Comments on: Black Plum Wine ***** http://homemadewine.wordpress.com You don't need grapes to make great wine Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:41:35 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: chris http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-8 chris Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:15:35 +0000 http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-8 Hi Scott, Ooops, I completeyly messed up, and thanks to you I went back and read what I wrote and sure enough, I've only made this with "water to a total of 6 gallons," not 12 like I accidentally typed. Indeed I agree, 1.5 per gallon would make a very week wine! Its also very ironic that you mentioned the frozen fruit comment because I just pulled 20lbs of GreenGage plums from my frrezer and started a batch in fact 4 days ago . . . and it is truly fermenting the very best I've seen so far!! Smells wonderful too. I'm also trying something different with this particular batch and that is, adding oak chips to my first racking. Do you have any suggestions or comments about that? Lastly, Ive heard of adding Campden to the finished wine but havn't tried it yet. This wine I'm making now is going to be used for my cousins wedding in September 2009, do you think adding the Campden would be desireable even though it will be consumed so early? -Cheers, Bailey Hi Scott,

Ooops, I completeyly messed up, and thanks to you I went back and read what I wrote and sure enough, I’ve only made this with “water to a total of 6 gallons,” not 12 like I accidentally typed. Indeed I agree, 1.5 per gallon would make a very week wine! Its also very ironic that you mentioned the frozen fruit comment because I just pulled 20lbs of GreenGage plums from my frrezer and started a batch in fact 4 days ago . . . and it is truly fermenting the very best I’ve seen so far!! Smells wonderful too. I’m also trying something different with this particular batch and that is, adding oak chips to my first racking. Do you have any suggestions or comments about that?

Lastly, Ive heard of adding Campden to the finished wine but havn’t tried it yet. This wine I’m making now is going to be used for my cousins wedding in September 2009, do you think adding the Campden would be desireable even though it will be consumed so early?

-Cheers,

Bailey

]]> By: Scott http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-6 Scott Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:47:15 +0000 http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-6 Chris - I gave your recipe its own page so others can find it easier. You might consider freezing the fruit rather than using it fresh. You shouldn't lose any flavor and it breaks the cell walls down allowing more juice to come out of the fruit. Just about every fruit wine recipe I've found recommends freezing for fruit other than grapes. I assume you pit the plums first. If so, I want to add that to the recipe. Have you experimented with adding Potassium Metabisulfite (campden) to the finished wine? I would think the wine would last quite a bit longer than 6 months. In fact, the flavor might mature and become even more enjoyable if you do. As I mentioned before, I'm unfamiliar with these plums, but 1.5 lbs per gallon makes a very light wine. I usually use 3 lbs per gallon and lean towards more fruit whenever possible. I'm curious how it would come out if you used 20 lbs for a single 6 gallon batch of wine. Chris –
I gave your recipe its own page so others can find it easier. You might consider freezing the fruit rather than using it fresh. You shouldn’t lose any flavor and it breaks the cell walls down allowing more juice to come out of the fruit. Just about every fruit wine recipe I’ve found recommends freezing for fruit other than grapes. I assume you pit the plums first. If so, I want to add that to the recipe.

Have you experimented with adding Potassium Metabisulfite (campden) to the finished wine? I would think the wine would last quite a bit longer than 6 months. In fact, the flavor might mature and become even more enjoyable if you do.

As I mentioned before, I’m unfamiliar with these plums, but 1.5 lbs per gallon makes a very light wine. I usually use 3 lbs per gallon and lean towards more fruit whenever possible. I’m curious how it would come out if you used 20 lbs for a single 6 gallon batch of wine.

]]> By: Chris http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-5 Chris Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:32:47 +0000 http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-5 [Note: This recipe is also available on Wine Recipe page - Scott] GreenGage Plum Wine 20lbs plums 12lbs sugar Water to total volume of 12 gallons 7 tsp acid blend 3tsp peptic enzyme 6 tsp yeast nutrient 6 Campden tablets 2 Pkg Premier Cuvee Yeast Couple tips: This wine can have several different flavors depending on the harvest . . . I make an effort to make several batches to truly indulge on this beautiful fruit and its various flavors. Early in the season when the plums are still hard has been the most successful wine for me. However, it is much easier and faster to make this wine while the fruit is ripe. Also, add all ingredients to hot water 41 - C this makes it much easier to blend, and wait 12 hours before adding yeast so the Campden tablets can do their job first. I usually allow the must to ferment for about 9 days before racking. Be sure to check acidity and use your trusty hydrometer of coarse. Rack as usual . . . Plum wine is best consumed with in six months after bottling . . . this allows the taster to experience the fresh fruit flavor. Also this wine is absolutely beautiful in color and I highly recommend using clear wine bottles when bottling. Enjoy! - Cheers [Note: This recipe is also available on Wine Recipe page - Scott]

