Mixed Tinned Fruit.

[Duffbeer]

Where are you getting the oak from Karl? only found chippings for sale so far, would really like to get some real cubes of oak.

Rich.

Hi Rich, I'm using chips too, they are ok, it's the shavings/ dust thats crap, had them in for a couple of weeks and you can smell and taste the difference. Anyway I bought them from Brewpacks, they have a shop in Huddersfield as well as being online

[Rich]

Righto, will see what I can find. Still would like some cubes though!

[Duffbeer]

Righto, will see what I can find. Still would like some cubes though!

Chop up yer Grandma's antique rocking chair oh and share some with me

[Richard S]

Glad you shared your de-gassing method with us Karl, I was going to ask you about at the barby but my memory let me down

[Aid]

hey duff, do you use a different finings to the bentonite at the end?

[Duffbeer]

hey duff, do you use a different finings to the bentonite at the end?

Yes I use Ritchies kwik clear two part finings, takes 24 to 48 hrs to clear, but I will agree with David on letting gravity do it's thing provided you've got the patience and of course storage area to let it clear naturally.

[Aid]

Oh yes, with winemaking Gravity and Time are our friends! - I'm not so sure the ladies out there will approve as readily since it's Gravity and Time that ensure they end up tucking their bits into their socks ... but on this occasion I'm after a fast drinking stock suppliment, so speed is of the essence.

[Duffbeer]

Whooopeeee

Well it's Thursday, 10 days after starting and the wine has cleared ready for filtering (tomorrow I think) couldn't help but have a glass and oops then another glass Tastes fine, I could easily do another one but will refrain.

1 gal for quaffing
1 gal to age with medium toast French oak
1 gal to age with heavy toast French oak
1 gal left to age untouched

Oh and the earlier post where I added 1/2 litre of grape concentrate, doesn't seem to have made any difference overall.

[Aid]

Hey Duff,
I've got 4 gal of this wine just ending its fermentation now. 3 1/2 in a big water bottle and the 1/2 in a demijohn. As you say it's clearing like a dream. Can you describe how yours tastes please...
So far in my young wine-making career, I've not had any non-grape based wines to try and nor have I tried anyone elses, so it's all new and hard to tell if you've got it right or not.
Thanks fella!

[Duffbeer]

Hmmm a description of taste, well I'm no expert here but I'll try to describe what I taste, firstly it's a dry wine, very clean on the pallette (maybe slightly acidic for a few weeks), Grapefruit is probably the dominant flavour with a slight pear hint , the bouqet slightly floral, also at this young age I found a slightly high alcohol aftertaste.
This is the reason Iv'e left my latest batch to mature a while, all the distictive flavours and alcohol should fuse and mellow.
Remember though to properly de gass or all you'll taste and smell will be dog farts

[Aid]

Thanks for that.
I've just measured and tested. The 1/2 gal in the demijohn is at .090, it's dry with a hefty alcohol boot and it made my tongue tingle a little. The 3 1/2 gal is at about 1.010 or so, sweet and fruity still. Odd how the half has finished first isn't it?

[Duffbeer]

Aid, just a quick point here, I presume your using a 4 gal water cooler bottle, if so transfer the 1/2 gal from the d/j into it asap, possibly after racking, you need to reduce the airspace or the wine in the d/j will become oxidised.
Yes it's odd but when I make a side bottle for top up it allways ferments out quicker than the main batch

[Aid]

nah, it's a 15ltr bottle/3.3 UK gal, so it's nearly full but I had to overflow into the demi. When I rack it off I'll join them up. Ta.

[Aid]

Hey Duff, my lady calls your recipe TipTop Tipple cos of all the tinned fruit

[Duffbeer]

Hey Duff, my lady calls your recipe TipTop Tipple cos of all the tinned fruit

Cheers aid, just for the record, the one gal that I added medium toast French oak chips is at present tasting far superior to the other two.
It's really pulling some fantastic flavours out and mellowing the acid and alc burn, decided to add it to another of the three gallon.