Last year I attended a wine tasters festival and totaly fell in love this very different wine.
It had 11 herbs in it........knocked my feet off.talking about hhhhhhhhmmmm goood!
Is the plant grown next to the grapevine or is it fused during the process?
I'm just a novice wine maker, but the herbs are probably added to the juice. Some purists may say that isn't real wine, when you start adding stuff like that. Some wine snobs don't even like mixing grapes. Seems to me blending is a good way to get what you want though, and if herbs help, so mote it be ;)
So it not only knocked your socks off, but your FEET too ... WOW. Maybe they added some peyote. I guess that could make you soar like AN eagle B)
thanks..great stuff....when I have a few goblets, it could knock me on my as.....s and has knocked my socks off to boot!!!!!! kind of sneakers up on ya.
thank goodness, I do not have to type all the White papers..
I bought a large laundry tub to stomp the grapes in while wearing rubber boots. I usually do this on a sheet of plastic in a garage to minimize the mess and maximize the sanitation. After the grapes are "stomped", I put the skins, seeds, stems and all in a large plastic 'food quailty' barrel for primary fermentation which can last anywhere from 3-6, even 7 days depending on the grapes and the kind of wine I'm after.
The juice will begin to boil as there is enough yeast in nature to begin the chemical process of changing sugar into alcohol (liqiud) and carbon dioxide (gas... hence, the bubbling or 'boiling' process) This juice should be stirred thouroughly 2-3 times a day.
Generally, the longer you leave the skins in the primary fermentation vat, the stronger and more full bodied the wine will be. From the primary fermentation vats, or barrels, the can go into a number of different containers for secondary fermentation.
I prefer what looks to be a large, glass, chianti bottle with a little tap at the bottom. I've bought 3 of them and they each hold about 50 liters of wine. I strain the wine through a clean cloth as I put it into the secondary fermentation containers as I don't want any seeds or stems to enter the bottle.
The key to the secondary fermentation process is to NEVER allow any air to come into contact with your wine. Oxygen will cause wine to turn to vinegar. To avoid air contacting the wine I use a what is virtually a large plastic stopper in the neck of my bottle which has a small hole in it. In the hole is a long tube (garden hose will work). I seal the top of the bottle tightly and place the end of the hose in bucket of water. This allows the carbon dioxide to escape the bottle because the wine is still fermenting i.e., 'boiling' while preventing any air from contacting the wine.
After about twenty days or so... usually I wait until I have 2 or three days with no bubbles of air coming up in the bucket, the wine is ready to be bottled or served, 'as is'. I myself prefer new wine and this, to me is wine at its best.
There are powders one can buy that will stop the fermentation process relatively early, thus producing a sweeter wine. It depends on personal taste and the the grpes you are using. I have some great grape varieties here in greece that produce some really excellent wines.
I used to make about 150 liters of wine a year (37 gallons) and afterwards make about 20 liters of Tsipouro, (homebrewed OUZO) from the remaining stems and seeds and grape skins as the are run through a good old fashioned still.
I put away 5-10 bottles a year hoping to see how the turn out. Last year, I had a real nice bottle of vinegar! What a disappointment! I couple of years ago, I had a nice surprise as the '95 batch turned out to be excellent! I'm saving the remaining bottles for special occasions.
To anyone who has ever thought about making wine but never got around to it, all i got to say is what the... are you waiting for? It's a fun, cheap, rewarding, and relatively easy hobby to get into. Hell, it ain't rocket science. You can even do it in your kitchen with a very small quantity (glass or two) and absolutely minimal cost.
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rhino
I'm just a novice wine maker, but the herbs are probably added to the juice. Some purists may say that isn't real wine, when you start adding stuff like that. Some wine snobs don't even like mixing grapes. Seems to me blending is a good way to get what you want though, and if herbs help, so mote it be ;)
So it not only knocked your socks off, but your FEET too ... WOW. Maybe they added some peyote. I guess that could make you soar like AN eagle B)
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likeaneagle
no peyote here....not in my space...
ha! I know...an eagle..
thanks..great stuff....when I have a few goblets, it could knock me on my as.....s and has knocked my socks off to boot!!!!!! kind of sneakers up on ya.
thank goodness, I do not have to type all the White papers..
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likeaneagle
where the heck is Herbie man?? :blink:
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likeaneagle
posted November 10, 2004 11:30
Here's what I do...
I bought a large laundry tub to stomp the grapes in while wearing rubber boots. I usually do this on a sheet of plastic in a garage to minimize the mess and maximize the sanitation. After the grapes are "stomped", I put the skins, seeds, stems and all in a large plastic 'food quailty' barrel for primary fermentation which can last anywhere from 3-6, even 7 days depending on the grapes and the kind of wine I'm after.
The juice will begin to boil as there is enough yeast in nature to begin the chemical process of changing sugar into alcohol (liqiud) and carbon dioxide (gas... hence, the bubbling or 'boiling' process) This juice should be stirred thouroughly 2-3 times a day.
Generally, the longer you leave the skins in the primary fermentation vat, the stronger and more full bodied the wine will be. From the primary fermentation vats, or barrels, the can go into a number of different containers for secondary fermentation.
I prefer what looks to be a large, glass, chianti bottle with a little tap at the bottom. I've bought 3 of them and they each hold about 50 liters of wine. I strain the wine through a clean cloth as I put it into the secondary fermentation containers as I don't want any seeds or stems to enter the bottle.
The key to the secondary fermentation process is to NEVER allow any air to come into contact with your wine. Oxygen will cause wine to turn to vinegar. To avoid air contacting the wine I use a what is virtually a large plastic stopper in the neck of my bottle which has a small hole in it. In the hole is a long tube (garden hose will work). I seal the top of the bottle tightly and place the end of the hose in bucket of water. This allows the carbon dioxide to escape the bottle because the wine is still fermenting i.e., 'boiling' while preventing any air from contacting the wine.
After about twenty days or so... usually I wait until I have 2 or three days with no bubbles of air coming up in the bucket, the wine is ready to be bottled or served, 'as is'. I myself prefer new wine and this, to me is wine at its best.
There are powders one can buy that will stop the fermentation process relatively early, thus producing a sweeter wine. It depends on personal taste and the the grpes you are using. I have some great grape varieties here in greece that produce some really excellent wines.
I used to make about 150 liters of wine a year (37 gallons) and afterwards make about 20 liters of Tsipouro, (homebrewed OUZO) from the remaining stems and seeds and grape skins as the are run through a good old fashioned still.
I put away 5-10 bottles a year hoping to see how the turn out. Last year, I had a real nice bottle of vinegar! What a disappointment! I couple of years ago, I had a nice surprise as the '95 batch turned out to be excellent! I'm saving the remaining bottles for special occasions.
To anyone who has ever thought about making wine but never got around to it, all i got to say is what the... are you waiting for? It's a fun, cheap, rewarding, and relatively easy hobby to get into. Hell, it ain't rocket science. You can even do it in your kitchen with a very small quantity (glass or two) and absolutely minimal cost.
Have fun and enjoy the fruits of your labor!
thank you Greek2me
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