How many wine makers do we have here?

[kuntrygirl]

Wine Making Recipes

http://www.wine-making-guides.com/wine_recipes.html

 

[outlander]

Not a winemaker yet...but I do make my own fruit vinegars. My spouse has 14 years of sobriety, so any wine I make will go directly into my own gullet. Or my neighbor's gullets.

This is a good thread and I'm gleaning a lot of good tips for my future winemaking adventures.

Hope y'all don't mind a vinegar maker lurking about

 

[Totalcolour]

Hope y'all don't mind a vinegar maker lurking about

Hope you enjoy the hobby!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Not a winemaker yet...but I do make my own fruit vinegars. My spouse has 14 years of sobriety, so any wine I make will go directly into my own gullet. Or my neighbor's gullets.

This is a good thread and I'm gleaning a lot of good tips for my future winemaking adventures.

Hope y'all don't mind a vinegar maker lurking about

Welcome to the thread? Can you tell us more about fruit vinegars? I have never heard of fruit vinegars and would love to hear and learn more. Please take us from start to finish. That sounds fun!

 

[outlander]

Garsh...sure! I'll describe how I make apple scrap vinegar.

I save the cores and peels from whatever apple project I've got going on. You can store your scraps in the fridge if necessary to save up a bunch. It's perfectly okay if they turn brown...but no mold! Don't freeze them, that will kill off the natural yeast - which is what you want.

When you think you've saved up enough (the amount depends on how big your fermenting container is), plop all your scraps into a glass or glazed stoneware container. Dissolve 1/4 cup granulated sugar in 2 quarts of de-chlorinated water (set water out overnight, the chlorine will gas out). Pour this water over your scraps until the whole mass floats a couple inches from the bottom of the container. Depending on the size of the batch, you may need more than 2 quarts of water...be sure to de-chlorinate more than you'll think you'll need.

Cover the container with a tight weave - yet breathable - material, and secure with a tight fitting rubber band. I prefer bandanas. No matter how many layers of cheesecloth I use the fruit/vinegar flies always manage to find their way in. Set the container in a dark place at ambient room temperature above 65 degrees but no warmer than 90 degrees. A pantry or closet is perfect.

I let it sit for at least a week, undisturbed. Some folks say to stir it every day...I've never had to. It does it's thing without my interference. After a week, put your nose close and take a good whiff. Vinegary? That's good. Let it sit up to another week or as long as you can stand it.

Using non metal utensils, dip out or strain away the fermented scraps. Don't feed 'em to the chickens! Ever seen drunk birds? Amusing yes, but not good for them. Compost the scraps...maybe you'll see a hungover raccoon in the morning.

The liquid in the container should now smell sharply of vinegar, and may be quite thick and syrupy. It will thin out as it ages. Re-fasten the cloth cover and let it sit for several weeks. At least six. You can do it.

Feel free to check on it periodically, but don't stir or slosh the liquid around. Eventually a soft white mat will form on top...this is the Mother. She doesn't like to be disturbed...shhhhh!!

After waiting several weeks, give it a taste. If it's to your liking then you can go on to bottling. If it's not to your liking, wait some more and taste once a week until satisfied.

I prefer unfiltered, un pasteurized vinegar...so I mix in the Mother and bottle it up. Sometimes I will use a glug or two of bottled vinegar to jump start the next batch if the fruit of origin matches. If you desire, you can use cheesecloth to strain the vinegar and pasteurize on your stovetop...a good idea for gift giving if you think Aunt Myrtle will get the willies from a bottle of suspiciously cloudy liquid with stringy floaty things in it.

I've used this method with apples, pears and peaches. Tomatoes are on my to do list. Enjoy!!

 

[Totalcolour]

VINEGAR AND WINE DO NOT MIX WELL.
​

If anyone plans on making vinegar, you need to do it really far away from your winemaking so you don't end up with a huge batch of wine vinegar!

