WAH Official Wine Trader Thread

[lockwood1956]

Should we organise another one?


should it be a regular thing?

(I'm thinking maybe each season, so 4 times a year, what do you all think?)

[benarnold]

Picked up the package from Darren at the post office on the way home on Friday night, slightly misjudged how big it would be, luckily it just fit. Opened the box as soon as I got home, first impressions were just how clear and sparkly the wine was in the bottles, it was positively crystal! Stuck the bottles in the fridge and popped out to buy ingredients for tea.

Tried the Lychee first, I found it very light and refreshing with a crisp, slightly off dry finish - it put me in the mind of a sunny evening round a barbecue. There was a pleasing fruit bouquet, again giving a summery feel, all in all a very drinkable wine. It went well with fancy pizza I was having (only fancy as I made it myself!), and was all gone by next morning - unusual in our house, a bottle of wine will normally last two nights. I really was impressed with the clarity, I tried to capture it in a couple of photos, but they don't really show it properly.

Thanks for the trade Darren, I am looking forward to trying the other bottle

[benarnold]

Should we organise another one?


should it be a regular thing?

(I'm thinking maybe each season, so 4 times a year, what do you all think?)

Sounds good to me, I've enjoyed this

[Darren]

Thank you for the feedback Ben gald you enjoyed it i haven't opened the second bottle yet but will open it in the next couple of days. I think that the swap has been a really good thing its so nice to open a bottle of wine from someone else not knowing what you are going get. and the feedback will help us make better wine.

[Duffbeer]

Good point fellas, it has been fun.

So Mel's other wine was a vine clipping wine (I personally know this as folly wine). The first thing that hit me was the dark brown colour and the oxidised bouquet.
The second thing that surprised me, was that this was a 16 year old wine, shock and awe, as they say.
I have learned to understand that Mel does not use sulphites for preserving in any way, so it's not surprising that this wine has oxidised over the years, it has held it's condition by mainly alcohol alone.
So for taste..well in my opinion makes a well balanced sherry, oxidation, body, alcohol content & sweeteness are all in line as said for a pleasant sherry.
Mel it's been a pleasure to trade with you.

[Mel]

Yippee my wines have arrive. With far less bubble wrap than I use , but they are safe & sound & smell loverly ! Hope to settle down with one later tonight.

I'd be happy to join in with any other trade in the future, it has been fun and is really interesting to hear about all the different wines people produce.

[Mel]

The second thing that surprised me, was that this was a 16 year old wine, shock and awe, as they say.
<snip>
Mel it's been a pleasure to trade with you.

That is nothing I have a 1985 Rice & raisin !

I'm glad you have enjoyed the wines, and a different methodolgy. I'm looking forward to my new experiance tasting your wines soon, oh they are WAY too tempting sitting on my desk !

[Her Lushness]

Well, last night I had my first taste of lychee wine, and I was impressed. The bottle that Rich sent me was a nice balanced white wine, smelling and tasting faintly of lychees. It was dry, but at the sweeter end of dry which is just how I like white wine.

Am I right in thinking that it was still a fairly young wine?

I have to admit that I drank the whole bottle, and am now impatiently waiting for my own lychee wine to finish doing it's thing...

I've thoroughly enjoyed doing this wine swap, and would defo be up for doing this a few times a year.

[Rich]

Well, last night I had my first taste of lychee wine, and I was impressed. The bottle that Rich sent me was a nice balanced white wine, smelling and tasting faintly of lychees. It was dry, but at the sweeter end of dry which is just how I like white wine.

Am I right in thinking that it was still a fairly young wine?

I have to admit that I drank the whole bottle, and am now impatiently waiting for my own lychee wine to finish doing it's thing...

I've read this one now thanks Lush

It is fairly young, bottle just before xmas I think. Not much left of it now either..

Glad you enjoyed it, the postie is still being slow round here it seems. No parcel today.

Rich

[Her Lushness]

the postie is still being slow round here it seems. No parcel today.

Rich

Was he staggering when you saw him? I hope he hasn't drunk the wine instead of delivering it to you

[spritzer]

Well I have just parcelled mine up.
It will be in the post tomorrow

[Mel]

I drank Karl's Apple and elderflower last night. I was a bit worried when I saw the elderflower as some pure elderflower wines I had can be great and others like cats pee !
I have to confess it is usually mine I'm not keen on, must be my elderflowers as the pop I make from them is equally bad lol. But they do make good fritters.

I really enjoyed this wine. I was interested in the very apple juicy taste, which tasted more like a wine from a dessert apple or perhaps from a prepared shop juice than from a cooker or cider type apple. So I'd be interested to know its origins ! The elderflower addition was quite subtle which reminded me of France and my son's French mother's elderflower crock in the garden ! It is not a wine I would have made (by the methodology I use raher than because I dislike it !), as a seasonal wine maker using what is around in surplus at any given time, elderflower and apples can't go together, so which was was used out of season I wonder ? This made it even more interesting to me as one of the great things I've gained from exchanges of this type in the past is seeing how others put componants together to give different results. The other family members gave it a stamp of approval too ! I'm not sure that is as technical write up as others, so hope it is OK.

To sum up great wine, keen to know more about it. I'm looking forward to the pear wine next

Thanks Karl

[Duffbeer]

Thanks Mel glad it met the approval of family members.
The apples were a mix of cooking apples from a friends tree, crab apples from a place I visit through work and eaters from a tree in Bob's garden, actual amounts of each were not recorded. we just froze them and then pressed them whole when thawed.
The elderflower was actually a concentrate that was made earlier in the year and added after stabalising to make this a medium wine.

[Mel]

The apple mix certainly worked then I wonder what types.... (see my pomology side is creeping out now) What do method do you use for the concentrate ? Is it similar to a cordial method ? Maybe I ought to try it...

The family members are terrible wine snobs ! Esp my son, who did his exchange in the Bordeaux area, it has been weird having a son so particular about wine from such a young age lol ! The girls did german exchanges and their exchange Dad has had his own wine pressed for his shows (he's a pixel painter). No 1 son is back on his way up North now so he won't have a look in on the pear (hurrah , it's all mine)

[Duffbeer]

Collect elderflowers in full blossom on a dry day and shake the florets into a preserving (jam making) pan approximately a quart is the minimum quantity required. Just cover with water, simmer for thirty minutes, making good any water boiled away, then squeeze out the juice and return it to the pan. Add ¾ lb of sugar for each pint of liquid and simmer again for ten minutes, skimming if necessary. Allow to cool, bottle , cork and sterilise.