Making Wild Wines And Meads Part 1

MAKING Wild WINES & MEADS.

125 Unusual Recipes Using Herbs, Fruits, Flowers & More.

by PATTIE VARGAS & RICH GULLING..

For Gilbert and Carol Bohlman, who, like fine wines, only get better with age.

Chapter One.

WINEMAKING MADE EASY.

A few purists still think that the only good wine is a grape wine. Making Wild Wines & Meads Making Wild Wines & Meads is a book that may change their minds. Making wines and meads from fruits, vegetables, flowers, grains, honey, and herbs is an age-honored hobby whose time has come again. Now, making wonderful homemade wines from these natural and unusual ingredients has never been easier. is a book that may change their minds. Making wines and meads from fruits, vegetables, flowers, grains, honey, and herbs is an age-honored hobby whose time has come again. Now, making wonderful homemade wines from these natural and unusual ingredients has never been easier.

THE BASICS.

If you are just getting your feet wet as a winemaker, here are a few basics. Finished wines contain from 7 to 14 percent alcohol (by volume) created by fermentation. For a solution to ferment, only three components are necessary - sugar, yeast, and nutrients. The rest of the ingredients in most recipes provide the flavors or improve the character and keeping quality of the wine. Here's how the process works: Yeast is a fungus with a sweet tooth. Feed it sugars and nutrients in solution, and the reward is alcohol and carbon dioxide - the by-products of the yeast's growth. The yeast continues to grow and multiply as long as it feels at home.

Yeasts generally have a few working rules that are strictly enforced. Violate the rules and they go on strike. Too little sugar, too much alcohol, too high or too low a temperature, too few nutrients - any of these will stop fermentation. Yeast does not like compet.i.tion for the available nutrients and sugars, either. Let in bacteria, and there goes the neighborhood! As bacteria multiply, they create their own by-products. Some result in spoilage; one bacteria called acetobacter acetobacter turns wine into vinegar. Most of the equipment and supplies you'll need to make wine help keep the ideal environment for yeast, so it will grow and produce wine. That means keeping out the bacteria and, in the later stages of fermentation, the oxygen, so the yeast can produce alcohol most efficiently. turns wine into vinegar. Most of the equipment and supplies you'll need to make wine help keep the ideal environment for yeast, so it will grow and produce wine. That means keeping out the bacteria and, in the later stages of fermentation, the oxygen, so the yeast can produce alcohol most efficiently.

WINEMAKING EQUIPMENT.

Winemaking equipment generally falls into two categories: the "essential" and the "nice to have." Essential equipment includes those things that are needed at each part of the process. You will probably have some of the essential equipment in your kitchen already, and the rest you should be able to purchase rather inexpensively from a home winemaking supply store or mail-order catalog.

Essential Winemaking Equipment If you are just beginning, the list on page 3 will provide you with the bare-bones equipment necessary to make your first batch of wild wine. Here are a few pointers: Large Soup Kettle. This will be used for a number of purposes. The most important use is to heat those components of your wild wines that need cooking to release the flavors. This will be used for a number of purposes. The most important use is to heat those components of your wild wines that need cooking to release the flavors. Do not Do not use iron or chipped enamel pots, or bra.s.s or copper kettles. Because wines and major wine ingredients are essentially acid, they can react with metals to form metal salts, some of which are toxic. In addition to the possible health hazard, these metals may react with fruit acids to make your wines hazy. Similarly, these same components may discolor aluminum kettles. For all these reasons, stay away from aluminum, copper, and bra.s.s pots when making wines. Stainless steel, gla.s.s, and unchipped enamel pots are your best choices. use iron or chipped enamel pots, or bra.s.s or copper kettles. Because wines and major wine ingredients are essentially acid, they can react with metals to form metal salts, some of which are toxic. In addition to the possible health hazard, these metals may react with fruit acids to make your wines hazy. Similarly, these same components may discolor aluminum kettles. For all these reasons, stay away from aluminum, copper, and bra.s.s pots when making wines. Stainless steel, gla.s.s, and unchipped enamel pots are your best choices.

