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OT?: Winemaking
Hi there
Can anyone recommend a good recipe/website/book which will help me create wine from the elderberries, currants (blue ones from a ribes shrub) and brambles growing in my garden? thanks in advance xiv |
Winemaking
"louisxiv" wrote in message ... Hi there Can anyone recommend a good recipe/website/book which will help me create wine from the elderberries, currants (blue ones from a ribes shrub) and brambles growing in my garden? thanks in advance xiv It's a pity my Mum is no longer alive....she could make wine out of anything, including old socks !! Her wine tasting evenings were a thing to behold ! here's a couple of sites with recipes etc: http://www.homemadewine.net/ http://www.homewinemaking.co.uk/ jenny |
Winemaking
JennyC wrote: "louisxiv" wrote in message ... Can anyone recommend a good recipe/website/book which will help me create wine from the elderberries, currants (blue ones from a ribes shrub) and brambles growing in my garden? [...] here's a couple of sites with recipes etc: http://www.homemadewine.net/ http://www.homewinemaking.co.uk/ One of those sites is American, and the other doesn't seem, at a glance, to give recipes. Maybe I didn't look closely enough. I did a very quick Ggl on wine recipes, and there are so many that it's confusing. From those which came up, I picked these two almost at random: http://www.btinternet.com/~g.dodge/page6.html (This one should open at a blackberry recipe, and I see it also lists one for blackcurrants. A tip: add some preservative-free grape juice to any recipe for improved quality.) http://www.harvington.org.uk/hic/winerecipes.html may also interest you. There's a great book, which is probably out of print: W.H.T.Tayleur, The Penguin Book of Home Brewing and Wine-Making. If you can get a copy somewhere, it'll tell you everything you'll ever need to know and a lot more. You may find his style a bit rambling, and the index is strange; but it was my dependable companion for the years I was brewing all the time. A further Ggl will certainly find online winemaking discussion groups which could be helpful. -- Mike. |
OT?: Winemaking
On Sun, 06 Aug 2006 11:25:57 +0100, louisxiv wrote:
Hi there Can anyone recommend a good recipe/website/book which will help me create wine from the elderberries, currants (blue ones from a ribes shrub) and brambles growing in my garden? thanks in advance 'rec.crafts.winemaking'? |
Winemaking
JennyC wrote:
It's a pity my Mum is no longer alive....she could make wine out of anything, including old socks !! Yes, I've been given glasses of wine like that. |
Winemaking
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Winemaking
Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message .com from contains these words: JennyC wrote: It's a pity my Mum is no longer alive....she could make wine out of anything, including old socks !! Yes, I've been given glasses of wine like that. Me too. My FIL used to make wine out of tea :-( Janet I've used cold tea in winemaking, it adds tannin, but like everything else is a matter of taste, very usefull if the recipe doesn't require grapes or sultanas etc. The best wine I managed to make in a 15 year winemaking spell was from nettles, but a tip for anyone attempting it - don't use nettles after mid May - the seed heads give the wine an aroma of old cheese!! - early spring growth is best, anything else and you are in Camembert country. |
Winemaking
"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message ... The message .com from contains these words: JennyC wrote: It's a pity my Mum is no longer alive....she could make wine out of anything, including old socks !! Yes, I've been given glasses of wine like that. Me too. My FIL used to make wine out of tea :-( Janet Dandelions (OK), rose petals (ugggghhhh), parsnip (OK) jenny |
Winemaking
In article , "JennyC" writes: | | Dandelions (OK), rose petals (ugggghhhh), parsnip (OK) Rose petal wine can be delicious. What was horrible about it? Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Winemaking
"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... In article , "JennyC" writes: | | Dandelions (OK), rose petals (ugggghhhh), parsnip (OK) Rose petal wine can be delicious. What was horrible about it? Nick Maclaren. Like drinking cheap perfume ! Jenny |
Winemaking
I can recommend "First Steps in Wine Making" by C.J.J. Berry.
