Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! - but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if anyone
here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!

HI John

No particular tips - but we used to make wine with the Mirabel plums
that grew in the hedgerows when we lived in Suffolk, and very nice it
was too..

ISTR that it was worthwhile measuring the Specific Gravity of the 'must'
(= mashed up fruit before fermentation) and adding sugar to a specified
SG - as some years the plums were sweeter than others, and adding a set
amount of sugar wasn't the right way....

Simpler the recipe the better - 4lbs of fruit to 1 gall water, some
pectolytic enzyme helps the fruit to break down and release the juice.
Sugar as above, yeast to get things started.

After a week transfer from covered bucket to glass demijohn with
fermentation lock - ferment until it stops bubbling.

Rack off into bottles or clean demijohn. Not sure if it improved with
age - ours never lasted that long! g

Adrian

On 30/07/2011 20:36, john smith wrote:
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! - but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if anyone
here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!

On Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:48:48 +0100, Adrian Brentnall
wrote:

HI John

No particular tips - but we used to make wine with the Mirabel plums
that grew in the hedgerows when we lived in Suffolk, and very nice it
was too..

ISTR that it was worthwhile measuring the Specific Gravity of the 'must'
(= mashed up fruit before fermentation) and adding sugar to a specified
SG - as some years the plums were sweeter than others, and adding a set
amount of sugar wasn't the right way....

Simpler the recipe the better - 4lbs of fruit to 1 gall water, some
pectolytic enzyme helps the fruit to break down and release the juice.
Sugar as above, yeast to get things started.

After a week transfer from covered bucket to glass demijohn with
fermentation lock - ferment until it stops bubbling.

Rack off into bottles or clean demijohn. Not sure if it improved with
age - ours never lasted that long! g

Adrian

On 30/07/2011 20:36, john smith wrote:
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! - but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if anyone
here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!


I used to make wine obsessively for years -- probably a good thing
that I stopped! I never measured the Specific Gravity, though I know
it's the counsel of perfection. 2lb sugar to 4lb plums if they're good
and ripe, half lb more sugar if they aren't quite. Plums and damsons
make excellent wine, but they are prone to pectin hazes, so Adrian's
dead right about the pectolytic enzyme. Add a tumblerfull of
concentrated grape juice if you've got any: it adds a touch of "real
wine" character.

--
Mike.

On Sat, 30 Jul 2011 Adrian Brentnall wrote:

Simpler the recipe the better - 4lbs of fruit to 1 gall water, some
pectolytic enzyme helps the fruit to break down and release the juice.
Sugar as above, yeast to get things started.

I don't use a pectolytic enzyme any more as the yeast itself breaks the
fruit down eventually.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://rance.org.uk

"Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message
...
HI John

No particular tips - but we used to make wine with the Mirabel plums that
grew in the hedgerows when we lived in Suffolk, and very nice it was too..

ISTR that it was worthwhile measuring the Specific Gravity of the 'must'
(= mashed up fruit before fermentation) and adding sugar to a specified
SG - as some years the plums were sweeter than others, and adding a set
amount of sugar wasn't the right way....

Simpler the recipe the better - 4lbs of fruit to 1 gall water, some
pectolytic enzyme helps the fruit to break down and release the juice.
Sugar as above, yeast to get things started.

After a week transfer from covered bucket to glass demijohn with
fermentation lock - ferment until it stops bubbling.

Rack off into bottles or clean demijohn. Not sure if it improved with
age - ours never lasted that long! g

Adrian

On 30/07/2011 20:36, john smith wrote:
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! - but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone
here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!





Thanks for the help, Adrian! That advice was so concise, even a fool like
me can't go wrong...

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:48:48 +0100, Adrian Brentnall
wrote:

HI John

No particular tips - but we used to make wine with the Mirabel plums
that grew in the hedgerows when we lived in Suffolk, and very nice it
was too..

ISTR that it was worthwhile measuring the Specific Gravity of the 'must'
(= mashed up fruit before fermentation) and adding sugar to a specified
SG - as some years the plums were sweeter than others, and adding a set
amount of sugar wasn't the right way....

Simpler the recipe the better - 4lbs of fruit to 1 gall water, some
pectolytic enzyme helps the fruit to break down and release the juice.
Sugar as above, yeast to get things started.

After a week transfer from covered bucket to glass demijohn with
fermentation lock - ferment until it stops bubbling.

Rack off into bottles or clean demijohn. Not sure if it improved with
age - ours never lasted that long! g

Adrian

On 30/07/2011 20:36, john smith wrote:
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! - but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be
to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone
here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!


