gillonstewart
Active Member
- Joined
- May 6, 2022
- Messages
- 77
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- 58
As an easy reintroduction into wine making, I made a 23litre blueberry wine kit. The box wasn't branded as such but had garffen.co.uk under the barcode.
I actually thought I stopped it a little early as it was a little too sweet tasting. I can't remember offhand the hydrometer reading but it was in the bottling range and I thought it would make a pleasant chilled daytime wine for the summer and I had everything out already so went for it anyway.(plus I needed the fermentation bucket that I racked into to start cider in)
I racked off the lees into the bucket (thoroughly sterilised) and thoroughly de-gassed with a drill attachment. Then I put it back into the FV (washed and re-sterilised) and fined.
It sat for a week or so while I gathered up bottles and I bottled it last night.
Despite looking crystal clear in the FV and Syphon tube when I looked at the bottles it was actually still quite turbid. When I tasted it, it was watery with a faintly fruity flavour (like those horrible volvic touch of fruit bottled waters) and that slightly nasty flavour I remember most kit wines having when they haven't sat for a couple of months.
Highly disappointing to be honest. I'll leave the bottles stored for a few months and see if they clear or develop into something vaguely tasty. I should have syphoned off a test bottle first but I'm eager to get some gorse and dandelion wines on and I just got 400 sheep delivered yesterday from up the glen, which are going to have to go into the field with all the dandelions so just went for it.
I actually thought I stopped it a little early as it was a little too sweet tasting. I can't remember offhand the hydrometer reading but it was in the bottling range and I thought it would make a pleasant chilled daytime wine for the summer and I had everything out already so went for it anyway.(plus I needed the fermentation bucket that I racked into to start cider in)
I racked off the lees into the bucket (thoroughly sterilised) and thoroughly de-gassed with a drill attachment. Then I put it back into the FV (washed and re-sterilised) and fined.
It sat for a week or so while I gathered up bottles and I bottled it last night.
Despite looking crystal clear in the FV and Syphon tube when I looked at the bottles it was actually still quite turbid. When I tasted it, it was watery with a faintly fruity flavour (like those horrible volvic touch of fruit bottled waters) and that slightly nasty flavour I remember most kit wines having when they haven't sat for a couple of months.
Highly disappointing to be honest. I'll leave the bottles stored for a few months and see if they clear or develop into something vaguely tasty. I should have syphoned off a test bottle first but I'm eager to get some gorse and dandelion wines on and I just got 400 sheep delivered yesterday from up the glen, which are going to have to go into the field with all the dandelions so just went for it.
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