christmas pudding wine

I have just got this little cracker on the go for christmas.

Christmas Pudding Wine.

So here we go:

Ingredients.

1 x 900 g 2lb Christmas pudding
1 x 411 g tinned peaches
3 x small oranges (juice only)
2 x 1 litre cartons of white grape juice
500 g bag of mixed dried fruit
1000 g 2 lb sugar ( not fixed) to SG 1.130 approx (after 24hrs)

2 tsp of pectolase
1 tsp pf Bentonite
1 Vitamin B1 tablet (crushed)
1 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
1 camden tablet (crushed) or 5ml sulphite solution
1/2 tsp of potassium sorbate (stabaliser/ yeast stopper)
1 pkt of Gervin GV4 high alcohol yeast (purple label)

I know this is a REALLY OLD thread but anyone have any thoughts on switching out the White Grape juice for Red as White doesn't seem to be in stock in our supermarkets. Other alternative is to use some white grape concentrate from Wilkos with some water.

smithsj1 said:

I know this is a REALLY OLD thread but anyone have any thoughts on switching out the White Grape juice for Red as White doesn't seem to be in stock in our supermarkets. Other alternative is to use some white grape concentrate from Wilkos with some water.

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I made a Christmas pudding wine last year following one of the even older recipes (Vera Durkin's prize winning one, I suggest looking it up). Wilko's white grape concentrate was used and it worked well.

Why not post the recipe

https://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php?t-944.html
Essentially all other recipes follow this. Not dissimilar from the modified recipe at the head of this post.

Biggest take away is don't worry about the suet in your Christmas pudding.
Filtering through a good few layers of muslin before racking will take care of that.
Treat the Christmas pudding like adding any fruit. Stir twice a day to prevent any drying/ mould formation. Take whatever steps you're comfortable with for keeping the brew clean (campden etc).
Age for bit, we drank a couple of liesli shortly after mine finished and it was still a bit hot as a high alcohol wine, but improved even after a couple of weeks. I have two bottles left, one to be opened this year, I'll report back on how it is.

I'll likely make this again this year following this modified list of ingredients for a 10L brewing batch (I expect approx 8L bottled):

4x 454g Tesco Classic Christmas Pudding (or higher quality)
7x Orange (juice & zest)
4x Tinned pears in juice
1.5L (Maple syrup (grade a, very dark) (see Amazon)
1500g white sugar
220g Wilko White Grape Concentrate
2tsp Pectolase
2tsp 15-18% dessert wine yeast of choice


Proposed method:
1. Slice Christmas pudding thin and add to bucket with other fruit add half of the sugar. Pour 3L boiling water over, stir. Christmas pudding will mostly dissolve. Top up to 7L mark with cool water, stir in white grape concentrate.
2. Add 2tsp pectolase, and pitch yeast.
3. Let run for 5 days, stir 2 times daily making sure everything stays moist
4. Skim any fat or oily residue off the top of you want, won't get it all but no worry.
5. Transfer into 2x 5L demi johns equally: set up 4+ layers of muslin over a strainer in a funnel to do this. Some sediment will get though but it'll catch most. It'll be slow going and the muslin will likely need changing half way.
6. Add maple syrup straight from unopened container, 750ml in each. Top off with cold water. Swirl to combine.
7. Provided your fermentation doesn't get stuck, let it go until it stops +2 weeks.
8. Maybe rerack depending on clarify.
9. It should finish sweet, but if not back sweeten then bottle and gift for Christmas (next year if you can wait for the aging).

The alcohol level in this wine should bypass the tolerance of your yeast.

This should come out strong and sweet (like Christmas pudding should be). Drink like a sherry. Or reduce the sugar for a more moderate wine.

If the maple syrup is too expensive as an ingredient, use 675g white sugar, 675g brown sugar and then back sweeten with maple syrup if desired.

I do not know if this is exactly what I'm going to do, but it is a start. The maple syrup is an addition after a well rated Maple Syrup wine I brewed last year. Maple syrup really adds something nobody is expecting in a wine.

