What's going on in your winery today..

[Rich]

Today, chopped some strawberries up for a late addition to a wine #1. Then on to underseal the car. Another day gone by where I've not tidied the garage ready for GF11

[goldseal]

Well, I was supposed to be embarking on a major bottling session today, but our garage-based fridge-freezer packed up yesterday.

I'll be spending the morning tidying the garage so the Fridge Mechanic can actually get at it, and finding a temporary home for n bottles of wine (where n is a large number) displaced from the fridge.

Every time I plan a bottling session, something comes along to spoil my plans. You know what they say though: just because you are not paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you!

[goldseal]

Just heard that I'm going to be the proud owner of 3 carrier bags of plums this evening. I have made a controversial decision - they'll be used for jam and chutney, not wine .

I have decided to go a bit mad and try to grow some yeast from some elderberries. This is for bread, not wine. Apparently elderberries used to be mixed with flour in some primitive breads, to provide the yeast. I've taken a handful from our plant, popped them in a bowl with some sugar, water, a bit of citric and a pinch of nutrient (and some flour later). You never know, it might even work

Waiting for Fridge Magician to turn up with a PCB. I need to harvest and freeze my elderberries, so he'd better be quick.

[Cellar_Rat]

I have decided to go a bit mad and try to grow some yeast from some elderberries.

While we are confessing madness then ....

I have made bread with k1v-1116. Ran out of Hovis and in the normal bloke fashion of "that'll do" and "it'll be alright" - and it was - did the job rather splendidly!

[Cellar_Rat]

I feel another thread coming on - "What have you done with your Yeast !!"

[kampervan]

pick elderberries ours our still green. brambles are just comming in. and i hate bottling. just bottles 18 bottles of a blend of homegrown grapes and trebbiano from gf last year

[goldseal]

Yep, 90% of them are 100% ripe.

Fridge Wizard has done his wizardry, so they'll be harvested and frozen by tomorrow.

[billybuntus]

pick elderberries ours our still green. brambles are just comming in. and i hate bottling. just bottles 18 bottles of a blend of homegrown grapes and trebbiano from gf last year

I find it less tedious to bottle a lot in one go then I don't have the joy of it every week just once a month or so.

[kampervan]

that is one lot, of far too many dj's & better bottles lying around

[spritzer]

I still have elderberries and blackberries in my freezer from last year .
I also need to have a monster bottling session, as there is about 20 oddish gallons under the kitchen table that needs doing.
I need to get my head back into this wine making malarky.
I enjoy the fruit gathering, so I may get some more when its not raining

[kampervan]

i also enjoy the walks, collecting stuff. got 3 lb brambles this eve but only just comming on

[SiSandrine]

Starting late due to holidays etc but frantically racking / bottling etc to make space for GF (thats Grapefest not Girlfriend by the way). 25 bottles of Cab Sauv last night (bottled not drunk).
Oh did I forget it is also jam season and blackberry and elderberries, which I harvested throughout last week, make an excellent jelly when steam juiced. Blasphemy I know but winery is full.

[goldseal]

Same here - 3 carrier bags of plums converted to jam, jelly, chutney and assorted other forms yesterday.

2lb of elderberries from my own tree this morning, frozen ready for GF.

[SiSandrine]

Will you use the Elderberries to add to the grape wines Pete?

[goldseal]

I'll be doing Elderberry + Blackberry + Grape Skins, and maybe an Elderberry + Grape skins port, but these will all be second runs. The only time Elderberries will get anywhere near the first runs is, I expect, in the starter.