It has become something of a home brewers bible. Not only does the book have lots of recipes, it also guides you through the wine making process, do's and don'ts, importance of sterilisation etc. Importantly the book also gives you a "feel" for the wine making process so you are unafraid to have a go at your own recipes. The best one I ever made was Grapefruit and Sultana wine. Really nice flavour and very potent. A really good home wine can be made from gooseberries - also know as "hairy grapes"! -- David .... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk .... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/ |
OT?: Winemaking
louisxiv wrote:
Hi there Can anyone recommend a good recipe/website/book which will help me create wine from the elderberries, currants (blue ones from a ribes shrub) and brambles growing in my garden? thanks in advance xiv I've made wine on and off for years. Pretty much anything will work - I worked out a long time ago that you don't want to get too bogged down in fussy recipes. Plenty of the basic ingredients, a hydrometer is very useful - add enough sugar until the OG is right and bung in the yeast. Cleanliness is very important - rinse everything in sodium metabisulphite solution. About a week in a dustbin and then into the demijohns. Elderberry is an excellent basis but does need to be left for 6-9 months after bottling for the sediment to drop. Too my surprise, tinned peach is excellent - don't add too much sugar and you end up with a nice dry white. Mixed summer fruits works well, too - basically, anything that is around, boil it all up and add sugar to get the OG right. You do need a proper wine yeast. -- Larry Stoter |
Winemaking
"louisxiv" wrote in message ... Hi there Can anyone recommend a good recipe/website/book which will help me create wine from the elderberries, currants (blue ones from a ribes shrub) and brambles growing in my garden? My wife used to make a delicious ginger wine, but I can't remeber how she did it, and I'm not sure she would be able to either!(:-) Alan thanks in advance xiv |
OT?: Winemaking
Larry Stoter wrote: [...] Mixed summer fruits works well, too - basically, anything that is around, boil it all up and add sugar to get the OG right. You do need a proper wine yeast. I'd never boil, though: for my taste, it spoils the flavour. I've never bothered with measuring OG, either: I just work on the principle that every quarter-pound of sugar in a gallon, if fermented right out, raises the alcohol by 1%. So for most fruits, three pounds or so, added in two or three stages, plus some grape juice or concentrate, is about right. But here we go, confusing our enquirer by telling him different versions of how simple it is! -- Mike. |
OT?: Winemaking
On Sun, 6 Aug 2006, Mike Lyle wrote:
I'd never boil, though: for my taste, it spoils the flavour. I've never bothered with measuring OG, either: I just work on the principle that every quarter-pound of sugar in a gallon, if fermented right out, raises the alcohol by 1%. So for most fruits, three pounds or so, added in two or three stages, plus some grape juice or concentrate, is about right. Quarter of a pound of sugar will produce 1.5% alcohol in every gallon (source: Peter Duncan and Brian Acton - forgotten the name of the book as I don't have it here in Normandy). And adding three pounds of sugar all in one go is likely to inhibit the yeast and the fermentation will possibly have difficulty in starting. I suppose that three pounds of sugar will produce a wine heavy in alcohol but is that the primary aim of making a pleasant wine? For myself, when I make blackberry wine (members of my family are allergic to red wine and so I have to make a fruit wine for them) I put in no more than two and a quarter pounds of sugar. That makes a wine pleasant enough for drinking and cooking (boeuf bourgignonne, for instance). I'm not even sure that three pounds of sugar will ferment right out to produce a dry wine. That would be around 18% alcohol and even a yeast with a high alcohol toleration would never achieve more than around 16%. Most ordinary wine yeasts will stop fermenting at around 13% - 14%. My white grapes usually achieve a gravity of 1.075 which is about two pounds of sugar in every gallon. That produces a wine of 12% alcohol which is around the level found in commercial wines, and pleasant enough for me! And you're right - never, NEVER, boil the fruit for wine-making, especially if it contains pectin. If you do the haze will never clear. David (in Normandy!) -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
OT?: Winemaking
The message
from David Rance contains these words: And you're right - never, NEVER, boil the fruit for wine-making, especially if it contains pectin. If you do the haze will never clear. David (in Normandy!) That confirms a conclusion I was just reaching. I started a few different wines last summer and have had problems with them not clearing. On comparing notes with a neighbour, I was wondering whether it was because I'd added boiling water to the fruit. I shall try everything cold this year. My other concern is to try to make wine as organically as possible. I presume Sodium metabisulphite is fairly harmless but wouldn't qualify as organic. What would organic wine-makers use to sterilise their equipment? Janet G |