GreenGage Plum Wine

20lbs plums
12lbs sugar
Water to total volume of 12 gallons
7 tsp acid blend

3tsp peptic enzyme
6 tsp yeast nutrient
6 Campden tablets
2 Pkg Premier Cuvee Yeast

Couple tips:

This wine can have several different flavors depending on the harvest . . . I make an effort to make several batches to truly indulge on this beautiful fruit and its various flavors. Early in the season when the plums are still hard has been the most successful wine for me. However, it is much easier and faster to make this wine while the fruit is ripe. Also, add all ingredients to hot water 41 – C this makes it much easier to blend, and wait 12 hours before adding yeast so the Campden tablets can do their job first. I usually allow the must to ferment for about 9 days before racking. Be sure to check acidity and use your trusty hydrometer of coarse. Rack as usual . . . Plum wine is best consumed with in six months after bottling . . . this allows the taster to experience the fresh fruit flavor. Also this wine is absolutely beautiful in color and I highly recommend using clear wine bottles when bottling. Enjoy!

- Cheers

]]> By: Chris Bailey http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-4 Chris Bailey Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:15:45 +0000 http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-4 Hey Scott! Thanks for replying so quickly . . "Fortifying wine," sounds extremely interesting, I wish I knew French I might have been able to understand what the lady was telling me when I purchased it. I'll do some research on it and see what I can find. As for the GreenGage resipe, I'll get that for you with in a couple of days - I'm on business in Seattle right now. Read your Lodopher bit, I might try that as well . . . good tips on here! -Cheers, Bailey Hey Scott!

Thanks for replying so quickly . . “Fortifying wine,” sounds extremely interesting, I wish I knew French I might have been able to understand what the lady was telling me when I purchased it. I’ll do some research on it and see what I can find. As for the GreenGage resipe, I’ll get that for you with in a couple of days – I’m on business in Seattle right now.

Read your Lodopher bit, I might try that as well . . . good tips on here!

-Cheers,

Bailey

]]> By: Scott http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-3 Scott Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:39:56 +0000 http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-3 Chris, I'd never heard of green gage plums. I looked them up, they sound like they would make an excellent wine. I've read about fortifying wine with brandy to preserve it. I'm curious if that is the origins of the wine you purchased or it was done for taste. I've never tasted it or seen it commercially, but I also haven't looked. I'd like to see the recipe you used for your recent batch of plum wine. I'll include it on my blog if you like. Scott Chris,
I’d never heard of green gage plums. I looked them up, they sound like they would make an excellent wine. I’ve read about fortifying wine with brandy to preserve it. I’m curious if that is the origins of the wine you purchased or it was done for taste. I’ve never tasted it or seen it commercially, but I also haven’t looked.

I’d like to see the recipe you used for your recent batch of plum wine. I’ll include it on my blog if you like.

Scott

]]> By: Chris Bailey http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-2 Chris Bailey Fri, 11 Jan 2008 04:29:47 +0000 http://homemadewine.wordpress.com/black-plum-wine/#comment-2 Im going to give your recipe a shot here. I have a green gage plum tree in my back yard and just finished bottling my first two batches last year . . . really great stuff. If this works well with your recipe . . . I'll send you a bottle! On another note, I just got back from a trip through France, Italy, and Spain. While in France I was in a small little town called Carcasonne (a must see for you someday!) and purchaced this wine there that was 18%. and what I gathered from this French Speaking merchant was that it was a grape wine that also had liquer in it as well??? Ever heard of that? Well I thought it was so damn good I brought back a few bottles and am now looking for some sort of recipe. Do you know anything about that? Cheers, -Bailey Im going to give your recipe a shot here. I have a green gage plum tree in my back yard and just finished bottling my first two batches last year . . . really great stuff. If this works well with your recipe . . . I’ll send you a bottle! On another note, I just got back from a trip through France, Italy, and Spain. While in France I was in a small little town called Carcasonne (a must see for you someday!) and purchaced this wine there that was 18%. and what I gathered from this French Speaking merchant was that it was a grape wine that also had liquer in it as well??? Ever heard of that? Well I thought it was so damn good I brought back a few bottles and am now looking for some sort of recipe. Do you know anything about that?

Cheers,

-Bailey

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