I used to make wine obsessively for years -- probably a good thing
that I stopped! I never measured the Specific Gravity, though I know
it's the counsel of perfection. 2lb sugar to 4lb plums if they're good
and ripe, half lb more sugar if they aren't quite. Plums and damsons
make excellent wine, but they are prone to pectin hazes, so Adrian's
dead right about the pectolytic enzyme. Add a tumblerfull of
concentrated grape juice if you've got any: it adds a touch of "real
wine" character.

--
Mike.



Cheers for the advice, Mike! That tip about the sugar and enzyme seems to
be an important point. I have a treeful of Victoria plums and their
bursting with juicy sweetness, so I guess less sugar than more may be the
rule here...

Thanks again!

On 31/07/2011 02:02, john smith wrote:
"Adrian wrote in message
...
HI John

No particular tips - but we used to make wine with the Mirabel plums that
grew in the hedgerows when we lived in Suffolk, and very nice it was too..

ISTR that it was worthwhile measuring the Specific Gravity of the 'must'
(= mashed up fruit before fermentation) and adding sugar to a specified
SG - as some years the plums were sweeter than others, and adding a set
amount of sugar wasn't the right way....

Simpler the recipe the better - 4lbs of fruit to 1 gall water, some
pectolytic enzyme helps the fruit to break down and release the juice.
Sugar as above, yeast to get things started.

After a week transfer from covered bucket to glass demijohn with
fermentation lock - ferment until it stops bubbling.

Rack off into bottles or clean demijohn. Not sure if it improved with
age - ours never lasted that long!g

Adrian

On 30/07/2011 20:36, john smith wrote:
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! - but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone
here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!





Thanks for the help, Adrian! That advice was so concise, even a fool like
me can't go wrong...


g
I don't know - we've produced the occasional 5 gallon batch of fruity
drain-cleaner in the past!

I forgot to mention cleanliness - you want to make sure that
'everything' is clean before it touches your wine - including the
containers, anything you stir the wine with, airlocks, siphon tubes...
everything. Half an hour's soak in a proprietary brewing cleaner does
the trick.

Have fun!
Adrian

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! - but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!

Plum makes a good wine.
The main problem is a haze caused by pectin in the plums, you'll probably
need a pectin enzyme to clear it.

Why not make jam? The pectin is an asset here (makes the jam set)

harryagain wrote:
"john wrote in message
...
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! - but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!

Plum makes a good wine.
The main problem is a haze caused by pectin in the plums, you'll probably
need a pectin enzyme to clear it.

Why not make jam? The pectin is an asset here (makes the jam set)


My favourite plum and blackberry jam recipe. It's an unusual method - I
freeze the fruit, cos the juice runs more freely when they have thawed.
And sieve the cooked plums to remove the stones, cos it's easier than
de-stoning the plums before cooking.

750g plums
625g blackberries
60ml water
1.25kg sugar

Freeze plums, blackberries. Simmer plums in water till soft. Sieve,
removing only the stones. Add blackberries, simmer till soft. Add
sugar, heat gently to dissolve sugar, then, when dissolved, boil rapidly
to setting point. (5 mins)

"harryagain" wrote in message
...

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! - but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!

Plum makes a good wine.
The main problem is a haze caused by pectin in the plums, you'll probably
need a pectin enzyme to clear it.

Why not make jam? The pectin is an asset here (makes the jam set)



Made plum jam last year and still got loads of jars of it left. Thought I'd
tried something different this time round...

Cheers for the tip, though!

On Mon, 1 Aug 2011 21:31:36 +0100, "john smith"
wrote:


"harryagain" wrote in message
...

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! - but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!

Plum makes a good wine.
The main problem is a haze caused by pectin in the plums, you'll probably
need a pectin enzyme to clear it.

Why not make jam? The pectin is an asset here (makes the jam set)



Made plum jam last year and still got loads of jars of it left. Thought I'd
tried something different this time round...

Cheers for the tip, though!

You could see if there's a produce exchange thing going on in your
area: somebody who hasn't got any plums may have too much of something
you would like.

--
Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 1 Aug 2011 21:31:36 +0100, "john smith"
wrote:


"harryagain" wrote in message
...

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! -
but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be
to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!

Plum makes a good wine.
The main problem is a haze caused by pectin in the plums, you'll
probably
need a pectin enzyme to clear it.

Why not make jam? The pectin is an asset here (makes the jam set)



Made plum jam last year and still got loads of jars of it left. Thought
I'd
tried something different this time round...

