour ago, Marble-eye said:

Hi James, according to my calculations it should ferment up to 13% ish, or have I boobooed. 

Found this on the internet, it sorta confirms the figures I believe. 

"What should my OG be?

For wine, Original Gravity should be 1.070 (normal finished ABV will be 10.5%) to 1.090 (normal finished ABV will be 13%). Final Gravity should be 0.990 (for dry wines) to 1.005 (for sweet wines)." 

https://brewcraft.com/craft-food-making-tips/measuring-alcohol/

I think your exactly right in your estimation but I think that yeast might take your final SG a bit lower than that and you may end up closer to 14%. A slightly less "assertive" yeast (my go-to is Red Star Cote des Blancs  at 16% alcohol tolerance, EVC profile, and moderate speed) might give you a better end product. I've found that the high alcohol tolerant, fast yeasts leave a really sharp edge on the finished product.

This is a handy chart: https://www.piwine.com/media/pdf/yeast-selection-chart.pdf

 

[stuhan]

 

Pear Wine

This recipe makes a 1 gallon batch, If a larger batch is desired, all ingredients will scale proportionately.  

***Note that 1 pack of yeast would be enough for 6 gallons.

 

Ingredients

4 lbs. Ripe pears

96 oz. water about 3L

2 lbs. sugar

2.5 tsp. Acid Blend or 1/2 juice of a lemon

0.5 tsp. Pectic Enzyme

1 tsp. Yeast Nutrient

1 pack Lalvin ICV-D47 or EC-1118 wine yeast

 

Equipment

Primary fermenter, stirring spoon, hydrometer, straining bag, siphon tubing kit, 1 gallon carboy or jug, an airlock and bung. A thermometer and brewing belt may be used to monitor and control temperature.

Helpful hint: make sure all equipment (i.e. stirring spoon, etc.) is sterilized. Contaminated equipment can ruin the quality of the juice and the ending product.

Stage 1: Preparation

Wash pears, drain and remove stems, and cut in half and core. Cut into smaller pieces.  Using the nylon straining bag mash and strain juice into primary fermenter. As juice is extracted, immediately add Campden tablet to prevent spoilage and browning. Keeping all pulp in bag, tie top and place in primary.  Add water and all remaining ingredients, except yeast. Stir well.  Cover primary fermenter and wait 24 hours, then add prepared yeast.

 Yeast Hydration and primary fermentation: in a large cup add 4 ounces of warm chlorine free water. This water is to not exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir contents of yeast packet into warm water and be sure to break up any clumps. Let mixture stand in cup for 15 minutes. Bubbling or increase in mixture size is a good sign of rehydration. Add an equal part of juice to the hydrated yeast mixture and let stand for 15 minutes. Pour yeast mixture into bucket and stir gently. Next, measure and record the Specific Gravity and temperature to establish a fermentation starting point. Recording your S.G. and temperature in a log will be helpful especially if you would like to duplicate your results next season.

***Place primary fermenter with lid lightly on (can use a cheese cloth or clean hair net over bucket) and in a location, that is 65-75 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Consistent stirring: Stir gently twice daily for 5 minutes. Stir once in the morning and once in the evening. Continue to monitor the yeast activity (bubbling, foaming, etc.) that is most active in this stage. Readings of S.G. decrease as sugar converts to alcohol.

Stage 2: Secondary Fermentation

Once the vigorous fermentation has subsided, rack to the secondary fermentation vessel, a one gallon carboy or jug, gently press the fruit to extract remaining wine, and fit the airlock with bung in the opening. Although yeast activity will decrease as the fermentation process proceeds, the process will continue on in this phase.

S.G. Monitoring: Check S.G.: if 0.990-0.996 the wine will be dry, if 1.000 it will be medium- sweet, if greater than 1.000 it will be a sweet wine. Allow fermentation to continue longer if needed for desired dryness. You should taste the wine to find the dryness or sweetness level that is desired. When the wine is ready, proceed to stabilization. Remember temperature controls the rate of fermentation, cool temperature will extend days required for fermenting your wine or stop the process prematurely leading to problem wine.