OT?: Winemaking
The message .com
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words: Larry Stoter wrote: [...] Mixed summer fruits works well, too - basically, anything that is around, boil it all up and add sugar to get the OG right. You do need a proper wine yeast. I'd never boil, though: for my taste, it spoils the flavour. I've never bothered with measuring OG, either: I just work on the principle that every quarter-pound of sugar in a gallon, if fermented right out, raises the alcohol by 1%. So for most fruits, three pounds or so, added in two or three stages, plus some grape juice or concentrate, is about right. Will soaked raisins do as well as grape juice? Janet G |
OT?: Winemaking
On Mon, 7 Aug 2006, Janet Galpin wrote:
And you're right - never, NEVER, boil the fruit for wine-making, especially if it contains pectin. If you do the haze will never clear. David (in Normandy!) That confirms a conclusion I was just reaching. I started a few different wines last summer and have had problems with them not clearing. On comparing notes with a neighbour, I was wondering whether it was because I'd added boiling water to the fruit. I shall try everything cold this year. My other concern is to try to make wine as organically as possible. I presume Sodium metabisulphite is fairly harmless but wouldn't qualify as organic. What would organic wine-makers use to sterilise their equipment? I'm not sure that even organic winemakers can do away with sulphur for sterilising (no matter what they may say!). I see no harm in adding one Campden tablet to every gallon (in the case of fruit wines that's about four pounds of fruit). Providing you are scrupulously clean then it shouldn't be necessary to add any more. I never do. The reason I am sceptical about organic grape wines is that it is virtually impossible to grow grapes without resorting to spraying against the mildews (powdery and downy). If I didn't spray regularly I would lose the whole crop - and have done in the past when I didn't spray! David (in Normandy!) -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
OT?: Winemaking
David (in Normandy!)
-- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France Two David's in Normandy posting on URG - now that does sound confusing :-) (Un)fortunately I can't say narrow it down and say "David in Calvados" since it appears we both live there too. Perhaps I could sign my posts David (near Vire, Normandy) since we are fairly close to the town. It is only a matter of time I suppose before there are other David's in Vire in Calvados in Normandy posting too. There seems to be more Brits around here than French :-) Ou revoir! David near Vire in Calvados in Normandy in France. |
OT?: Winemaking
Dear David near Vire in Calvados in Normandy In France In Europe,
it's a pity you can't post a picture of any distinguishing marks. Or, don a shower cap, like Rupert does (to distinguish him from other posters called Don, and any passing goats). Janet (not the one near Amersham, in Bucks, in England: the other one.) There is actually a recent picture of me on the blog. However, fortunately or unfortunately depending upon your perspective, not much of me is visible since I'm donned head to toe in protective gear, poised ready to spread the quicklime I accidentally bought instead of slaked lime. If the other David in Calvados in Normandy happens to read this - do you know your potato varieties in French? I set half a dozen different varieties from Point Vert and they all died down a month ago. Does this mean I accidentally bought all early varieties or is it due to the very hot and dry conditions we've been having? They didn't get any extra watering since we're on a meter. -- David .... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk .... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/ |
OT?: Winemaking
David Rance wrote: On Sun, 6 Aug 2006, Mike Lyle wrote: I'd never boil, though: for my taste, it spoils the flavour. I've never bothered with measuring OG, either: I just work on the principle that every quarter-pound of sugar in a gallon, if fermented right out, raises the alcohol by 1%. So for most fruits, three pounds or so, added in two or three stages, plus some grape juice or concentrate, is about right. Quarter of a pound of sugar will produce 1.5% alcohol in every gallon (source: Peter Duncan and Brian Acton - forgotten the name of the book as I don't have it here in Normandy). Yes, you're right: sorry. I find even my own notes say so. I haven't done it for two years. Memory like, er, what do you call those things with holes in? And adding three pounds of sugar all in one go is likely to inhibit the yeast and the fermentation will possibly have difficulty in starting. Yes: hence my suggestion of adding it in two or three stages. Like yours, my