So I got a batch on the way using red grape juice and some white grape juice concentrate and missed my SG by a mile. In that was shooting for 1.13 but ended up at 1.095. Reason being that I ended up with too much liquid due to an error. The lard on my fermenting bucket was a nightmare but got it all off eventually lol. So in the meantime I have now sourced some white grape juice from Waitrose at £1.75 per litre!
So this time I am going to do it properly. (I hope)

Been a long time member of this group but absent for a couple of years. I'm not committing to a full time return, just yet, but I have 3 Christmas puddings that have been frozen for literally 2 years... Waste not, want not...
Anyway, the yeast is on the way as we speak so I'll get it started on Saturday and see what happens.
Thinking Ill do all of the solids (bar sugar) in primary fermentation, then add liquids and sugar slowly to feed the yeast to get the most of out it (ABV wise)
Last time I made this, I added a bottle of brandy before bottling to give it a push to around 23%
I cant remember if it was nice, or not.

Matilda said:

Last time I made this, I added a bottle of brandy before bottling to give it a push to around 23%
I cant remember if it was nice, or not.

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I added some brandy to a few bottles of my first Christmas pudding wine. It was a good move. Store bought pudd just doesn't have enough brandy for the depth of flavor you can get with homemade with a generous dousing of flambéed brandy eating.
It did feel a bit blasphemous considering the effort put into making the wine but unless you're using a rather strong homemade pudd or mince meat, it really helps enhance the Xmas puddingness.

TqM_Brew said:

I added some brandy to a few bottles of my first Christmas pudding wine. It was a good move. Store bought pudd just doesn't have enough brandy for the depth of flavor you can get with homemade with a generous dousing of flambéed brandy eating.
It did feel a bit blasphemous considering the effort put into making the wine but unless you're using a rather strong homemade pudd or mince meat, it really helps enhance the Xmas puddingness.

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Agreed. It also makes it even more of a talking point if its in the mid 20's

Had a bottle of ours last week and its quite enjoyable and I think will be better at Christmas so saving the rest until then.

This sounds incredible! I've decided to give it a go.

Robinson Brew Co. said:

This sounds incredible! I've decided to give it a go.

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I know Bristol is a little behind the times but can you still get Christmas pudding there at there at this time of year?

LED_ZEP said:

I know Bristol is a little behind the times but can you still get Christmas pudding there at there at this time of year?

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Funny aren't you lol. Doesn't everyone's Nan have Xmas puddings still sealed at the back of the cupboard? Lol

Robinson Brew Co. said:

Funny aren't you lol. Doesn't everyone's Nan have Xmas puddings still sealed at the back of the cupboard? Lol

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That's what backs of cupboards and pantries are for, aren't they?
I was digging through the pantry for crackers, but found something else:

GerritT said:

That's what backs of cupboards and pantries are for, aren't they?
I was digging through the pantry for crackers, but found something else:

View attachment 19281

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I managed to find 6 x 454g xmas puds within 5 mins of asking my mum, nan and my own cupboard. I'll be starting this wine beginning of July.

Robinson Brew Co. said:

I managed to find 6 x 454g xmas puds within 5 mins of asking my mum, nan and my own cupboard. I'll be starting this wine beginning of July

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I stand corrected, you just have large kitchen cupboards full of Christmas puddings in Bristol.

smithsj1 said:

Had a bottle of ours last week and its quite enjoyable and I think will be better at Christmas so saving the rest until then.

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Does using White Grape Concentrate mean that the wine will come out white? Stupid question I know. Or does the colourings of the Xmas Pudding make it a dark red/brown colour?

Well, I have only made with red grape juice as was finding white hard to come by and when I did find some at Waitrose it was expensive.. I believe I also used some Wilko White Concentrate as well. Quite possibly the messiest wine I have ever made with the suet all melting and it gets everywhere. I thought I would use a bag for this to catch the pudding detritus and fruit and so but still had to contend with the suet when I took that out. Still, rack it a couple of times and it will come clear. A Pinkish hue in my case but I would expect it to be more like a white wine if white grape juice used. Only one way to find out though so I have some white grape juice from Waitrose so hopefully that will work out and a 907g pud from Aldi bought last Christmas. I need to sort out 8 gallons of various wines that have been in secondary for 6 months so I can free up some demijohns :)