 

[Marble-eye]

2 minutes ago, JamesE said:

I think your exactly right in your estimation but I think that yeast might take your final SG a bit lower than that and you may end up closer to 14%. A slightly less "assertive" yeast (my go-to is Red Star Cote des Blancs  at 16% alcohol tolerance, EVC profile, and moderate speed) might give you a better end product. I've found that the high alcohol tolerant, fast yeasts leave a really sharp edge on the finished product.

This is a handy chart: https://www.piwine.com/media/pdf/yeast-selection-chart.pdf

What I may do (emphasis on the may) is to stop the fermentation when it gets to about 12% or 13%. Something I have never done before as I have always gone for the strength rather than the taste, I think a too strong a wine and you end up tasting the alcohol rather than the fruit, when down to where I want it I'll put a crushed Camden tablet in it and cold crash for a few days, it should help to clear it at the same time as well as stopping the fermentation.

Cheers.

[stuhan]

 

Pomegranate Wine

This recipe makes a 1 gallon batch, If a larger batch is desired, all ingredients will scale proportionately.  

***Note that 1 pack of yeast would be enough for 6 gallons.

 

Ingredients

6 Pomegranates

96 oz. water appx 3L

2.75 lbs. sugar

8 oz. White Grape Concentrate: use 1L of grape/apple juice from tesco/big c/ect

2 tsp. Acid Blend

1 tsp. Pectic Enzyme

1 tsp. Yeast Nutrient

1/4 tsp. Tannin 1x tea bag boiled in 250ml water

1 pack Lalvin EC-1118 wine yeast

 

 Equipment

Primary fermenter, stirring spoon, hydrometer, straining bag, siphon tubing kit, 1 gallon carboy or jug, an airlock and bung. A thermometer and brewing belt may be used to monitor and control temperature.

Helpful hint: make sure all equipment (i.e. stirring spoon, etc.) is sterilized. Contaminated equipment can ruin the quality of the juice and the ending product.

Stage 1: Preparation

Wash pomegranates. Peel and remove all yellow skin. Split open and scrape out seeds. Cut into smaller pieces.  Using the nylon straining bag mash and strain juice into primary fermenter.  Add water and all remaining ingredients, except yeast. Stir well.  Cover primary fermenter.  Wait 24 hours, then add prepared yeast.

 Yeast Hydration and primary fermentation: in a large cup add 4 ounces of warm chlorine free water. This water is to not exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir contents of yeast packet into warm water and be sure to break up any clumps. Let mixture stand in cup for 15 minutes. Bubbling or increase in mixture size is a good sign of rehydration. Add an equal part of juice to the hydrated yeast mixture and let stand for 15 minutes. Pour yeast mixture into bucket and stir gently. Next, measure and record the Specific Gravity and temperature to establish a fermentation starting point. Recording your S.G. and temperature in a log will be helpful especially if you would like to duplicate your results next season.

***Place primary fermenter with lid lightly on (can use a cheese cloth or clean hair net over bucket) and in a location, that is 65-75 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Consistent stirring: Stir gently twice daily for 5 minutes. Stir once in the morning and once in the evening. Continue to monitor the yeast activity (bubbling, foaming, etc.) that is most active in this stage. Readings of S.G. decrease as sugar converts to alcohol.

Stage 2: Secondary Fermentation

Once the vigorous fermentation has subsided, rack to the secondary fermentation vessel, a one gallon carboy or jug, gently press the fruit to extract remaining wine, and fit the airlock with bung in the opening. Although yeast activity will decrease as the fermentation process proceeds, the process will continue on in this phase.

S.G. Monitoring: Check S.G.: if 0.990-0.996 the wine will be dry, if 1.000 it will be medium- sweet, if greater than 1.000 it will be a sweet wine. Allow fermentation to continue longer if needed for desired dryness. You should taste the wine to find the dryness or sweetness level that is desired. When the wine is ready, proceed to stabilization. Remember temperature controls the rate of fermentation, cool temperature will extend days required for fermenting your wine or stop the process prematurely leading to problem wine.