THE B BARE E ESSENTIALS.

for winemaking [image]

Basic winemaking equipment equipment [image]

Primary Fermentation Bin. The primary fermentation bin is usually made of white polypropylene - a hard, smooth plastic that is relatively inexpensive, easy to clean and sterilize, and without dyes that might impart unwanted flavors. Alternative containers are earthenware crocks; large, white plastic wastebaskets; and buckets. If you use old crocks, make sure that they are free of cracks and that they have not been treated with a glaze containing lead, which could cause lead to leach into your wine. Most crocks made in the United States in modern times are free from harmful metals in their glazes, but some crocks that come from Mexico or the Middle East may still have a lead glaze. Some historians believe that lead-poisoned wine, contaminated from storage containers, contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire, because lead poisoning causes a decline in mental acuity. If you're not sure where the crock came from, don't use it. The primary fermentation bin is usually made of white polypropylene - a hard, smooth plastic that is relatively inexpensive, easy to clean and sterilize, and without dyes that might impart unwanted flavors. Alternative containers are earthenware crocks; large, white plastic wastebaskets; and buckets. If you use old crocks, make sure that they are free of cracks and that they have not been treated with a glaze containing lead, which could cause lead to leach into your wine. Most crocks made in the United States in modern times are free from harmful metals in their glazes, but some crocks that come from Mexico or the Middle East may still have a lead glaze. Some historians believe that lead-poisoned wine, contaminated from storage containers, contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire, because lead poisoning causes a decline in mental acuity. If you're not sure where the crock came from, don't use it.

Finally, although plastics are generally inert materials that do not react with wine, we try to stay away from colored plastic vessels because we are not sure whether dyes will affect the quality or flavors of wines. White and clear plastic containers are easy to clean and sterilize, and psychologically, they seem to feel cleaner.

Measuring Cups, Measuring Spoons, Stirrers, Funnels, and Strainers. These may be found in most kitchens. If you are buying them especially for winemaking, make sure that they are large and made of gla.s.s, metal, or plastic so they can be sterilized easily. These may be found in most kitchens. If you are buying them especially for winemaking, make sure that they are large and made of gla.s.s, metal, or plastic so they can be sterilized easily.

Plastic Tubing. We've always used clear plastic aquarium tubing for siphoning (also called We've always used clear plastic aquarium tubing for siphoning (also called racking racking) wine from one container to another. It's inexpensive, easy to clean, and free of dyes that might alter the flavor of the wine. Winemaking suppliers also carry a wide range of inexpensive tubing for racking.

Secondary Fermentation Bins. Several 1-gallon (3.8 L) jugs with handles or collapsible plastic fermentation vessels will be needed to hold your young wine during its secondary fermentation, when the fermentation slows down. Both gla.s.s and plastic bins must be able to be fitted with fermentation locks to keep out air. Gla.s.s and clear plastic are relatively inexpensive and easily cleaned. We use the collapsible fermentation vessels because they are also lightweight and portable. Several 1-gallon (3.8 L) jugs with handles or collapsible plastic fermentation vessels will be needed to hold your young wine during its secondary fermentation, when the fermentation slows down. Both gla.s.s and plastic bins must be able to be fitted with fermentation locks to keep out air. Gla.s.s and clear plastic are relatively inexpensive and easily cleaned. We use the collapsible fermentation vessels because they are also lightweight and portable.

[image]

Collapsible plastic fermentation fermentation bin Used for secondary fermentation, the plastic bin is inexpensive and bin Used for secondary fermentation, the plastic bin is inexpensive and [image]

Fermentation locks locks Even though they have vastly different shapes, each of these locks keeps the air out of the fermentation vessel. Even though they have vastly different shapes, each of these locks keeps the air out of the fermentation vessel.

Fermentation Locks. These simple plastic devices keep air out of your fermentation vessel during the critical second fermentation, when the necessary alcohol is created to give your wine good keeping qualities. They come in several configurations (see ill.u.s.tration) and are available wherever winemaking supplies are sold. We've tried several, and all of them seem to work equally well. All models work by holding a small amount of water to act as a barrier between outside air and the inside of your fermenter. They are also designed to allow any excess carbon dioxide created by the fermenting wine to escape the fermenter by venting through the water barrier. These simple plastic devices keep air out of your fermentation vessel during the critical second fermentation, when the necessary alcohol is created to give your wine good keeping qualities. They come in several configurations (see ill.u.s.tration) and are available wherever winemaking supplies are sold. We've tried several, and all of them seem to work equally well. All models work by holding a small amount of water to act as a barrier between outside air and the inside of your fermenter. They are also designed to allow any excess carbon dioxide created by the fermenting wine to escape the fermenter by venting through the water barrier.