Cheers for the tip, though!

You could see if there's a produce exchange thing going on in your
area: somebody who hasn't got any plums may have too much of something
you would like.

--
Mike.



Never heard of that. Got any links? It's a shame they can't open a shop or
something on the allotment, where the public can come in and buy fresh fruit
and veg. Some by-law about people coming onto the property, I think...

On Wed, 3 Aug 2011 01:35:14 +0100, "john smith"
wrote:


"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 1 Aug 2011 21:31:36 +0100, "john smith"
wrote:


"harryagain" wrote in message
...

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! -
but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd be
to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!

Plum makes a good wine.
The main problem is a haze caused by pectin in the plums, you'll
probably
need a pectin enzyme to clear it.

Why not make jam? The pectin is an asset here (makes the jam set)



Made plum jam last year and still got loads of jars of it left. Thought
I'd
tried something different this time round...

Cheers for the tip, though!

You could see if there's a produce exchange thing going on in your
area: somebody who hasn't got any plums may have too much of something
you would like.

--
Mike.



Never heard of that. Got any links? It's a shame they can't open a shop or
something on the allotment, where the public can come in and buy fresh fruit
and veg. Some by-law about people coming onto the property, I think...

Sorry: I know somebody who's trying to get one going in Coventry,
that's all. I see that "produce exchange" brings up some links on Ggl,
some of which are clearly the kind of thing I'm thinking of; so you
could poke about, maybe adding the name of your town or area to the
search term.

--
Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 3 Aug 2011 01:35:14 +0100, "john smith"
wrote:


"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
. ..
On Mon, 1 Aug 2011 21:31:36 +0100, "john smith"
wrote:


"harryagain" wrote in message
...

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! -
but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd
be
to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!

Plum makes a good wine.
The main problem is a haze caused by pectin in the plums, you'll
probably
need a pectin enzyme to clear it.

Why not make jam? The pectin is an asset here (makes the jam set)



Made plum jam last year and still got loads of jars of it left. Thought
I'd
tried something different this time round...

Cheers for the tip, though!

You could see if there's a produce exchange thing going on in your
area: somebody who hasn't got any plums may have too much of something
you would like.

--
Mike.



Never heard of that. Got any links? It's a shame they can't open a shop
or
something on the allotment, where the public can come in and buy fresh
fruit
and veg. Some by-law about people coming onto the property, I think...

Sorry: I know somebody who's trying to get one going in Coventry,
that's all. I see that "produce exchange" brings up some links on Ggl,
some of which are clearly the kind of thing I'm thinking of; so you
could poke about, maybe adding the name of your town or area to the
search term.

--
Mike.



Can't find anything for up here in Lancashire. Is the system called
anything else other than "produce exchange"?

On Wed, 3 Aug 2011 19:02:26 +0100, "john smith"
wrote:


"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 3 Aug 2011 01:35:14 +0100, "john smith"
wrote:


"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 1 Aug 2011 21:31:36 +0100, "john smith"
wrote:


"harryagain" wrote in message
...

"john smith" wrote in message
...
Hi there!

We have a surfeit of plums this year - and very nice they are too! -
but
rather than letting them go to waste. I was wondering how easy it'd
be
to
make plum wine? I've found a few recipes online but was wondering if
anyone here had any first-hand tips they could pass on?

Thanks in advance!

Plum makes a good wine.
The main problem is a haze caused by pectin in the plums, you'll
probably
need a pectin enzyme to clear it.

Why not make jam? The pectin is an asset here (makes the jam set)



Made plum jam last year and still got loads of jars of it left. Thought
I'd
tried something different this time round...

Cheers for the tip, though!

You could see if there's a produce exchange thing going on in your
area: somebody who hasn't got any plums may have too much of something
you would like.

--
Mike.



Never heard of that. Got any links? It's a shame they can't open a shop
or
something on the allotment, where the public can come in and buy fresh
fruit
and veg. Some by-law about people coming onto the property, I think...

Sorry: I know somebody who's trying to get one going in Coventry,
that's all. I see that "produce exchange" brings up some links on Ggl,
some of which are clearly the kind of thing I'm thinking of; so you
could poke about, maybe adding the name of your town or area to the
search term.

--
Mike.



Can't find anything for up here in Lancashire. Is the system called
anything else other than "produce exchange"?

Your guess is as good as mine, or better. There's something called a
"LETS", or, IIRC, "Local Exchange Trading Scheme": you could ring the
changes on that and similar words.

--
Mike.