 

[WilliamG]

17 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

Just started my red grape juice wine, the 12 carton pack of Malee from Lazada also ordered two 10 litre fermenting buckets with taps. Sterilised all the equipment. Put 8 litres of the juice in one of the buckets and took a reading, it read 12 brix (1.048) added one kilo of sugar which gave me a reading of 21.5 brix (1.090), added the Lalvin 1116 so will keep my fingers crossed.

Question: I fancy getting some pomegranite juice for the next batch, what colour will it end up and does it give you a sort of mellow wine? Any more info will be gratefully accepted.

Tried Tipco  pomegranet last year and it came out OK.

I was using Tipco/Mallee red wine juice until I read on this thread about the Cabernet Sauvignon red concentrate juice. I bought one litre for Bht 720 incl postage, used that and 4 litres of water, Lalvin 1118 (Bht 59). It's bubbling well at the moment. OK, not as cheap as using Malee, but hopefully will give a better quality wine, and still be just over Bht 100 a bottle.

Edited September 21, 2021 by WilliamG

[stuhan]

17 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

Just started my red grape juice wine, the 12 carton pack of Malee from Lazada also ordered two 10 litre fermenting buckets with taps. Sterilised all the equipment. Put 8 litres of the juice in one of the buckets and took a reading, it read 12 brix (1.048) added one kilo of sugar which gave me a reading of 21.5 brix (1.090), added the Lalvin 1116 so will keep my fingers crossed.

Question: I fancy getting some pomegranite juice for the next batch, what colour will it end up and does it give you a sort of mellow wine? Any more info will be gratefully accepted.

Hi marble-eye, Can you tell me where you found the 10L Buckets, i have looked on LAZ and cannot find them, i found 8L & 13L but i cannot see 10L, i know they have them.

cheers

[Marble-eye]

43 minutes ago, stuhan said:

Hi marble-eye, Can you tell me where you found the 10L Buckets, i have looked on LAZ and cannot find them, i found 8L & 13L but i cannot see 10L, i know they have them.

cheers

Hi Stu, I just searched in Lazada for 'fermentation bucket' and many results were shown. I have the Lazada app which doesn't display a link for the item. This is one of the buckets I bought.

 

[stuhan]

2 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

Hi Stu, I just searched in Lazada for 'fermentation bucket' and many results were shown. I have the Lazada app which doesn't display a link for the item. This is one of the buckets I bought.

Ok thanks found it now, knew they had them. 

[stuhan]

Now i've finished on the vaccine forum (just a mid morning snack) .

Time to get back to wine making. Everyone has there own methods when doing fermentations, this is mine.

1st i do all my fermenting now in 1X 12L  bottle from start to finish before i rack/ transfer it into my 8L storage bottle.Reasons i do this: 1: I find racking/transfering at 1.010 to 1.030 can interfere with the fermentation even stopping or stuck fermentations at times. 2: Most of my wines are now from carton juices so they don't create a lot of lees/sediment so leaving the wine on the lees which is mostly dead yeast cells won't really affect the finished wine that much if any. So my wines now finish fermenting completely then i rack/tranfer them to clear.

1st photo is my 8L storage bottle : 2nd is the cleaner i use which is a much cheaper alternative to starsan,pbw,stellersan,ect ect. 3rd is my 12L fermenting bottle completely clear,i make 8.5L of must then when finished that will give me my full 8L of wine (due to wastage during racking).

I do use an air lock after 3 days during fermentation,i don't worry about the head space.

Edited September 22, 2021 by stuhan

[Marble-eye]

1 hour ago, stuhan said:

1st photo is my 8L storage bottle : 2nd is the cleaner i use which is a much cheaper alternative to starsan,pbw,stellersan,ect ect. 3rd is my 12L fermenting bottle completely clear,i make 8.5L of must then when finished that will give me my full 8L of wine (due to wastage during racking).

Yes you are correct Stu that Starsan is expensive but it goes a long long way and can be used on numerous ocassions. I bought some about 5 years ago and it is still half full, must be something like a teaspoon of Starsan to 2 gall of water and when I was brewing my beer I would use it about 4 or 5 times. Plus it is perfectly safe to use and when sterilised the equipment and bottles there is no need to rinse out.

