WN1 Blah blah blah

[davekermito]

Read many of the pro WN1 posts on here and was sceptical.

Made up of 2 gallon using bargain basement ingredients (after many kits) and gave them the benefit of a bit of time and a couple or rackings.

Apart from the slightly thin taste, was reasonably impressed at how cheap a quaffable table wine can be made for what amounts to less than 40p a bottle. Whilst it will not be a show-off wine, it is more than drinkable and a quality way to show heathens that decent wine can be made on a budget!

Anyway, the question is... to give the wine a slightly more robust feel would adding another carton of white grape juice spoilt it (bearing in mind I know how to use a hydrometer!!)

[granda]

i add some fresh lemon and lime juice and the zest and the wine turned out really good
wines like this are good to experiment with so do what make you happy
and for me the most important thing is that you enjoy drinking it, its no fun to make a wine you wont enjoy

[lockwood1956]

When the SG gets to around 1.010 add the juice from a small tin of gooseberries (no gooseberries...eat those)

it really Sauvignon Blanc's the wine up


Goldseal did this tweak, and the resulting wine took a prize at Ponte show last year...

another litre of grape juice doesn't realy seem to add that much in my opinion,
regards
Bob

[spritzer]

When the SG gets to around 1.010 add the juice from a small tin of gooseberries (no gooseberries...eat those)
it really Sauvignon Blanc's the wine up

Eating fermentables ??

[lockwood1956]

bugger!

[goldseal]

That Wine No.1 + Gooseberry I made did have an additional 0.5 litre white grape juice. Like you, however, I'm not sure that it actually adds much

[modofodo]

I am also a WN1 virgin, got to take hydrometer reading tonight to see how it is doing. Been sluggish ferment the last few days. Started mine on the 25th May.

I wish I had known about the gooseberry trick before, but I can save that for next time

Are there any other known enhancements to WN1 recipe (aside from duffbeer's sticky).

Thanks

[lockwood1956]

You can use it as a base for lots of different wines, but remember you wont be able ever to make a big wine out of it....

light, refreshing, early drinking stuff is the order of the day (while your top quality stuff ages)

[Rich]

Tin of gooseberrys bought today..

[mcblades]

You can also add a tin of pineapple at 1030 (I blended the lot before addition). Gives a hint of the new world chardonnay with the tropical fruit flavour. Also a tin of chopped up lychees added at the start (thanks rich) makes a gewurtstramener analogue that is excellent. strain off at 1030 and into demijohns till dry for a great wine.

I would have entered these in the vwc comp but it was so good we finished it before the comp was announced.

I have also tried adding extra grape juice and agree it adds nought. However, a small tin of white grape concentrate (youngs wine enhancer) does add a bit of body I think.

Whatever you do it is a fantastic base recipe

regards

Mark

[goldseal]

I wish I had known about the gooseberry trick before, but I can save that for next time

You can still do it. The sugar in the gooseberry juice will perk the fermentation up.

You can also wait until fermentation is complete. Stabilise the wine - add sulphite and sorbate - then add the gooseberry juice. The fermentation shouldn't restart and you'll end up with an off-dry wine.

Add a tsp of pectolase when you add the juice, to ensure you don't end up with a pectin haze.

[modofodo]

Thanks guys - advice and suggestions appreciated.

I like the sound of the various additions.

[granda]

add the zest of a lemon and lime plus the juice from both and you get get a light refreshing wine but not to strong on the flavours

[ms67]

but remember you wont be able ever to make a big wine out of it....

light, refreshing, early drinking stuff is the order of the day (while your top quality stuff ages)

i have a cunning plan regarding the "big wine". sounds impossible i know, hence cunning! So far my number ones have stopped me drinking the good stuff - with pleasure. .... but i think there is more to be had from wine number 1! i'll keep you posted, tho it may be months from now, perhaps even a year depending on how the seasons go.

[koomber]

WN1: The wine that keeps on giving. It stops you drinking your big wines, it tastes great it can be mixed up and changed about in so many ways. Is there anything it can't do? It needs a Cilit Bang style advert.

I'm going to have to try the gooseberry trick over the weekends now!