There
are so many plums available at this time of year it's a crime not to
make some effort to use as many as possible. Besides strong arming the
family to take as many as possible and freezing loads for the winter,
making plum wine and plum jam are quick and easy ways to gain from all
that fruity goodness.
Here's
the recipe for plum wine. No chemicals are used, just all natural
ingredients other than Milton baby liquid to sterilise equipment. A
great Summer wine to make... if you fancy making an Autumn wine try my apple wine easy recipe, or for Spring my dandelion wine easy recipe.
Besides
the desire to not waste a single plum, I started making this wine
because I was fed up trying to find wine in the shops that didn't have
the 'contains sulphites' message hidden away on the back label. Sulphites can cause allergies and a headache.
The
instructions below are to make one gallon of wine, which will give you
about six bottles. If you can make a batch of five gallons even
better... it's simpler to make large batches of wine since it's easier
to bottle without disturbing the sediment. Just multiply the ingredients
by five apart from the wine, for which you should follow the
instructions on the container.
The
cost of equipment is pretty low... about £35 if you acquire the wine
bottles by saving from bought white wine. Thereafter your only cost is
for sugar, lemons and some wine yeast... so having made the initial
investment in equipment, typically you're enjoying rather nice, strong
wine with no sulphite content for well under 50p a bottle! Why wouldn't
you want to do it?
Equipment needed
Something for stirring the contents
Large strainer
Long clear plastic tubing (available from DIY stores)
Funnel
A 1 gallon demijohn (cheaper if you buy several)
6 wine bottles (ideally clear glass)
Ingredients needed
5lbs (2.25 kilos) of healthy plums
3lbs (1.35 kilos) of sugar
1 gallon of water
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Wine yeast
Method
1. Sterilise the fermentation barrel and lid using the Milton liquid.
2. Wash the plums, cut in half and remove the stones.
3. Place in fermentation barrel
4. Bring water to boil and pour in fermentation barrel.
5. Put the lid on and leave for four days, stirring twice daily.
6. Add the sugar and stir vigorously to dissolve.
7. Add lemon juice and wine yeast and put the lid on. and stir twice daily for five days.
8.
Store somewhere warm. After a few hours you'll notice something
starting to happen... there'll be a froth on the surface as the yeast
starts to ferment, turning the sugar into alcohol. Stir the contents
twice a day.
9.
After five days transfer the liquid to the demijohn using the plastic
tubing and funnel. Make sure all the equipment has been sterilised with
Milton liquid.
11.
Avoiding disturbing any sediment, place the fermentation barrel at a
higher level than the demijohn (e.g. put the barrel on a table and the
demijohn on the floor), put one end of the plastic tubing in the barrel,
and having placed the funnel in the neck of the demijohn give the other
end of the tubing a strong suck to pull some of the wine in the tube up
and over the edge of the barrel. Quickly remove your mouth and put the
tube end into the funnel. The wine should start to drain.
11.
Stop removing liquid when you get close to the bottom so you transfer
as little of the sediment as possible. Once all the liquid is in the
demijohn top up with water to bring to a gallon. Seal with the rubber
bung and airlock, having put a small amount of diluted Milton liquid in
the airlock.
12.
You can now store the wine for months somewhere cool and frost free. At
first the fermentation may start up again and you'll see bubbles going
through the airlock. Gradually the wine will clear.
13.
Once fully clear repeat the draining process, this time from the
demijohn to sterilised wine bottles. Put a stopper in each bottle and
store.
14. The wine will be ready to drink after twelve months.
10:16 AM |
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