Wine Bottles. Take special care with your wine bottles when you store the wines. Wine bottles aren't really expensive if you consider that you can use them again and again, as long as you keep them clean and sterilize them before each reuse. In this age of recycling, you can probably find quite a few friends who will save wine bottles for you as well. We almost always reuse the bottles from wines that we make or buy. Take special care with your wine bottles when you store the wines. Wine bottles aren't really expensive if you consider that you can use them again and again, as long as you keep them clean and sterilize them before each reuse. In this age of recycling, you can probably find quite a few friends who will save wine bottles for you as well. We almost always reuse the bottles from wines that we make or buy.

Wine bottles come in a variety of shapes - traditionally related to the region where the grape variety was grown or the kind of wine the bottle held, such as Burgundy, claret, Rhine wine, or champagne. The amount of wine a bottle holds is fairly standard. Most winemakers - and wine buyers, for that matter - a.s.sume that the standard bottle, holding approximately 25 ounces (750 ml), is what is meant by a "bottle" of wine. True, some wines are sold in half-gallon (1.9 L) containers, but these wines are usually called jug wines.

[image]

Bottle shapes Left to right: bottles of Rhine wine, claret, Burgundy, and champagne. Left to right: bottles of Rhine wine, claret, Burgundy, and champagne.QA CAN YOU USE LARGER JUGS TO BOTTLE WINES?Any wine that is bottled in -gallon (1.9 L) or 1-gallon (3.8 L) containers - usually jugs with single or double handles - is properly called a jug wine. Because it is more commercially profitable to bottle fine vintage wines in the traditional 25-ounce (750 ml) wine bottle, the term "jug wine" has come to connote a cheaper or inferior wine. In some cases, that's an unfair designation, as there are a number of perfectly acceptable jug wines. When you bottle and cork your own wild wines, the designation becomes academic. If you entertain frequently and would normally consume more than one 25-ounce bottle of wine in the course of an evening, by all means bottle your wine in jugs. Just remember that wines are more p.r.o.ne to oxidize, or turn, once they have been opened, so bottle your wines in quant.i.ties that are likely to be consumed in a single seating.

New Corks. We avoid reusing corks. Used corks break easily; they may have gotten fat with absorbed liquids, which makes them difficult to insert into the bottles; and they may not fit properly. New corks are cheap and readily available. We use new, sterilized corks for bottling our wine. Some winemakers use caps to seal their wine bottles, but we don't recommend that practice. Traditionally, fine wines are corked and stored in a rack that keeps the bottles on their sides with the necks slightly lower than the bottoms. That position keeps the corks moistened with wine so they swell and form a tight seal. Screw-on caps may allow some air leakage, which will cause your wine to oxidize. Caps applied with a bottle capper just seem more appropriate for beer or soda pop than for wine. New corks cost only a few cents each and are well worth the investment. We avoid reusing corks. Used corks break easily; they may have gotten fat with absorbed liquids, which makes them difficult to insert into the bottles; and they may not fit properly. New corks are cheap and readily available. We use new, sterilized corks for bottling our wine. Some winemakers use caps to seal their wine bottles, but we don't recommend that practice. Traditionally, fine wines are corked and stored in a rack that keeps the bottles on their sides with the necks slightly lower than the bottoms. That position keeps the corks moistened with wine so they swell and form a tight seal. Screw-on caps may allow some air leakage, which will cause your wine to oxidize. Caps applied with a bottle capper just seem more appropriate for beer or soda pop than for wine. New corks cost only a few cents each and are well worth the investment.

Notebook. The whole winemaking process covers a lot of time. To be sure to remember when you are supposed to accomplish all the steps in the process, keep track with a pencil and your trusty notebook. But don't stop with recording dates. Keep notes. You may want to make a particular wine again, and your notes will let you know what to expect. You may have made adjustments along the way to create a superb wine. How can you duplicate it if you don't remember what you did?

When you make an adjustment in ingredients, for example, or if you have a problem, write it down. Keeping records may not be the most entertaining part of making wine, but you'll be glad you kept notes when the original recipe tastes so good that you just can't wait to make it again.

NICE TO H HAVE.

additional equipment for winemaking [image]

Additional Equipment Hydrometer. You can make wine without having a hydrometer, but you'll have better, more consistent results if you learn how to use one. It seems a bit complicated at first, but it's really not difficult. With a hydrometer, you can: * determine how much natural sugar is in your fruit juice;* figure out how much sugar you will need in order to get a wine of the specific strength that you want;* check how your fermentation is progressing;* calculate the strength of a finished wine.

If you know, for example, how much natural sugar is in your fruit juice, you'll have a better idea of how much sugar or honey you must add to make a wine or a mead with sufficient alcohol so it tastes good and has good keeping quality. If you have a wine that has stopped fermenting, use your hydrometer to measure how much sugar is in the early stages of your wine (also called must.) Then you'll know whether the fermentation stopped because all the sugar was digested by the yeast, or if it is just stuck and in need of help. If you have calculated the amount of sugar needed to produce a certain strength of wine, you will have more control over how sweet or dry the finished wine will taste.

