sandy0225

This is a good basic intro to winemaking and it's easy and cheap for anyone to do. All you need to purchase equipment-wise is: a one gallon glass jug, an airlock, and some champagne yeast from a wine or beer supply store or online. Actually if you are willing to drink or cook or serve friends for new years with some cheap wine, you can get a big jug of wine from the liquor store in a gallon jug, that's what I did! save the lid for later on...

Assuming you have the above equipment, here's the recipe
you can use any frozen juice except I didn't like orange or lemonade. You can use white grape peach, white grape raspberry, grape, fruit punch type blends are ok too. just make sure on the list of ingredients that there are no preservatives, which usually in frozen juice there aren't anyway

2 cans (12 oz size) frozen concentrate juice, thawed to room temperature
3 cups sugar
warm water to make one gallon (like lukewarm, not too hot or you'll kill yeast)
1/2 package champagne yeast (fold the top of the package over and store remaining yeast in fridge for another batch)

stir all of this together and put in your clean jug. Attach your airlock. set in a warm place, like indoors somewhere where you are comfortable (around 70 degrees). The juice will take off and start to ferment in a day or so. When it quits in about a week to ten days, pour your wine into a clean container, wash out your jug thoroughly and put it back into the jug with airlock to clarify and for all the yeast particles to fall out of suspension. Technically you can drink it at this stage, but if you do, let it air out for a while first (1 hr or so) because it will taste yeasty. let set for about 30 days and then it's ready to bottle or drink. If you taste it and it still tastes yeasty to you, let it air out (breathe)for about an hour. I've made several batches of this in the last few years and bottled it.
below is a batch of wine I'm currently making, white grape raspberry



and an airlock for those of you that aren't familiar with this, it works like a sink trap to keep bad stuff out of your wine while letting co2 escape

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Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
1501 East Fuson Road
Muncie, IN 47302
www.northerntropics.com


specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~
check out our new online store at our website!

island cassie

Thanks for the recipe Sandy - sounds like a nice easy one. It must be the season for winemaking - I have just made 4 gallons of banana wine as we are inundated with bananas at the moment, and the wine took care of the last 16lbs of ripe fruit. I had my doubts about banana wine as it sounded like a headache in a bottle, but several people have assured me that it turns out like a dry chardonnay - so here's hoping..... But it doesn't sound quick!

4lb ripe bananas - very ripe are best
1/2lb skins
1/4lb raisins
1 gallon (imperial) water
juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
3lb sugar
yeast and nutriants

finely chop bananas and skins - add to water and bring to the boil to simmer for 25 mins.

let cool and strain warm juice over sugar, raisins and lemon/orange juice - make up to 1 gallon.

add yeast and nutriants and swirl to mix well, cover tightly or use airlock if you have one (we can't get them)

leave for for 5 days swirling daily,then let sit for a day and siphon the juice off the residue into a clean jar.

every couple of months siphon the juice off the residue until clear, and drink when you can't wait any longer!! They say wait a year!!

I'll let you know in a year's time what it is like, unless I don't wait that long - and then can't see to type!!

Bob

Oh thanks you two..... just what I need..... another hobby

Feel free to send samples to:
Bob
Morris Plains nj
usa

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musa_monkey

I havent made any for a while, used to make gallons of the stuff for the fun of it and gave a lot away to the neighbours.

Not tried banana wine before though that looks like fun

Thanks for the recipes.

Patty in Wisc

Been a few years for me too. I made 5 gal at a time. One time I had 15 gal brewing in 3 5 gal carboys. I also made a few gal's with frozen grape jc... came out pretty good.

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Got a lite?
Patty




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Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

sandy0225

I made some pear wine with bananas and strawberries but it did take a long time for the banana flavor in it to calm down so you could taste the other fruit at all. Like a year.

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Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
1501 East Fuson Road
Muncie, IN 47302
www.northerntropics.com


specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~
check out our new online store at our website!

island cassie

Yes Sandy - I'm still not convinced about the banana wine, although folks on 3 continents have assured me that it is worth waiting the year for!!! At the moment it is a sludgy pink colour - I like the thought of your 45 day wine better.

sandy0225

well usually you can try wine you don't like it, wait a little longer and try it again. At some point in time, it gets good. It took 2 years for some really sour catawba wine I made with grapes that weren't ripe enough. But now it's actually mellowed out and pretty decent. That pumpkin wine needs a year too. That's why I make some quick wines to have something to guzzle in between...lol...

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Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
1501 East Fuson Road
Muncie, IN 47302
www.northerntropics.com


specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~
check out our new online store at our website!

island cassie

Girl after my own heart!! Right now we are on the post-Christmas recovery diet to try to get back into some sort of shape - New Year wasn't good either!

MissStress

Round is a shape


Going to try the 45 day recipe when we're settled in the new place.

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Zone 7b (Canada) or 8a (US)

justjoan

Looks like a keeper, will give this a try, since it seems like it will never warm up here this year! Thanks Sandy

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