Spiced apple wine

[GliddosVinos]

Hi guys and gals ....

Just a quick question. I was thinking of a spiced apple wine and then i thought how do i do it in the best possible way.

For example if i was to add cinamon into it. Would it be better to use a cinnamon stick or to use the stuff you find in a jar near the herbs?

Also any one think of any nice spices to add?

 

[Frogfurlong]

Personally, I would go with sticks and whole spice pieces Popped it into a hopsock or small mesh bag so when it reached the right level of spice I can fish it out again.

Something like this http://www.burgonandball.com/shop/scrip ... roduct=296 Just an example, easy enough to make using a bit of net curtain too :)

 

[GliddosVinos]

Muslin bgs (excuse the spelling)i have some of them but no drawstring so i guess i just tie the top?
Now to decide the spices .... i reckon cloves and cinnamon sticks should work but would one over power the other? im thinking that cloves have a strong flavour?!

Maybe if i was to eave the wine in a primary and let the flavours infuse taking the cloves out after say 3 days and leaving the cinnamon in for 5 or so days to get the most from both?!

I guess at end of day i can modify the recipe till i find one that works from me but to do that i need a starting point lol

Thanks for the help :thumb:

 

[oldbloke]

Cloves are pretty strong - 2 per gallon, might get away with 3. More would be too much.

 

[GliddosVinos]

pretty much thinking 2 cloves and 2 cinnamon sticks ... ty for the advice ... i know cloves have a strong aroma but was not sure if they would part with the same amount of taste to the wine

 

[mcscruff]

I tried a spiced apple 1gallon with 2 cinamon sticks and 2 cloves in a mesh bag.. after the bubbles stopped i had a taste but couldnt taste any i might try more next time or the ground up stuff

 

[taxidiver]

Two weekends ago I noticed that our local 99p shop had 'Copella' brand winter warmer drink in the chiller. This is basically pressed apple juice with a splash of elderberry juice and a mixture of spices (clove, cinnamon, cassia, nutmeg, bay, allspice and juniper berry) I thought I might give it a go for next Christmas drinking. Went back to get some this weekend and found they had reduced it (short dated) to 49p, so I bought two 750ml bottles.
I stuck them in a DJ with a litre of cranberry juice, some nutrient, half a teaspoon of pectolase and 420gm dissolved granulated sugar bringing the total up to about 600gm. I started a Wilkinsons Chardonnay kit at the same time, so made up a starter bottle from the yeast supplied with the kit and split it between the DJs. The Winter Warmer took off like a rocket and smells just like warm mince pies. I topped it up last night with a litre of Libby's Apple C I had lying around, this had only 39gm sugar, so my total sugar is about 650gm in the gallon.
I'm looking forward to trying this next Christmas, if I can keep my hands off it until then.
:whistle:
Geoff

 

[Gayle]

The cinnamon stick can be suspended in the wine, on sanitised fishing line, so it can easily be taken out when you've got enough flavour, maybe the cloves too if it's not too fiddly to tie them on.

For my Fireball Mead I am making a cinnamon extract to add to it, this might be an option for adding to wine? You fill a small jar (a babyfood jar or similar would do), add a couple of cinnamon sticks (broken in half to fit if needed, cloves or star anise etc could be added too), fill up with vodka and leave in a dark place for a couple of months. I'll just add a bit at a time to the mead so I can check the flavour. I'm not sure how the added vodka will affect the taste or strength of apple wine, but for my Fireball Mead it will be all the better!