Hydrometers are instruments used for scientific measurement. In recent years, hydrometers specifically for winemaking have become available. They also indicate when it is safe to bottle a wine. The hydrometer works on a simple principle. The denser a liquid, the greater its gravity or weight and the easier it will be for an object to float in it. Water, for example, has a gravity of 1.000 - a number that scientists a.s.signed to it so they would have a standard to measure against. If you add sugar to the water, it becomes denser. Then its specific gravity, or its gravity compared to water, will be a number higher than 1 - or 1 plus a decimal, such as 1.160. Because the number before the decimal is always 1 on the winemaker's hydrometer, it is usually omitted, and we say that the juice, must, or wine has a specific gravity of 160.

A hydrometer looks something like a thermometer with a weighted, bulbous end. The weighted end makes it float upright in a liquid, and to read it, you look at the printed scale at the exact point where the surface of the liquid cuts across the scale. The thinner the liquid, the more the hydrometer will sink; the thicker (or more dense and therefore sweeter) the liquid, the higher the hydrometer will float. For that reason, the scale has the lowest figures at the top and the highest at the bottom. If you put the hydrometer in a liquid that has less gravity than water, such as alcohol, it will sink even lower, and the specific gravity will be less than 1.000. A really dry wine could have a specific gravity of 995, for example.

The hydrometer comes with a small, tubular jar that you fill with the liquid to be measured. You put the hydrometer into the liquid, spin it around a couple of times to get rid of the air bubbles, then take your reading. Hydrometers are designed to be read at a specific temperature (59F [15C]), and the instructions that accompany it will have a chart for correcting the reading at different temperatures.

READING A H HYDROMETER.

When you look at the hydrometer floating in the gla.s.s tube filled with wine, must, or fruit juice, you'll notice that the liquid tends to "crawl" up the sides of the tube a bit, so the surface of the liquid is a bit like a very shallow U. Be sure to take your reading at the bottom of the liquid, not at the edge where it clings to the surface of the tube. (See ill.u.s.tration on page 9.) [image]

Hydrometer reading the liquid may climb up the sides of the tube slightly, a.s.suming a cupped shape. take your reading at the curved liquid's lowest point.

Hydrometers designed specifically for wine-making come with charts that show you how much alcohol a specific amount of sugar will produce if the wine ferments completely so that all the sugar is used up. There are also instructions on how to calculate the amount of sugar to add to reach a specific strength (or, if the wine would be sweeter than you'd like at completion, how much to dilute it). Generally speaking, a really dry wine needs to start at a specific gravity of about 1.085, a medium or semisweet wine at 1.100, and a very sweet wine at about 1.125. For a dry wine, that usually works out to about 2 pounds (1.1 kg) of sugar to 1 gallon (3.8 L) of liquid. If you use that rule of thumb to start, but want a sweeter wine, add a little simple syrup to the wine that's stopped fermenting, taste it, and refit the airlock.

Wine Thief. The easiest way to taste and adjust your fermenting batch of wine is by using a "wine thief," a device that looks like a gla.s.s drinking straw. Simply dip one end of the sterilized wine thief into the must or wine, put a thumb or finger over the other end, and lift the thief out of the wine. You can then drop a small amount on your tongue to taste-test, or you can fill up the hydrometer measuring tube. The easiest way to taste and adjust your fermenting batch of wine is by using a "wine thief," a device that looks like a gla.s.s drinking straw. Simply dip one end of the sterilized wine thief into the must or wine, put a thumb or finger over the other end, and lift the thief out of the wine. You can then drop a small amount on your tongue to taste-test, or you can fill up the hydrometer measuring tube.

Wine Corker. Another nice piece of equipment to have is a bottle corker. If you are making only small quant.i.ties of wine, push the corks into the bottles partway; wait a few days to make sure that the fermentation is finished so you won't have any cork popping, and then use a mallet and several thicknesses of folded cardboard to pound the corks completely into the bottles. For large quant.i.ties, however, this process is tedious. A bottle corker is a device that looks a little like an old-fas.h.i.+oned pump, with a handle and a plunger that forces the cork into a bottle.