As for my grape wine havn't noticed any vigorous activity but am getting about one bubble per second, does that sound about correct, been going now about 45 hours?

[stuhan]

2 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

Yes you are correct Stu that Starsan is expensive but it goes a long long way and can be used on numerous ocassions. I bought some about 5 years ago and it is still half full, must be something like a teaspoon of Starsan to 2 gall of water and when I was brewing my beer I would use it about 4 or 5 times. Plus it is perfectly safe to use and when sterilised the equipment and bottles there is no need to rinse out.

As for my grape wine havn't noticed any vigorous activity but am getting about one bubble per second, does that sound about correct, been going now about 45 hours?

Starsan is great stuff as you say.lasts a long time, it's just i don't brew enough to justify the expense, so i just by the cheaper cleaner that does me for what i make ( or maybe it's my Scottish blood). No visible activity could just be the yeast type, some go mad others are pretty docile, but activity through your airlock  appx 50-60 B.P.M is a good sign it's working well, when it's bubbling about 1-2 a minute then it's nearly finishing, but remember your hydrometer is god, it tells you when things are done for sure not the air lock, take a sample reading every 4 days that will show you where you are. When the hydrometer reads the same 2 or 3 days apart then it's done, but you probably know all  this already.

I can't wait to start a few new wines in november, will be ordering some new equipment soon.

Edited September 22, 2021 by stuhan
info

[Marble-eye]

Tried the hydrometer but I had a very bad habit of immersing them in hot wort and the damn thing cracking so I thought that a refractor might be the safest option, pretty indestructable.

Just ordered a 12 x 1 litre pack of peach and mango juice from Lazada, that will be my next wine making attempt, actually prefer white to red, used to love Liebfraumilch, Blue Nun and Reisling.

So will have 4 cartons of red grape juice and 4 peach and mango, might have to mix them together.

A handy little chart here that gives a basic idea of what to expect from fruit wine.

 

Edited September 22, 2021 by Marble-eye

[stuhan]

On 9/21/2021 at 7:53 AM, Marble-eye said:

Thanks for the feedback Convert, that was what I was concerned about, if something is pretty tasteless to start with it must end up the same when fermented, think I'll cross it off my (wine) bucket list. 

Good luck with the blackberries. 

 

15 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

Tried the hydrometer but I had a very bad habit of immersing them in hot wort and the damn thing cracking so I thought that a refractor might be the safest option, pretty indestructable.

Just ordered a 12 x 1 litre pack of peach and mango juice from Lazada, that will be my next wine making attempt, actually prefer white to red, used to love Liebfraumilch, Blue Nun and Reisling.

So will have 4 cartons of red grape juice and 4 peach and mango, might have to mix them together.

A handy little chart here that gives a basic idea of what to expect from fruit wine.

I used to like those wines too when younger but now i love oz and south african whites and chilean reds amongst others, bit of a wino me i think, anyway red wine is good for you, i read an article about a 100+ year old Italian man who swore his long life was due to drinking red wine everyday, that's good enough for me. Mixing fruit is a great idea to, that's part of the fun of making wines. Some fruits do not produce a lot of body or flavor in smaller amounts, so you need to add almost double the amount to achieve it. Handy chart M-E.

[WilliamG]

2 hours ago, stuhan said:

I used to like those wines too when younger but now i love oz and south african whites and chilean reds amongst others, bit of a wino me i think, anyway red wine is good for you, i read an article about a 100+ year old Italian man who swore his long life was due to drinking red wine everyday, that's good enough for me. Mixing fruit is a great idea to, that's part of the fun of making wines. Some fruits do not produce a lot of body or flavor in smaller amounts, so you need to add almost double the amount to achieve it. Handy chart M-E.

Totally agree with the health aspect. If I have a good glug of my own red stuff in the evening, my blood pressure is way down below 120/70 later that night. 

[Marble-eye]

Anybody planning making anything special for those hot winter months here? I got to thinking about my 4 litres of red grape juice I have left over and with a little help from google I decided I'll have a go at making port, anybody on here ever tried this?

