The Simple Pioneer

If you get a chance, check out The Simple Pioneer.  This blog has tips on making beer, wine and cheese along with gardening tips that you can use to make beer and wine.

Black Tea Wine

* 4 tablespoons bulk black tea

* 1 11-oz can frozen red or white grape concentrate, depending on desired color

* 2 lbs sugar

* 2 tsp citric acid

* 6 pts water

* 1 tsp yeast nutrient

* 1 pkt wine yeast

Bring water to a boil and pour over the tea and sugar, stir well, and infuse until cool. Strain into primary, add grape concentrate, acid, nutrient and yeast. Cover and ferment until s.g. drops below 1.020. Transfer to secondary, fit airlock and ferment to dryness. Rack when wine is clear and completely dry, top up and refit airlock. Rack again after 45 days, stabilize, refit airlock, and set aside for 3-4 weeks. Sweeten to taste if desired and bottle.

Source: Jack Keller

Dried Apricot Wine

Photo by: Itinerant Tightwad

6 lb. dried apricots, 

2 oranges, 

3 ½ lb. sugar, 

9 pts water, 

1 oz. Yeast, 

1 tablespoonful of freshly made tea.

Put the apricots in the fermenting vessel with the cut-up oranges and their peel. Fold the orange peel and squeeze to get as much oil out of it as you can.

Boil two pounds sugar in seven pints water for two minutes and pour over the fruits while still boiling. Allow to cool and add the yeast.

Cover as directed and ferment for ten days, crushing by hand each day and covering again at once.

After ten days, strain and wring out as dry as you can and put the strained liquor in the gallon jar. Boil the remaining sugar in the last two pints of water for two minutes and when cool add to the rest, and then add the tea.

Cover as directed or fit fermentation lock and leave until all fermentation has ceased.

 

Clementine Wine

photo by: Free Wine

1 gallon water
24 Clementines
10 Valencia oranges
1 lb extra fine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon citric acid
1 teaspoon pectic enzyme
¼ teaspoon tannin
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 package Champagne wine yeast

Mix sugar and water in large pot. Bring to boil. 

Peel all Clementines and Valencias and save the zest from 10 of the Clementines. 

Section the fruit and remove any pith. Place zest and sections in a nylon mesh straining bag. Close bag with a tie and mash fruit in a primary fermentation container. 

Pour boiling sugar water over fruit and stir. Let liquid cool until room temperature. Add citric acid, pectic enzyme, tannin, and yeast nutrient to container. Cover and let sit for 12 hours. 

Remove cover, add activated Champagne wine yeast, and cover again. Stir daily for 10 days. 

Remove bag from container and pour liquid into secondary fermentation container. Seal with airtight lock lid and ferment. 

Skim froth, as necessary. When froth ceases to form, rack and place into bottles. Rack again every two months for one year. 

Age an additional year before enjoying.