Wine Filter. Wild wines and meads are sometimes quite difficult to clear. Substances such as pectin, starch, and protein can make your wines cloudy, and although those substances are not harmful, they do affect the appearance of your wine. Usually, given enough time, most wines will clear themselves. But if you've been patient and the wine simply will not clear, use a wine filter. Filtering may remove some flavors or aromas from the wine as well as the cloudiness, so use it as a last resort - but filtering is still better than throwing the wine away.

[image]

Fruit presses Large and small fruit presses are available, but a small one meets the needs of most home winemakers.

Fruit Press. Particularly with wild wines, a fruit press or juice extractor comes in handy. Either will give you the maximum amount of juice with the least amount of work. Many different kinds are available from winemaking equipment supply houses, gardening catalogs, and home appliance departments. Particularly with wild wines, a fruit press or juice extractor comes in handy. Either will give you the maximum amount of juice with the least amount of work. Many different kinds are available from winemaking equipment supply houses, gardening catalogs, and home appliance departments.

Labels. Labels, carefully designed just for your wild wines, can be the finis.h.i.+ng touch to a fine winemaking experience. Try to use a water-soluble glue to apply them, or you'll have trouble removing the labels when you want to reuse the bottles. Pressure-sensitive labels (found in any office supply store) also work well and are easily removed. Besides making your end product look more official, labels also serve as a valuable way to keep track of inventory and aging. Remember to note on the label the year and month of bottling as well as the type of wine; this will help you keep your records accurate.

Wine Thermometer and Heating Pad. Because the yeasts in your wine are likely to sulk if the temperatures are too hot or too cold, a wine thermometer - and perhaps a heating pad made especially for winemakers - is nice to have. If you make your wine in the living area of your home, the temperature that makes you comfortable (about 60 to 70F [15 to 20C]) will also satisfy your wine yeasts. Depending on the time of year, the location of your fermenting wine, and your own comfort, you may need to adjust the temperature, however. Moving your wine to a cooler location in the summer, or using a heating pad if you ferment in an unheated bas.e.m.e.nt or porch, may make the wine yeast work more efficiently. Because the yeasts in your wine are likely to sulk if the temperatures are too hot or too cold, a wine thermometer - and perhaps a heating pad made especially for winemakers - is nice to have. If you make your wine in the living area of your home, the temperature that makes you comfortable (about 60 to 70F [15 to 20C]) will also satisfy your wine yeasts. Depending on the time of year, the location of your fermenting wine, and your own comfort, you may need to adjust the temperature, however. Moving your wine to a cooler location in the summer, or using a heating pad if you ferment in an unheated bas.e.m.e.nt or porch, may make the wine yeast work more efficiently.

WINEMAKING SUPPLIES.

Once you've a.s.sembled your equipment, you're ready to gather the supplies you'll need to make wine. The following list has the general supplies that most winemakers use regularly. Before you try a recipe in this book, read through the ingredient list to make sure that you have everything on hand.

STOCKING A W WINEMAKER'S C CUPBOARD [image]

Wine Yeast Yeast is made up of single-celled plants that grow in sugary solutions. As they grow, yeasts produce alcohol and carbon dioxide in about equal parts. Yeast cells accomplish this conversion of sugar to alcohol by producing enzymes that "digest" the sugars. Eventually, the yeast produces enough alcohol to kill the yeast cells themselves, and the dead yeast cells fall to the bottom of the wine-making vessel as lees lees, or sediment. Because different kinds of yeast cells have different tolerances for the amount of alcohol that will ultimately kill them, the kind of yeast you use helps determine the alcohol content of your wine.

Yeasts need certain conditions to reproduce favorably - warmth, oxygen, sugar, nitrogenous matter, vitamins, and acid. But because yeast is so important to the winemaking process, suppliers actually grow the most genetically efficient strains for use by winemakers. That is one of the reasons, in addition to taste and speed, that we prefer purchasing good-quality wine yeasts for our winemaking. It's a little like purchasing hybrid seed for your garden to guarantee healthier, better-adapted plants.

QA IS THERE A "NO-YEAST" RECIPE FOR WINE?Some winemakers make wine with nothing but grapes, but only because grapes already have yeast on their skins, and some of this yeast gets the fermentation process going. In most cases, though, the country wines in this book are made without grapes and must have yeast to ferment. Even when a recipe has grapes or raisins, the fruit may not have the best yeast for the job, so don't try to save a few cents on yeast; in the long run, you'll end up wasting the other ingredients in your wine if it doesn't ferment properly.