It would seem that you don't have to let the red wine fermentation finish, so your OG could be 0.080 and you could stop it at 0.040, the way of stopping it is just to add grape brandy to the wine and the power of the alcohol will kill the yeast, add some oak chips and let it sit until it reaches a palatable taste for yourself.

Does anyone know which Thai brandies are made from grapes, I believe that Regency is, is there anymore, looking for a value for money brandy, but must be grape although I wouldn't be surprised if some of the sugar cane liquor would do the trick.

The first link gives us an idea of what's involved in the making of the port and the second link is the calculator for the addition of the brandy.

I hope it might be of interest to some and what better than a nice glass of port with Christmas dinner, and oh don't forget to serve port to your left.

https://winemakermag.com/article/427-luscious-port-wine

https://www.vinolab.hr/calculator/fortification-spirit-addition-en41

 

[stuhan]

17 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

Anybody planning making anything special for those hot winter months here? I got to thinking about my 4 litres of red grape juice I have left over and with a little help from google I decided I'll have a go at making port, anybody on here ever tried this?

It would seem that you don't have to let the red wine fermentation finish, so your OG could be 0.080 and you could stop it at 0.040, the way of stopping it is just to add grape brandy to the wine and the power of the alcohol will kill the yeast, add some oak chips and let it sit until it reaches a palatable taste for yourself.

Does anyone know which Thai brandies are made from grapes, I believe that Regency is, is there anymore, looking for a value for money brandy, but must be grape although I wouldn't be surprised if some of the sugar cane liquor would do the trick.

The first link gives us an idea of what's involved in the making of the port and the second link is the calculator for the addition of the brandy.

I hope it might be of interest to some and what better than a nice glass of port with Christmas dinner, and oh don't forget to serve port to your left.

https://winemakermag.com/article/427-luscious-port-wine

https://www.vinolab.hr/calculator/fortification-spirit-addition-en41

I will take a look at those links, never tried making port. I have a spiced apple wine on the go for Christmas also a cherry brandy from tinned cherries and a spiced  cranberry mead/melomel , which unfortunately won't be ready for Christmas, but the spiced apple wine should be. At the moment  i'm working on my own recipe equivalent of Drambui.

[stuhan]

 

Adjusting Specific Gravity

Specific Gravity Adjustments

To increase the specific gravity of juice: Add table sugar to increase the gravity. To calculate the amount needed, take an initial gravity reading, then subtract that from the specific gravity you wish to begin with. The difference will determine approximately how much sugar to add (use column on right).

Example: If your current gravity is 1.075 (24.5 oz. sugar per gal), and the desired gravity is 1.095 (31.0 oz. sugar per gal) then [ 31.0 – 24.5 = 6.5 oz.] So 6.5 oz. of sugar per gallon that must be added to bring the gravity up to 1.095

To reduce the specific gravity (if sugar level is too high): 2 quarts of water will decrease a 5 gallon must approximately by 0.010

 

Hydrometer Conversion Chart

Specific Gravity	Brix	Alcohol Potential	Sugar Per oz/gal
1.000	0	0	0
1.005	1.2	0.5	1.7
1.010	2.5	0.9	3.3
1.015	3.7	1.6	4.9
1.020	5.2	2.3	6.5
1.025	6.5	3.0	8.1
1.030	7.7	3.7	9.8
1.035	9.0	4.4	11.4
1.040	10.2	5.1	13.0
1.045	11.5	5.8	14.6
1.050	12.5	6.5	16.2
1.055	13.7	7.2	17.8
1.060	15.1	7.8	19.5
1.065	16.3	8.6	21.1
1.070	17.5	9.2	22.8
1.075	18.5	9.9	24.5
1.080	19.7	10.6	26.0
1.085	20.7	11.3	27.7
1.090	22.0	12.0	29.3
1.095	23.0	12.7	31.0
1.100	24.0	13.4	32.6
1.105	25.2	14.1	34.1
1.110	26.2	14.9	35.7
1.115	27.3	15.6	37.4
1.120	28.4	16.3	39.0

 

[Marble-eye]

32 minutes ago, stuhan said:

I will take a look at those links, never tried making port. I have a spiced apple wine on the go for Christmas also a cherry brandy from tinned cherries and a spiced  cranberry mead/melomel , which unfortunately won't be ready for Christmas, but the spiced apple wine should be. At the moment  i'm working on my own recipe equivalent of Drambui.