target is, or was, about 12%. [...] And you're right - never, NEVER, boil the fruit for wine-making, especially if it contains pectin. If you do the haze will never clear. Another poster has mentioned the question of sterilisation. Sulphur and bleach, or fancy proprietary products (also chlorine-based, I suppose), are the only methods I know about: copper sulphate's allowed under organic rules in Bordeaux mixture, so I don't see why a sulphite shouldn't be allowed for sterilising. In the old days, I think they used to sterilise casks by fumigating them with burning sulphur. To stabilise finished wine, Campden tablets (sodium metabisulphite) are usual; but some people react to it, so ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can be used instead -- though I've never tried it. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that sulphite isn't organically acceptable as an additive in the wine itself: producers probably rely on good hygiene to protect the wine in bottle. But when your only customer is yourself, you can bend the rules. -- Mike. |
OT?: Winemaking
Janet Galpin wrote: The message .com from "Mike Lyle" contains these words: Larry Stoter wrote: [...] Mixed summer fruits works well, too - basically, anything that is around, boil it all up and add sugar to get the OG right. You do need a proper wine yeast. I'd never boil, though: for my taste, it spoils the flavour. I've never bothered with measuring OG, either: I just work on the principle that every quarter-pound of sugar in a gallon, if fermented right out, raises the alcohol by [[WRONG]] 1%. [[WRONG]] So for most fruits, [[WRONG]] three pounds or so [[WRONG]], added in two or three stages, plus some grape juice or concentrate, is about right. Will soaked raisins do as well as grape juice? Yes, but they have a characteristic flavour, which you may not want in ordinary wines, though it can be nice in a stronger dessert one. Sultanas may be a better everyday choice: more expensive ones are usually better, I'm afraid. A p.i.t.b. is that dried fruit is often lightly treated with preservative or liquid paraffin or both: a swish round in boiling water should get rid well enough. Once soaked, they need to be broken up: squdging with clean hands or a potato masher will do it. And _please_ note that my remark above about sugar is a bad bloomer. As David points out, you get 1.5% for each quarter of a pound of white sugar. For 12%, 2 lb sugar. Of course, you're doing well if you achieve that (and the theoretical maximum is a little higher). In a book, I've scribbled that sultanas and raisins contain between 50 and 75% sugar; so an average to work by is about 60%. Allow for that when adding sugar; but I really don't think precision is necessary. In the real world you won't get all the sugar out of the dried fruit anyway. -- Mike. |
OT?: Winemaking
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message oups.com... David Rance wrote: On Sun, 6 Aug 2006, Mike Lyle wrote: I'd never boil, though: for my taste, it spoils the flavour. I've never bothered with measuring OG, either: I just work on the principle that every quarter-pound of sugar in a gallon, if fermented right out, raises the alcohol by 1%. So for most fruits, three pounds or so, added in two or three stages, plus some grape juice or concentrate, is about right. Quarter of a pound of sugar will produce 1.5% alcohol in every gallon (source: Peter Duncan and Brian Acton - forgotten the name of the book as I don't have it here in Normandy). Yes, you're right: sorry. I find even my own notes say so. I haven't done it for two years. Memory like, er, what do you call those things with holes in? Sorry I can't remember!(:-) Aloan |
OT?: Winemaking
On Mon, 7 Aug 2006, David (in Normandy) wrote:
David (in Normandy!) -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France Two David's in Normandy posting on URG - now that does sound confusing :-) (Un)fortunately I can't say narrow it down and say "David in Calvados" since it appears we both live there too. Perhaps I could sign my posts David (near Vire, Normandy) since we are fairly close to the town. It is only a matter of time I suppose before there are other David's in Vire in Calvados in Normandy posting too. There seems to be more Brits around here than French :-) Ou revoir! David near Vire in Calvados in Normandy in France. I must confess I signed myself David (in Normandy!) just to tease you! But maybe I could pull rank and say that I'm the real David in Normandy because I was here first (sixteen years ago). On the other hand you could pull rank by saying that you're here all the time! Never mind, it produced some amusement! Still the Normans round here would say that you're the foreigner as you live the other side of Condé-sur-Noireau. Have you noticed how parochial they are? My next door neighbour was outraged once because some people from St. Omer came and picked over the déchets in our commune. "Who do they think they are?" he demanded. But he was a great gardener. He looked after our vegetable garden while we were away. When we were there we had the vegetables, when we were back in England he had them. He kept rabbits in our hutches and sheep in our meadow and he shared the meat with us. Unfortunately he died last October. To be more precise, he committed suicide because he was 81 years old and was losing his strength rapidly to the point where he couldn't do our gardens any more. He couldn't face life as a permanent invalid unable to do any gardening and so he topped himself. He went up to his cider shed and hanged himself. David (only sometimes in Normandy!) -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
