Variations of WOW!

[Moley]

Is this slightly hazy or properly cloudy? If you stand a newspaper behind it can you read headlines, sub-heads, any of the body copy at all?

I'm curious why your pectolase tub says 2 tsps, are they wanting you to use it up faster or selling you double the filler and half the active ingredient?

I would suggest another dose of pectolase, another dose of finings a few days later, and try to leave it in a cool place.




Premium Dave: It's Wurzel's Orange Wine, there's a beginner's guide in the winemaking How To section and the main topic should be easy to find in Recipes

 

[Premium Dave]

Thanks Moley.

 

[bluebell]

First classic WOW just finishing fermenting and whilst Im waiting for the weather to perk up so I feel like straberry picking I have snuck in a variant or WOW with red grape and orange. Certainly hope I like this stuff (hell its alcohol whats not to like?) :hmm: My kitchen wouldnt be the same now without something bubbling to watch in my idle moments

 

[Banksy]

Thanks Moley!

Yeah, the pectolase does say 2 teaspoons per 4.5ltr, and contains both pectin enzyme and glucose. Why would it contain glucose? Seems to me like they have diluted by half the quantity of pectin enzyme. Presumably the enzyme is more expensive to produce than glucose. I guess they sucked me in with the good value bigger tub, then make me use double the quantity. Interesting, and annoying too.

I just had to shake up my first WOW after waiting a whole week for it to settle. i might add another tsp into each of my other brews too.

Just tasting my first EVER home made wine. Its a Solomon Grundy seven day wine kit 'Medium Dry Red'. Tastes a bit funky. It has been maturing for about 2 weeks, so probably needs a bit longer. Can I expect better if I leave it a while longer, and also better from the WOW?

Thanks again...

 

[Moley]

Yeah, the pectolase does say 2 teaspoons per 4.5ltr, and contains both pectin enzyme and glucose.

Now hang on a minute before we start casting nasturtiums in Ritchies' direction, my Vinova pectolase (£1.60 for 80g from the bloke on Blackheath market) is also bulked out with glucose and also says 2 tsps per gallon to clear pectin haze.

For extraction of juice it says to use 1 tsp per 1.8kg (4 lbs) of fruit.

This is how I've always understood it, 1 tsp preventative, 2 tsps remedial.

By comparison, my LHBS (Harris Homebrew) don't sell pectolase but only their own pectic enzyme which was 50p (last time I looked) for a sachet which seems to contain very little, will treat up to 5 gallons worth of fruit but carries no bulking agent.

Just tasting my first EVER home made wine. Its a Solomon Grundy seven day wine kit 'Medium Dry Red'. Tastes a bit funky. It has been maturing for about 2 weeks, so probably needs a bit longer. Can I expect better if I leave it a while longer, and also better from the WOW?

You can certainly expect better from the WOW, a month in the bottle makes a big difference. I can't comment on the Solomon Grundy because I've never made up any “7 day” kit as (IMHO) that's a complete and utter load of cobblers.

If it compares favourably with the cheapest you can find in the local supermarket, you're onto a winner.

 

[Banksy]

Actually, it's starting to grow on me, but it has a rather unusual smell. I'm trying to place it...

It's a slightly sichy fruity smell. Tastes ok though.

I can't wait to start tucking into the WOW. Pectolase in and working overtime.

Thanks for the help Moley. You're a star.

 

[bigred]

I think it was a Solomon Grundy 7 day kit I did as my second batch. I ignored the 7 days bit, think it took 3 weeks before I bottled it, but it tasted quite good. After 6 weeks it tasted a lot better, but I was down to my last litre from 20 by then

I find with WOW that it definitely improves daily for the first 2 weeks and tastes really good at 6 weeks, by which time I'm at the end of my batch In fact it tastes better after each glass, but there may be other factors creeping in there .

I really must buy another FV and see if I can keep something for 2+ months.

 

[Ken L]

I still like my 7654321 variation (do a search) and it's still converying people from kits.

 

[Banksy]

Thanks for the tip. I'll try that one next.

 

[bluebell]

just racked off my first WOW and whilst still slightly fizzy and harsh it is showing promise, very dry at 1090 but I will address that when I come to bottling in a few weeks. Not sure it has much flavour to be honest but that may improve when some of the harshness goes?