A lot of old-time winemakers used bread yeasts to make their wines because that was what was available, and you can make a number of acceptable wines by that method. The bread yeasts found in most supermarkets are from the same family as wine yeasts, but they are a different variety. The differences can be as p.r.o.nounced as those between your cousin Mary and your uncle John. If you experiment with both kinds of yeasts, you will notice three major differences. First, most wine yeasts don't bubble as much or as energetically in the first fermentation as do bread yeasts. The more subdued bubbling means that fewer fragrance elements are carried off with the carbon dioxide, so a wine made with a wine yeast tends to have a better bouquet. Second, wine yeasts tend to leave firmer sediment at the bottom of the fermentation vessels than do bread yeasts. That makes racking easier because you will be less likely to stir up sediment when you siphon off the wine. Last, the taste will be better because wine yeasts come in a number of varieties for different kinds of wines. That lets you pick a yeast that suits the kind of wine you are making - a port yeast for a deep red wine, for example.

Choosing the Right Wine Yeast Strain. Wine yeasts come originally from the skins of grapes, and each variety of grape has a slightly different variety of yeast. These yeasts are collected and cultured, then sold by the packet. A good rule of thumb in choosing wine yeasts is to look at the kind of grape wine that each yeast makes. You'll find yeast for port, sherry, Tokay, Madeira, Malaga, Sauternes, and Burgundy, among others. For making a dark red wine - from elderberries or blackberries, for example - choose a yeast used to make a dark red grape wine such as port or Burgundy. We use champagne yeast for honey wines because we like the taste. Wine yeasts are relatively inexpensive and you can extend what you buy by making your own yeast starter cultures, so we suggest that you experiment - it's part of the fun of making your own wines. Wine yeasts come originally from the skins of grapes, and each variety of grape has a slightly different variety of yeast. These yeasts are collected and cultured, then sold by the packet. A good rule of thumb in choosing wine yeasts is to look at the kind of grape wine that each yeast makes. You'll find yeast for port, sherry, Tokay, Madeira, Malaga, Sauternes, and Burgundy, among others. For making a dark red wine - from elderberries or blackberries, for example - choose a yeast used to make a dark red grape wine such as port or Burgundy. We use champagne yeast for honey wines because we like the taste. Wine yeasts are relatively inexpensive and you can extend what you buy by making your own yeast starter cultures, so we suggest that you experiment - it's part of the fun of making your own wines.

Home winemakers were once fairly limited in the kinds of yeasts they could buy. Today there are dozens. A few of the better ones and some suggestions for their use are listed in the following table.

MAKING THE M MOST OF Y YEASTS.

[image]

[image]

Yeast Nutrient Yeasts need certain organic compounds to grow and reproduce efficiently, just as do all plants and animals. Most of the time, wines made with fruit have these organic nutrients because the fruit provides them. But some wines, especially those made with honey, lack these compounds. If you fail to provide them in some way, the yeast will grow for a while and then quit. When yeast stops growing, the wine never reaches its full alcohol potential, and it becomes vulnerable to spoilage. As it is difficult to measure just how much of each nutrient is present in the must, we generally add yeast nutrient as a kind of insurance against "malnutrition." Even in those kinds of wine that have essential growth nutrients, fermentation is often faster and more efficient if yeast nutrients are added.

You can purchase a mix of yeast nutrients through winemaking suppliers. These nutrients are an inexpensive, quick, and easy way to provide what the yeasts need. You can also boost the necessary nutrients for good yeast growth by adding citrus juices to your batch. With the juices, you'll also gain the acid component that gives wines their character. (Any fruit pulp provides nutrients, but the citrus in most of our wild wine recipes affects the flavor of the wine the least. Citrus adds mostly acid instead of strong flavors.) A commercial yeast nutrient, however, is a kind of vitamin pill for your wine. If you've formulated your wines with juices to supply these nutrients, you may not need to add yeast nutrient at all, but why take the chance?

WHAT'S IN T THERE?

Commercial yeast nutrients contain any of the following: ammonium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, pota.s.sium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, ammonium chloride, and thiamine.

Pectic Enzyme Particularly with honey wines and meads, but also with wines made from certain high-pectin fruits such as underripe apples, clarity is a problem even after diligent racking. The cloudiness probably results from too much pectin - the substance that turns fruit juice into jelly. Although murky wine won't hurt you, it's not pretty, especially if it's a white or golden wine. Adding pectic enzyme to these wines when you make them usually solves the problem; the enzyme digests the pectin that keeps the wine from clearing.

Generally speaking, enzymes are naturally occurring proteins that aid plants and animals in breaking down complex substances, such as sugars and starches, into simpler forms. Pectic enzyme helps to break down pectin, a complex molecule found in many fruits, into simple sugars. When you add pectic enzyme to a wine recipe, you are making sure that any pectin present in the fruits you have used is turned into sugars, which fermentation will turn into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Not only will you have a more complete fermentation, but you will also have a clearer, more brilliant wine.