OT?: Winemaking
On Mon, 7 Aug 2006, David (in Normandy) wrote:
If the other David in Calvados in Normandy happens to read this - do you know your potato varieties in French? I set half a dozen different varieties from Point Vert and they all died down a month ago. Does this mean I accidentally bought all early varieties or is it due to the very hot and dry conditions we've been having? They didn't get any extra watering since we're on a meter. Unfortunately I cannot help. I planted three varieties myself this year, one early and two late and they both matured at the same time. The same thing happened on my allotment in Reading. I think it's just a funny year. We're on a meter here too, but fortunately we have a well and a horse trough. Also we have a communal well down by the River Orne so we're well off for water for irrigation. Interestingly, in times of drought we are not allowed to use water from the well from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. I suppose it's so that it doesn't get wasted during the day by evaporation. David -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
OT?: Winemaking
On Mon, 7 Aug 2006, Mike Lyle wrote:
Another poster has mentioned the question of sterilisation. Sulphur and bleach, or fancy proprietary products (also chlorine-based, I suppose), are the only methods I know about: copper sulphate's allowed under organic rules in Bordeaux mixture, so I don't see why a sulphite shouldn't be allowed for sterilising. In the old days, I think they used to sterilise casks by fumigating them with burning sulphur. They still do. In fact in most of the vineyards that I've visited they ferment in stainless steel vessels and then rack the wine off into oak casks to mature. Oak is still an important flavour in fine wines. You often see "matured in oak" on the labels. To stabilise finished wine, Campden tablets (sodium metabisulphite) are usual; but some people react to it, so ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can be used instead -- though I've never tried it. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that sulphite isn't organically acceptable as an additive in the wine itself: producers probably rely on good hygiene to protect the wine in bottle. There has been a problem with some producers, whose hygiene leaves a little to be desired, using too much sulphur to stabilise the wine. You can often see wine tasters on television complaining about the amount of sulphur in the wines. David -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
OT?: Winemaking
In article , David Rance writes: | | There has been a problem with some producers, whose hygiene leaves a | little to be desired, using too much sulphur to stabilise the wine. You | can often see wine tasters on television complaining about the amount of | sulphur in the wines. It's nothing to do with hygiene, and a great deal to do with chance and alcoholic strength. The things that they are trying to kill are as normal and widespread as the yeasts. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
OT?: Winemaking
On Mon, 7 Aug 2006, Nick Maclaren wrote:
| There has been a problem with some producers, whose hygiene leaves a | little to be desired, using too much sulphur to stabilise the wine. You | can often see wine tasters on television complaining about the amount of | sulphur in the wines. It's nothing to do with hygiene, and a great deal to do with chance and alcoholic strength. The things that they are trying to kill are as normal and widespread as the yeasts. Well, yes you're right in that some French producers (on the advice I am reliably informed of an English wine producer, whose word I don't trust for a minute) are now using massive doses of sulphur to kill off natural yeasts and introducing cultivated yeasts. Now this is a practice well known to English winemakers, especially where the wine yeasts are not endemic but not, I would have thought, worth doing on the continent. But even in my own humble little vineyard I have managed to get a wine yeast to stay around to the extent that I haven't used a yeast starter for some years and rely entirely on one Campden tablet per gallon to kill off any apiculata yeasts and then let the natural wine yeast do its work. And it *does* work. David -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
OT?: Winemaking
