leftovers red wine project

[tonyhibbett]

There will soon be a slot in the production line once the Muntons sauvignon blanc has cleared. In a senior moment I ordered a winebuddy cabernet sauvignon instead of sauvignon blanc. I tried to improve one of these before, but there is scope for further improvement, or at least experimentation. Effectively a winebuddy is 20% grape, lots of sugar and a flavouring pack. It's ok for whites but hopeless for reds. I have some leftover youngs red compound, 2 tins of black cherries, 2 bottles of azda shiraz cordial concentrate and a bottle Polish cherry fruit syrup plus loads of dried elderberries, some brewing sugar and elderberry flavoured oak chips. In the freezer, there are 2 packs of fruits of the forest while outside there's 10 litres of 'Aqua Pura' bottled water. A potentially interesting brew awaits. All this stuff has to be used up, so nothing to lose!

 

[Brewtrog]

I've never had any problems with winebuddy reds, certainly not for the price, then again I was mainly brewing them at uni to last the 10 week terms

 

[tonyhibbett]

For as little as an extra £10, you can get a kit with at least 3 times as much grape juice, including genuine cabernet sauvignon, 12% alcohol, deep colour, full body and authentic flavour.
The whites are perfectly acceptable.

 

[IPA]

There will soon be a slot in the production line once the Muntons sauvignon blanc has cleared. In a senior moment I ordered a winebuddy cabernet sauvignon instead of sauvignon blanc. I tried to improve one of these before, but there is scope for further improvement, or at least experimentation. Effectively a winebuddy is 20% grape, lots of sugar and a flavouring pack. It's ok for whites but hopeless for reds. I have some leftover youngs red compound, 2 tins of black cherries, 2 bottles of azda shiraz cordial concentrate and a bottle Polish cherry fruit syrup plus loads of dried elderberries, some brewing sugar and elderberry flavoured oak chips. In the freezer, there are 2 packs of fruits of the forest while outside there's 10 litres of 'Aqua Pura' bottled water. A potentially interesting brew awaits. All this stuff has to be used up, so nothing to lose!

You could buy yourself a Vinaigrier and have vinegar on tap.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Apparently very good for reducing cholesterol!

 

[tonyhibbett]

OK, this is going to be a bit complex.
1: pasteurise the leftover gjc as it got a bit mouldy
2: extract the stones from the tinned cherries
3: neutralise the preservative in the cherry syrup
4: decide on the amount of and process the dried elderberries
5: neutralise the alkaline tap water
6: calculate the amount of sugar which may be needed
7: assess the acidity and adjust if needed
8: consider bananas
9: question my sanity

 

[tonyhibbett]

So far:
Pour boiling water onto leftover gjc.
Add 250 g dried elderberries and cherry syrup, bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Mash 2 tins of black cherries.
Pour all into bin and add 1 kg brewing sugar, 2 kg granulated sugar, 1 bottle of Azda shiraz cordial, 5 litres of bottled water, top up with tap water, add sachet of bentonite, 5 teaspoons of pectolase, 2 teaspoons of tannin, 4 teaspoons of tartaric acid, 30 g of supplied oak chips and the supplied yeast/nutrient pack. SG 1085. PH 3.3. Cherry flavour dominates at this point.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Fermenting well. The prominent cherry flavour has receded and the acidity has dropped dramatically, with the pH changing from 3.3 to 3.9 overnight, which is very strange. I added another bottle of the shiraz cordial raising the sg to 1090, which should give me 12% abv. I also added a pack of frozen blackberries, thawed and mashed.

 

[bobsbeer]

pH changing from 3.3 to 3.9 overnight

Very strange indeed. You must have something alkaline in there to neutralise the acidity that much. Although you did start quite high at 3.3, but maybe it was a good job you did.

 

[tonyhibbett]

This is the first time I have monitored that closely, and it is a fact that the observer has an effect upon the observed! Maybe this just happens anyway. In the past 12 hours, it has dropped back to 3.8. According to tests quoted above, this in itself is quite radical, in terms of total acidity.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Fermentation now intense and the pH has shifted to 3.5. All very strange.

 

[bobsbeer]

I must admit I've never monitored the ph through the fermentation. I take an initial reading and never bother testing the finished brew. I might give that a go to see what has happened. I usually try to get a starting ph of about 3.4-3.5. Adjusting with tartaric acid if required, as it usually low.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Yes, one might expect any change to be in 1 direction. I have strained out the solids and the pH is now 3.4. This compares with a commercial red, 3.6. All of the added fruit and concentrates contain citric acid, which tends to diminish during fermentation, so I guess I am on the right track.
Fermentation is very rapid. I took a hydrometer reading immediately after straining which read 1080, but then realised there were lots of suspended solids, so I let it settle and tried again. 1050!

 

[tonyhibbett]

Clearly this will not be a 7 day wine. After 6 days the sg is 1000. The elderberry flavour has come to the forefront and I must confess, I don't like it. The pH has shifted to 3.2, which rather blows my theory about citric acid diminishing, or maybe not. Titration indicated that the total acid is quite low, 4.5 as tartaric. The added fruit content has done little to deepen the colour but must have boosted the body. So far, I would suggest that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, so best to stick with mid-range or higher kits for reds.
Conversely I find the Muntons premium sauvignon blanc, while quite pleasant, is not as nice as the Winebuddy version, which suggests that 'fake' white wine can have a lot going for it!

 

[tonyhibbett]

Day 7 and the sg is stuck at 1000 for 2 days. Time to rack, stabilise, add the flavouring pack and finings. Final pH 3.4, which is quite acceptable and the elderberry flavour has receded into the background. It doesn't taste like cabernet sauvignon, but that's no surprise. However, colour and body significantly enhanced.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Actually, it would have been a 7 day process if I hadn't waited an extra day, hoping the sg would drop further. It didn't because I had used some Youngs Definitive medium wine compound. It is medium because it contains glucose syrup with a high proportion of non-fermentable sugar. This is a relic from the days when Brits generally preferred wine on the sweet side, like hock. There may also have been non-fermentable sugars in the bottles of cordial too.
I have 1 pack of Winebuddy cab sauv left, plus 1.5 kg dried elderberries, which combined with a kilo of bananas and sugar should make 3 gallons of chianti style.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Racked and transferred to the oaked polypin, with extra 2 teaspoons of tannin. I can drink it, but not something to be proud of. Substantially, it is no better than the original design, a pale red, insipid and vaguely sweet. Quite frankly, rubbish.