weird wine idea

[ms67]

last night while eating our roast dinner i found myself pondering a brew that i have pondered about on a few occasions before. and what prompted this .... the delicious flavours in a humble baked onion! yup you guessed it, i'm wondering if anyone has tried this - cant find any evidence from googling it.

so apart from the obvious "yuck" type instant reaction does anyone have any thoughts on this - better still experience? if you have never had a baked onion then you'll probably wonder why i'm even thinking of it, so next time you are baking/roasting peel and onion and chuck it in the oven (whole or halved).

[tatty]

Funny, I was thinking about this today, when I was making french onion soup. They can be very sweet when caramelised.

Would be interesting to try.

[tatty]

It seems more popular than I thought it would be. Found a few recipes like the one here:

http://scorpius.spaceports.com/~goodwine/onionwine.htm

Its also on Jack Kellers website. I might give this one a go.

[ms67]

i found a few recipes using boiled onions too, but one using baked onions. i'm more curious about using baked as the flavour seems sweeter and richer, tho a whole boiled onion is delicious too. Perhaps some part of the difference is due to concentration boiled onions will leach plenty of flavour into the water, whereas a baked onion maintains more. but i think there is a little more to it than that.

i have plenty of wines to brew on my wish list without adding another just now, but someday i think i will give this a go, i just have to satisfy my curiosity and i can't find any evidence that its been done. perhaps 'cos its horrid and no-one wanted to fess up to trying ... but when i try it i will regardless of the result!

nice chat with a fellow curious brewer tatty

[tatty]

Hmmmm, I really am tempted. It would be good to see how that caramel sweet taste would transfer to wine.

C'mon, someone give me a reason not to try it!!!!

[Duffbeer]

Hmmmm, I really am tempted. It would be good to see how that caramel sweet taste would transfer to wine.

C'mon, someone give me a reason not to try it!!!!

Go for it, member Medpretzel has made onion wine amongst other unusual ones, to me it was fine for cooking, but for drinking, it's a NO NO!!!
but everyone to their own

[bill]

may be ok with a cheese platter

[NorthernWiner]

member Medpretzel has made onion wine amongst other unusual ones, to me it was fine for cooking, but for drinking, it's a NO NO!!!

I tasted some of Martina's onion wine, too. I believe she called it "bad kitty" or "kitty litter wine" or something along those lines, because it had a smell reminiscent of a litter box.

I would probably avoid this one, but like you say, to each his own.

I think it falls under the category of just-because-you-can-ferment-it-doesn't-mean-you-should.

[tatty]

"kitty litter wine"

Thanks for the info guys, does anyone know what method was used? Were the onions boilled or roasted as ms67 suggested?

Still might give it a go just to say I've tried it though.

[ms67]

isn't kitty litter smell a fault? like "mousey" odour, perhaps even the same fault? caused by spoilage bacteria? if so the horrid taste/smell may have nothing to do with the ingredients.

there's lots of sulphur containing molecules in onions i believe, one of the reasons they are so good for you, and taste so good that they are almost globally essential in cooking. in winemaking tho sulphur containing chemicals need more careful juggling. i wonder what happens to them during cooking, both baking and boiling. i imagine baking would drive more off, but any sort of cooking will do this to some extent, and then what of the rest, i wonder what they react with and then what they become. and then there is the question of what variety of onions to use!

i'm sure this is an experiment i'll get around to one day, and if it is satisfactory then the scope for refining the wine is a little daunting!

[medpretzel]

I tasted some of Martina's onion wine, too. I believe she called it "bad kitty" or "kitty litter wine" or something along those lines, because it had a smell reminiscent of a litter box.

I would probably avoid this one, but like you say, to each his own.

I think it falls under the category of just-because-you-can-ferment-it-doesn't-mean-you-should.

ummm.. that would have been cabbage wine - "smelly cat wine"

[medpretzel]

last night while eating our roast dinner i found myself pondering a brew that i have pondered about on a few occasions before. and what prompted this .... the delicious flavours in a humble baked onion! yup you guessed it, i'm wondering if anyone has tried this - cant find any evidence from googling it.

so apart from the obvious "yuck" type instant reaction does anyone have any thoughts on this - better still experience? if you have never had a baked onion then you'll probably wonder why i'm even thinking of it, so next time you are baking/roasting peel and onion and chuck it in the oven (whole or halved).

I've made onion wine... You should only use red onions, I have read. I used normal onions, and although the wine itself was good, the smell was reminiscent of body odor...

I will look for the recipe in the next few days... And let you know what I did.

So, if you would like to ferment an onion, please let me know how it turns out.

[ms67]

I've made onion wine... You should only use red onions, I have read. I used normal onions, and although the wine itself was good, the smell was reminiscent of body odor...

I will look for the recipe in the next few days... And let you know what I did.

So, if you would like to ferment an onion, please let me know how it turns out.

many thanks for that! especially the tip on using red onions. any thoughts on baking onions rather than boiling? looking forward to seeing your recipe. i may not be trying this very soon, but from the sounds of things tatty is keen to get going quite soon!

[ms67]

hehe, you know exactly what i'm talking about!

i don't fancy trying the addition of herbs myself, tho i certainly see why its a good consideration. for me the wonderfull flavour of a baked onion is enough in itself if it can translated into a wine without any unexpected flavours coming out. the sweet caramel flavour, strangely strong, lingering and with depth, is what gets my curiosity intensely. tatty with his french onion soup knows it too. Sometimes when i bake an onion i wish i nothing else but a plateful of them that night, rather than just one.