Campden Tablets or Powder The easiest way to keep your wine free of wild yeasts and bacteria is to use a Campden tablet. An individual Campden tablet contains about 7 grains of pota.s.sium metabisulfate, which will eliminate wild yeasts and bacteria from winemaking equipment by releasing sulfur dioxide gas when dissolved in water. Use one tablet per gallon (3.8 L). You can also immerse fermentation locks and tubing in the solution just before you use them.

When you dissolve a tablet in any slightly acid solution, such as wine must, it releases approximately 4 grains of sulfur dioxide. At that concentration, one tablet in a gallon (3.8 L) of wine results in about 60 parts per million of sulfur dioxide. It is an effective sterilizing agent at that concentration because it stops the growth of spoilage organisms but does not affect the taste of the wine except to make it marginally more acid - which is almost always a plus. Your must will remain sterile for just 24 hours. Then you can add a prepared yeast culture, and your wine will be bubbling in no time. Even if they choose not to use Campden tablets, some winemakers let ingredients sit for 24 hours, well covered, before adding yeast to the must so that flavors permeate the juices. Although they are always optional, a Campden tablet works with any recipe in this book.

Flavoring Component For our wild wine and mead recipes, we concentrate on non-grape ingredients to create unusual drinks, often using locally produced ingredients. These include juices, herbs, spices, honey, vegetables, nuts, and even flowers. If you are thinking about adding some local ingredients not mentioned in our recipes, please beware that some herbs and flowers are poisonous. The area of greatest concern is probably flowers. Because most people use flowers only for decoration, written information about them does not usually say whether they are toxic in food or beverages. Here are some plants to avoid ingesting: acacia, alder, azalea, belladonna, black nightshade, bluebell, b.u.t.tercup, carnation, chrysanthemum, columbine, Christmas rose (h.e.l.lebore), clematis, cotoneaster, crocus, cyclamen, daffodil, dahlia, delphinium, foxglove, geranium, hemlock, henbane, holly, honeysuckle berries, laurel, lilac, lily of the valley, lobelia, lupine, marsh marigold, meadow rue, mistletoe, monkshood, oleander, peony, poppy, rhododendron, rhubarb leaves, and sweet pea. There are undoubtedly others, so here is a good rule of thumb: If you're not sure, don't use it. In addition to these plants, avoid fungi of any kind, even mushrooms, and be sure to check an herb encyclopedia before you make herbal wines; the properties of herbs are usually well doc.u.mented.

TIPS FOR U USING.

CITRUS P PEELS TO F FLAVOR W WINE.

Look carefully at citrus fruit when you peel it, and you will notice that an orange, for example, has a thin, orange rind, a white fibrous substance (the inner rind), and the pulp of the fruit, in that order. If you sample the white substance beneath the orange rind, you will find a rather bland-tasting part of the citrus. But if that same bland substance is added to wine must and allowed to sit for several days or weeks as the fermentation continues, a bitter component is released into your wine. If you peel the fruit before you begin making wine, this white inner rind adheres to the essential-oilrich outer rind, and it is very difficult to separate the two. The best method for removing the citrus zest, or outer rind, is with a vegetable peeler or zester. A fine grater also works well if you don't grate too deeply. Then remove the white inner rind as you would if the orange part were still attached, and discard it. That should prevent unwanted bitterness in your wine.

Sugar Component Almost all of the recipes in this book call for refined sugar, except for the honey-based wines and meads. We have never found any discernible difference among most sugars in terms of taste, fermentability, or keeping quality. Because refined sugar is abundant and inexpensive, we think it is the best option for winemakers. One or two recipes call for brown sugar - mostly for the flavor, appropriate to those particular wines.

Acid Blend The ideal wine has an acid content that is in balance with the tannins and sweeteners of the wine. Some fruits that make an otherwise delicious wine are lacking in sufficient acid for good taste. When the acid component in the must is too low, fermentation may be poor and the wine can develop a medicinal taste.

Most acid blends contain 1 part citric acid, 2 parts malic acid, and 3 parts tartaric acid. All of these are natural acids, found in various fruits. Fruits rich in citric acid include oranges, lemons, currants, strawberries, raspberries, and tangerines. Because citric acid also adds a nice fruitiness and brilliance to the wine, some winemakers routinely use citrus juice as their only acid component. Those who opt for an acid blend, including malic acid and tartaric acid, say that these two acids help to speed fermentation and improve the vinous character of the wine. Malic acid is found naturally in apples, apricots, blackberries, dark cherries, plums, gooseberries, nectarines, and rhubarb. Tartaric acid usually comes from grapes.