Janet Galpin wrote: I presume Sodium metabisulphite is fairly harmless but wouldn't qualify as organic. What would organic wine-makers use to sterilise their equipment? Janet G Fairly harmless?? Not according to the chemical industry. SAFETY DATA SHEET SODIUM METABISULPHITE Page 1 Issued: 25/09/2002 Revision No: 1 1. IDENTIFICATION OF THE SUBSTANCE / PREPARATION AND OF THE COMPANY / UNDERTAKING Product name: SODIUM METABISULPHITE Use / description of product: Harmful. 3. HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION Main hazards: Harmful if swallowed. Risk of serious damage to eyes. 4. FIRST AID MEASURES (SYMPTOMS) Skin contact: There may be mild irritation at the site of contact. Eye contact: There may be irritation and redness. Ingestion: There may be soreness and redness of the mouth and throat. There may be difficulty swallowing. Nausea and stomach pain may occur. There may be vomiting. Inhalation: Absorption through the lungs can occur causing symptoms similar to those of ingestion. 4. FIRST AID MEASURES (ACTION) Skin contact: Wash immediately with plenty of soap and water. Eye contact: Bathe the eye with running water for 15 minutes. Ingestion: Wash out mouth with water. Do not induce vomiting. If conscious, give half a litre of water to drink immediately. Transfer to hospital as soon as possible. Inhalation: Remove casualty from exposure ensuring one's own safety whilst doing so. Consult a doctor. |
OT?: Winemaking
I presume Sodium metabisulphite is fairly harmless but wouldn't qualify
as organic. What would organic wine-makers use to sterilise their equipment? Janet G Fairly harmless?? Not according to the chemical industry. SAFETY DATA SHEET SODIUM METABISULPHITE Page 1 Whoa everyone... Sodium MetabisulphIte (with an "I") may be nasty but the chemical put in wine is Sodium MetabisulphAte ("A"). Different chemical. |
OT?: Winemaking
Still the Normans round here would say that you're the foreigner as you
live the other side of Condé-sur-Noireau. Have you noticed how parochial they are? My next door neighbour was outraged once because some people from St. Omer came and picked over the déchets in our commune. "Who do they think they are?" he demanded. I've noticed there something going on between Parisians / none-Parisians. The lady we bought our house off indicated with a snort and air of contempt that the house just up from us is the weekend holiday home of a Parisian family. I get the impression that Parisians are considered more of outsiders than the Brits! But he was a great gardener. He looked after our vegetable garden while we were away. When we were there we had the vegetables, when we were back in England he had them. He kept rabbits in our hutches and sheep in our meadow and he shared the meat with us. Unfortunately he died last October. To be more precise, he committed suicide because he was 81 years old and was losing his strength rapidly to the point where he couldn't do our gardens any more. He couldn't face life as a permanent invalid unable to do any gardening and so he topped himself. He went up to his cider shed and hanged himself. Sad way to go. It must be horrible to lose ones independence and spiral into decline, especially for someone so active. -- David .... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk .... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/ |
OT?: Winemaking
"David (in Normandy)" wrote in message ... I presume Sodium metabisulphite is fairly harmless but wouldn't qualify as organic. What would organic wine-makers use to sterilise their equipment? Janet G Fairly harmless?? Not according to the chemical industry. SAFETY DATA SHEET SODIUM METABISULPHITE Page 1 Whoa everyone... Sodium MetabisulphIte (with an "I") may be nasty but the chemical put in wine is Sodium MetabisulphAte ("A"). Different chemical. Sodium metabisulph ITE is the material used for sterilising the wine equipment etc. and does end up in the wine. Sodium metabisul ATE is a highly acid substance and is akin to solid sulphuric acid and is nasty if you eat it. It's the main constituent of some solid toilet cleaners. I can guess that the French shove the latter in their wine. |
OT?: Winemaking
Sodium metabisul ATE is a highly acid substance and is akin to solid
sulphuric acid and is nasty if you eat it. It's the main constituent of some solid toilet cleaners. I can guess that the French shove the latter in their wine. Only if they run out of anti-freeze :-) |
OT?: Winemaking
On Tue, 8 Aug 2006, David (in Normandy) wrote:
I presume Sodium metabisulphite is fairly harmless but wouldn't qualify as organic. What would organic wine-makers use to sterilise their equipment? Janet G Fairly harmless?? Not according to the chemical industry. SAFETY DATA SHEET SODIUM METABISULPHITE Page 1 Whoa everyone... Sodium MetabisulphIte (with an "I") may be nasty but the chemical put in wine is Sodium MetabisulphAte ("A"). Different chemical. Sorry, no! It is sodium metabisulphite. I have some here sold by Boots for wine-making purposes and metabisulphite is what is on the label. Crazy Horse is right about its effects but that is only when it is concentrated. Obviously people would have to treat it with care. As mentioned earlier, wine-makers burn sulphur in casks to sterilise them. If you breathed in the fumes then you would suffer the same symptoms that Crazy Horse describes. I was always taught the use sodium metabisulphite with care by my father as it is used in a fixing bath for black and white photography. David -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
