Grow Your Own Magazine

Just wanted to share some seasonal thoughts.

My Blackberry wine was a bit strong and incredibly acid when I measured it the other day - 18.5% I think - thats my story and I'm sticking to it. Never was a whizz at math!!. I think I left it too long fomenting in the demijohn. Rather than wait for another year before drinking it, and taking in too much alcohol, I decided to dilute it a little and make it gluggable by mulling it.

The accepted recipe for mulled wine is :
1 pint wine, 1/2 pint water, 1 orange or some orange juice, pieces of apple, sugar (to taste) and spices.
Use whole cloves, cinnamon (sticks please) and cardomon - black seeds from inside, not the green bits (don't put the green bits in, they make it taste funny. Get the black seeds out and add them).

Bring it to heat but do not boil and if it tastes a bit 'thin', add a slurp of brandy or whiskey for kick.
You can sprinkle with cinnamon powder when serving, but don't overdo it.

Because my wine was strong, I doubled the water to remove some of the danger, and it tasted wonderful.

You can of course use any really cheap red wine. It seems to smell of the season. Enjoy.

__________________
Regards, Jane
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy? The creative adult is the child who has survived.
Ursula LeGuin
http://www.etribes.com/madderbat

Saw your post and I was surprised at the strength of the blackberry wine, Perhaps you could send me a PM to tell me how you worked it out. There are yeasts available that will brew up to 20% so it can happen.

It is a bit of a conundrum brewing. You can add lots of sucrose and hope that it brews out or you can hope it stops and gives you a sweet wine. Sounds like yours went all the way.

I have been checking sour dough and have some reservation which I will post on the other thread