The acid of a particular fruit or flower can be measured through a process called t.i.tration, and some winemaking suppliers sell kits for that purpose; but we think the process is complicated and probably not worth the effort for those who make wines at home. Some wine-makers use litmus paper and compare the color of the strip to a prepared chart. But because there are other things in wine besides acid that affect the measurement, the litmus test seems no more accurate than just tasting the wine and adjusting accordingly. As you become experienced at winemaking and tasting, you will become surprisingly adept at judging whether you need to add acid. In the meantime, rely on the supplier's directions in relation to the amount of acid in your ingredients.

Generally speaking, flowers and vegetables have little acid of their own, and wines made from these ingredients need about 2 teaspoons (10 g) of acid added per gallon (3.8 L). To help you estimate how acid your ingredients are, look at which ingredients fall into the low-, medium-, and high-acid levels on the chart above.

ACID L LEVELS.

[image]

Tannin Another ingredient that you will find listed in some of our recipes is tannin, or grape tannin. A component of the skins and stems of some fruits - especially red fruits like grapes, plums, apples, and elderberries - tannins do a number of nice things to your wines. First of all, they give wine a certain zip by creating a hint of dryness in the mouth when you sip the wine. Wines that have no tannins are generally dull and flat. But if you've ever tasted wine that draws your mouth into a pucker - usually a dark red wine - you'll know that too much tannin can make a wine bitter and astringent-tasting as well. As with most wine elements, the trick is to balance the tannins with the other ingredients. In those recipes in which we added tannin, the finished wine seemed a bit characterless without it. If you find that your wine lacks character or zest, you can add tannin, or 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of strong tea to 1 gallon (3.8 L) of wine, and you'll be pleased with the improvement. Equally important, tannins enhance a wine's keeping qualities.

In the wild wine recipes that are likely to be short on tannins - wines made from flowers, herbs, grains, or vegetables - we add them. This need for tannins is one of the reasons that so many wild wine recipes call for raisins. But there are other ways to add tannins to your wines. Some strong tea or even a few oak leaves added to the must will give added zest to recipes that you have found a bit dull. Or you can add commercial tannins, available from winemaking suppliers.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS.

The chart below outlines the seven basic steps in the winemaking process. It also estimates the time it will take you to complete each step. For a more detailed description of the winemaking process, see pages 20 to 37.

THE W WINEMAKING P PROCESS.

[image]

[image]

Step One: Sterilize All Winemaking Equipment About the only mistakes in winemaking that cannot be remedied by tasting, adjusting, or blending result from contamination - that is, having something in the wine that alters the final flavor or results in spoilage. Always use squeaky-clean equipment. Sterilize anything that comes into contact with your wine, because everything is likely to carry microorganisms.

Boiling and scalding everything used for winemaking is one way to sterilize equipment. Today, though, most winemakers rely on easier methods. If you prefer to use at-hand materials, add 2 or 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) of unscented household chlorine bleach to your dishwasher and run through the complete cycle all the equipment that will fit. Then run it through the rinse cycle a second time to make sure not a trace of chlorine remains - you don't want your wines to taste like bleach. You can also add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of unscented household bleach to a gallon (3.8 L) of water. Soak your equipment in this solution for at least 10 minutes, rinse with water, and use immediately.

Step Two: Collect Ingredients, Prepare Must Winemaking, even in small quant.i.ties, is ingredient intensive. You'll find the process less expensive if you keep stable ingredients such as pectic enzyme or yeast nutrient on hand, and then make wine when the fruit or honey is in season - berry wines in late spring or early summer, for example, and apple wines in the fall.

Was.h.i.+ng the Fruit. Old-time winemakers who made wine only from grapes were often reluctant to remove the "bloom," or naturally occurring yeast, from the grapes because it was essential to the fermentation process for those who had no yeasts to add to the must. But times and conditions have changed drastically since the early wine-makers grew grapes without sprays and in air that was free of environmental pollutants. Now, yeasts are added to the must, and the only reason for not thoroughly was.h.i.+ng fruits is gone. We suggest that you place in a colander whatever fruit you are going to use, and run cool water over it for several minutes before you begin winemaking. Was.h.i.+ng fruit later in the process, after skins and pits have been removed, results in a loss of juices. Never use overripe or spoiling fruit.