OT?: Winemaking
On Tue, 8 Aug 2006, David (in Normandy) wrote:
Still the Normans round here would say that you're the foreigner as you live the other side of Condé-sur-Noireau. Have you noticed how parochial they are? My next door neighbour was outraged once because some people from St. Omer came and picked over the déchets in our commune. "Who do they think they are?" he demanded. I've noticed there something going on between Parisians / none-Parisians. The lady we bought our house off indicated with a snort and air of contempt that the house just up from us is the weekend holiday home of a Parisian family. I get the impression that Parisians are considered more of outsiders than the Brits! Absolutely! The problem is that Normandy is further away from Paris than the Parisians realise and they soon get fed up with the slow trek along the A13 at weekends. David -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
OT?: Winemaking
On Tue, 8 Aug 2006, Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
Whoa everyone... Sodium MetabisulphIte (with an "I") may be nasty but the chemical put in wine is Sodium MetabisulphAte ("A"). Different chemical. Sodium metabisulph ITE is the material used for sterilising the wine equipment etc. and does end up in the wine. Sodium metabisul ATE is a highly acid substance and is akin to solid sulphuric acid and is nasty if you eat it. It's the main constituent of some solid toilet cleaners. I can guess that the French shove the latter in their wine. They don't. David -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
OT?: Winemaking
On Tue, 8 Aug 2006, David (in Normandy) wrote:
Sodium metabisul ATE is a highly acid substance and is akin to solid sulphuric acid and is nasty if you eat it. It's the main constituent of some solid toilet cleaners. I can guess that the French shove the latter in their wine. Only if they run out of anti-freeze :-) Antifreeze was used in a highly publicised case more than twenty years ago by a combine just outside Rust on the Neusiedler See in Austria in order to sweeten the wine. The local small wine growers were outraged by this and put up posters saying that their wine was good and did NOT contain antifreeze. I still have one of these posters somewhere. The net result of this was that Austrian wine was not imported to the UK (and several other countries) for years afterwards which was a great pity as they have some great wines which are totally different to any others. Even a grape like Müller-Thurgau produces a very sweet wine in Austria and quite different to that produced by the same grape in, for instance, the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer area of Germany. Also they have their own grape varieties not found elsewhere such as Grüner Veldliner and Welschriesling (which, in spite of the name, is not a Riesling at all). David -- David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
OT?: Winemaking
David Rance wrote: [...] Antifreeze was used in a highly publicised case more than twenty years ago by a combine just outside Rust on the Neusiedler See in Austria in order to sweeten the wine. The local small wine growers were outraged by this and put up posters saying that their wine was good and did NOT contain antifreeze. I still have one of these posters somewhere. [...] Ridiculous fuss over a perfectly reasonable little mistake! Why, only last winter I put glycerol in the car radiator. Worked as sweet as a nut. -- Mike. |
OT?: Winemaking
The message
from David Rance contains these words: On Sun, 6 Aug 2006, Mike Lyle wrote: I'd never boil, though: for my taste, it spoils the flavour. I've never bothered with measuring OG, either: I just work on the principle that every quarter-pound of sugar in a gallon, if fermented right out, raises the alcohol by 1%. So for most fruits, three pounds or so, added in two or three stages, plus some grape juice or concentrate, is about right. And you're right - never, NEVER, boil the fruit for wine-making, especially if it contains pectin. If you do the haze will never clear. David (in Normandy!) I just wanted to come back to this point about boiling. Last summer I made plum wine and it is still very murky. I've been looking again at recipes and they all seem to say add boiling water to the plums. This isn't quite the same as boiling them but I think it's what I did last year. I'm about to try geengage wine and I'm wondering whether to just chop them up and mush them (they're very ripe and juicy) with some pulverising instrument or my hands. Will this do? Am I likely to lose some of the flavour etc if I don't add boiling water? Janet G |
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