YeastLord
Junior Member
I know I know....its a bit Niles and Frasier but I have to admit I like sherry/port etc so thought I would try a homebrew approximation. The basic recipe which I have adapted is from a thread here and I will copy it onto the end of this post.
I used two 350g packs of Whitworths blocked dates (emailed Whitworths who say there is definitely no preservtisves used on them.) Chopped up.
3.5lb sugar.
1l Sunsweet prune juice (100% natural with no additives).
VinClasse sherry yeast.
Started this today so right now the dates and raisins are steeping in 4pts of boiling water.
I'm hoping for a full-on dark fruit beastie. Must remember to take the initial SG before the yeast goes in tomorrow.
Here is the basic recipe I mentioned above.
1kg Stoned Dates
500g raisins
1.5kg sugar
High Alcohol yeast
Pectolase
Yeast Nutrient
This wine is a medium to sweet wine, a rather old fashioned sort of wine that your granny used to make!
It's closer to a sweet sherry than anything else!
Chop up the figs and raisins and put into a clean food grade bucket.
Pour 4 pints of boiling water(two kettles full is about right) over the fruit and add the sugar.
Leave overnight covered with a clean cloth
Next day add the rest of ingredients and 2 pints of cold water.
It should start bubbling within 24 hours.
Stir and mash about a couple of times a day
After 5 days strain off, use a coarse straining bag that you can buy off us. Or, improvise if you must with muslin or the net curtains.
Put into a clean demi john and fill to the shoulders with cold water.Fit an airlock and leave to ferment out at room temperature.
This may take a few days or a couple of weeks depending on the temperature.
When the bubbles stop coming through the airlock, or slow down to about one every 2 minutes test the wine.
You can use a hydrometer or just taste it, if you like the taste go on to the next step. If you think it's too sweet, hard luck because we warned you before you started! If too dry you could add more sugar and go for even more alcohol. Just add 50grams of sugar at a time until it really stops fermenting. But you won'tusually get much more in!
Add 1 campden tablet and potassium sorbate.
Leave to clear.
When clear, syphon into a clean demi john or bottle.
If it's too dry you can sweeten with sugar but keep a check that it doesn't start fermenting again. Leave it a couple of
weeks then add a campden before bottling.
I used two 350g packs of Whitworths blocked dates (emailed Whitworths who say there is definitely no preservtisves used on them.) Chopped up.
3.5lb sugar.
1l Sunsweet prune juice (100% natural with no additives).
VinClasse sherry yeast.
Started this today so right now the dates and raisins are steeping in 4pts of boiling water.
I'm hoping for a full-on dark fruit beastie. Must remember to take the initial SG before the yeast goes in tomorrow.
Here is the basic recipe I mentioned above.
1kg Stoned Dates
500g raisins
1.5kg sugar
High Alcohol yeast
Pectolase
Yeast Nutrient
This wine is a medium to sweet wine, a rather old fashioned sort of wine that your granny used to make!
It's closer to a sweet sherry than anything else!
Chop up the figs and raisins and put into a clean food grade bucket.
Pour 4 pints of boiling water(two kettles full is about right) over the fruit and add the sugar.
Leave overnight covered with a clean cloth
Next day add the rest of ingredients and 2 pints of cold water.
It should start bubbling within 24 hours.
Stir and mash about a couple of times a day
After 5 days strain off, use a coarse straining bag that you can buy off us. Or, improvise if you must with muslin or the net curtains.
Put into a clean demi john and fill to the shoulders with cold water.Fit an airlock and leave to ferment out at room temperature.
This may take a few days or a couple of weeks depending on the temperature.
When the bubbles stop coming through the airlock, or slow down to about one every 2 minutes test the wine.
You can use a hydrometer or just taste it, if you like the taste go on to the next step. If you think it's too sweet, hard luck because we warned you before you started! If too dry you could add more sugar and go for even more alcohol. Just add 50grams of sugar at a time until it really stops fermenting. But you won'tusually get much more in!
Add 1 campden tablet and potassium sorbate.
Leave to clear.
When clear, syphon into a clean demi john or bottle.
If it's too dry you can sweeten with sugar but keep a check that it doesn't start fermenting again. Leave it a couple of
weeks then add a campden before bottling.