Did you leave a recipe for the cherry brandy Stu on here, I am correct in assuming that is a fortified wine too i.e adding brandy to the mix.

Do you know which Thai brandies are made from grapes, I think that Regency may be from grape, will do a recce today hopefully.

This guy from Youtube simplifies the port making process.

 

[stuhan]

I may have left a cherry brandy recipe here in the past and plenty to be found online.This one was my own experiment. I have made a small 2L strong cherry wine using a 400g tin of sweet black cherries in syrup, 1L cherry berry juice, water to 2L , 250g brown sugar, lalvin 47 yeast and a tsp of nutrient (D.A.P). After its fermented i will make 3x 1L bottles from any cheap brandy i can find and leave for 1 month or so before drinking some, i will be keeping an eye on the sweetness level as i don't want it to sweet. So each 1L bottle will have 650ml of wine and 233ml of brandy making appx 883 ml per bottle topped up with water to 1L mark.

Here is a little info about Regency brandy to answer your question about grapes used.

 

More than forty years ago, Narong Chokchainarong would have been accused of being "crazy" for thinking of creating a Thai brandy "Regency" in this battle of the Nam Mao Chakra. Because the brandy production process is a matter of Of science and art that has been passed on for many generations must be meticulous from the selection of the best grape varieties to be planted. Harvest in the right climate And through the distillation and curing the flavor to be soft.

like a nectar created by the heavens It takes at least 2-3 years to get each drop, and every year evaporation during curing occurs, a very expensive but inevitable loss. which is contrary to the business that has the highest profit-making principle in a short time to achieve break-even point, but he never gave up.

His luck was upon a French expert who had experience in an old French brandy company. When he retired, he thought of setting up a brandy factory in Vietnam. But the threat of the smoldering Vietnam War causing his plans to be abandoned. And he got this knowledgeable man to lay the foundations for brandy production in the factory.

The production of the Regency brandy first started as a wine made from a blend of grapes. "White Malacca" which is yellowish green. It is widely cultivated in the Mae Klong River basin in the provinces of Samut Songkhram, Sampran, Nakhon Pathom and Ratchaburi. The wine obtained will have a degree of 10-12 only after being distilled drop by drop in a distillation room with a fire insurance of not less than 10 million baht. The strength of the brandy increases up to 40 degrees, so a single distilled brandy is strong and has medicinal properties. Therefore, the flavor must be preserved for 2-3 years to soften its flavor in limousine oak barrels. which is the only wood that gives off the aroma and golden color of brandy.

Regency liquor, he gave mostly grapes, did not use molasses, known as “molasses”, while other brands used because the cost was only 400-500 baht per ton, but it was harmful to health. Thailand is not compulsory The government is only interested in taxation, like Mekong, it takes a long time to sell in America. The formula must be changed first.

 

Edited September 25, 2021 by stuhan

[stuhan]

23 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

Anybody planning making anything special for those hot winter months here? I got to thinking about my 4 litres of red grape juice I have left over and with a little help from google I decided I'll have a go at making port, anybody on here ever tried this?

It would seem that you don't have to let the red wine fermentation finish, so your OG could be 0.080 and you could stop it at 0.040, the way of stopping it is just to add grape brandy to the wine and the power of the alcohol will kill the yeast, add some oak chips and let it sit until it reaches a palatable taste for yourself.

Does anyone know which Thai brandies are made from grapes, I believe that Regency is, is there anymore, looking for a value for money brandy, but must be grape although I wouldn't be surprised if some of the sugar cane liquor would do the trick.

The first link gives us an idea of what's involved in the making of the port and the second link is the calculator for the addition of the brandy.

I hope it might be of interest to some and what better than a nice glass of port with Christmas dinner, and oh don't forget to serve port to your left.

https://winemakermag.com/article/427-luscious-port-wine

https://www.vinolab.hr/calculator/fortification-spirit-addition-en41

That vinolab spirt calculator. When they say wine volume is that in liters ?

and spirt addition is that in ml.

cheers