 

[ohbeary]

Hi Guys, just read through this lot and have to agree with Uncle Mole all correct but a more complex wow type can work wonders, combinations of juices produce better flavours as I have found initialy by accident/impatience , I am currently drinking a 16 day old wine!! :shock: it tastes better than many I have paid good money for!, this is it at no charge for my time and effort drinking various combinations until I luckily tried this combination

10 lt RGJ
8lb sugar
30 elderflower heads
pectolase..norm
nutrient....norm
2 1/2 tsp tartaric acid
champagne yeast

make starter, scald flowers, add 1gal water, add RGJ, pect, nutr, starter, top up to 25lt, make soon before last Elderflower is gone
(25lt very good rose' in 16 days!)

I will only be making this type of Elderflower next year, hopefully 100lt :grin:

 

[Moley]

Interesting recipe OB, but you're only working to an OG around 1.075 ?

 

[billmcc]

Premium Dave See the how to guide for How to make your first Wurzel's Orange Wine
cheers :

 

[Banksy]

Right, two things regarding my first batch of WOW:

Firstly, it is still cloudy. I think I may have read that some juices just never clear. If so, is a combination of Princes Orange Juice an Tesco Pure White Grape Juice one of these.

Secondy, after adding Kwikcle the bung keeps popping out of the DJ. THis has happened 3 times. At first I thought my wife was playing silly buggers [never mess with a mans wine], but she's not here and it has happened again. I can put on an air-lock to prevent it, but it may have been off all night. I hope it's ok

Any thoughts on the above would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Moley]

NEVER bung a DJ unless you're absolutely 110% definitely positive that the wine is completely stable!

Yours obviously isn't and you're lucky the jar hasn't burst. That would also account for why it's not clearing properly.

I've never had any juice combination which hasn't cleared either with patience or finings, but have occasionally encountered problems with some country wines, notably any of the plum family.

 

[Banksy]

Aaaaah! WOW not stable...

I'm pretty sure I followed all the instructions properly up to this point.

Thanks.

 

[Damsonite]

If I hadn't already laid down quite a few gallons of orange wine I'd have a go at this WOW stuff - have to admit it sounds a damned site easier and sounds wonderful!

Just to say though that Passion Fruit in the past I found to be without doubt one of the most uninteresting and in fact decidedly weird wines that I ever made, and it did seem to have a mildly antiseptic and unpleasant back-taste of excess 'stuff' - probably because I also used the cartons of juice from a supermarket shelf. Maybe using fresh fruit might make a big difference but I've not tried finding out. If your passion fruit turns out as weird as mine did, don't despair as you can still use it for blending later (works well with tea wine) but in making it in the first place instead of making WOW you're probably making WTF... :rofl:

Back on to the oranges, I recently had a particularly stubborn gallon of orange that simply refused to clear. Lees dropped without problem but the cloudy nature persisted. That is, until on recommendation I used Isinglass. It's very tricky stuff to use in itself but with a little patience it'll clear the stubbornest orange wine within a couple of days to glorious clarity. I'd therefore recommend the stuff even though I prefer not to use finings, but I'll also warn that you'll be cursing the damned stuff as you try to rack off it afterwards!

 

[Banksy]

I have just tasted my first batch of WOW and...

OMG it tastes really nice. I am absolutely amazed! AMAZED!!

Right! I need to make more of this stuff. To make it in 5 gallon batches do I simply multiply by 5, or something a little different?

Also, to make a Rose version I have tried using RGJ, plus I added a bit of Ribena. We will see how that turns out, but does anybody have any tried and tested Rose versions of WOW?

Thanks for all the help and advice getting me thus far. :thumb:

Also, Moley, I left the WOW in the coolest place in the house (like you said) and it has cleared nicely. I think the conservatory was too warm. The pressure build up was ever so slight. I didn't stabalise it :hmm: , but I will do next time.

 

[Mr.Everready]

Banksy, I don't stabilise mine either, I let it ferment out to very dry .985 - .990 ( how low can it actually go ? ) As far as Im aware you only need to stabilise if you want it a bit sweeter. It stops it fermenting any more.

As for the 5 gallon batches, I asked the same thing a few weeks ago. Everyting is x5 except the yeast, I put in 2 tea spoons worth.

As for the variations, I've made a Mango using a 1.5l carton, thats about 16% The wife has half a glass just incase !!! I also done a 5 Alive version, that's very nice too. :thumb:

 

[Banksy]

Thanks for the advice Mr Everready. I will put 5 gallons on tomorrow. I am very excided :