Acetobacter

Acetobacter is a genus of acetic acid bacteria characterized by the ability to convert ethanol to acetic acid in the presence of oxygen. There are several species within this genus, and there are other bacteria capable of forming acetic acid under various conditions; but all of the Acetobacter are known by this characteristic ability.
Acetobacter are of particular importance commercially, because they are used in the production of vinegar (intentionally converting the ethanol in the wine to acetic acid), and they can destroy wine which they infect by producing excessive amounts of acetic acid or ethyl acetate, both of which can render the wine unpalatable. Acetobacter are also used to intentionally acidify beer during long maturation periods in the production of traditional Flemish Sour Ales.
The growth of Acetobacter in wine can be suppressed through effective sanitation, by complete exclusion of air from wine in storage, and by the use of moderate amounts of sulfur dioxide in the wine as a preservative. Acetobacter can be easily distinguished in the laboratory by the growth of colonies on a medium containing about 7% ethanol, and enough calcium carbonate to render it partially opaque. When Acetobacter colonies form enough acetic acid from the ethanol, the calcium carbonate around the colonies dissolves, forming a very distinct clear zone.

 

[outlander]

Thank you, totalcolour, for pointing out this very important consideration!!

Definitely keep your wines and beers away from any fermenting vinegar, kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, etc.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Garsh...sure! I'll describe how I make apple scrap vinegar.

I save the cores and peels from whatever apple project I've got going on. You can store your scraps in the fridge if necessary to save up a bunch. It's perfectly okay if they turn brown...but no mold! Don't freeze them, that will kill off the natural yeast - which is what you want.

When you think you've saved up enough (the amount depends on how big your fermenting container is), plop all your scraps into a glass or glazed stoneware container. Dissolve 1/4 cup granulated sugar in 2 quarts of de-chlorinated water (set water out overnight, the chlorine will gas out). Pour this water over your scraps until the whole mass floats a couple inches from the bottom of the container. Depending on the size of the batch, you may need more than 2 quarts of water...be sure to de-chlorinate more than you'll think you'll need.

Cover the container with a tight weave - yet breathable - material, and secure with a tight fitting rubber band. I prefer bandanas. No matter how many layers of cheesecloth I use the fruit/vinegar flies always manage to find their way in. Set the container in a dark place at ambient room temperature above 65 degrees but no warmer than 90 degrees. A pantry or closet is perfect.

I let it sit for at least a week, undisturbed. Some folks say to stir it every day...I've never had to. It does it's thing without my interference. After a week, put your nose close and take a good whiff. Vinegary? That's good. Let it sit up to another week or as long as you can stand it.

Using non metal utensils, dip out or strain away the fermented scraps. Don't feed 'em to the chickens! Ever seen drunk birds? Amusing yes, but not good for them. Compost the scraps...maybe you'll see a hungover raccoon in the morning.

The liquid in the container should now smell sharply of vinegar, and may be quite thick and syrupy. It will thin out as it ages. Re-fasten the cloth cover and let it sit for several weeks. At least six. You can do it.

Feel free to check on it periodically, but don't stir or slosh the liquid around. Eventually a soft white mat will form on top...this is the Mother. She doesn't like to be disturbed...shhhhh!!

After waiting several weeks, give it a taste. If it's to your liking then you can go on to bottling. If it's not to your liking, wait some more and taste once a week until satisfied.

I prefer unfiltered, un pasteurized vinegar...so I mix in the Mother and bottle it up. Sometimes I will use a glug or two of bottled vinegar to jump start the next batch if the fruit of origin matches. If you desire, you can use cheesecloth to strain the vinegar and pasteurize on your stovetop...a good idea for gift giving if you think Aunt Myrtle will get the willies from a bottle of suspiciously cloudy liquid with stringy floaty things in it.

I've used this method with apples, pears and peaches. Tomatoes are on my to do list. Enjoy!!

WOW !!!!!!!!

I would love to try to do that. That looks like fun!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for taking the time to type this tutorial. Much appreciated.

So, let me ask this crazy question. Is there a difference in the taste when you use different fruit?

 

[outlander]

Yes, there are subtle differences in taste depending on which fruit or combination of fruits you use. For example, you could do a blindfolded tasting of hard apple cider vs perry cider and easily be able to tell which one was made from pears. Some vinegar connoisseurs can pick out nuances from individual types of apples!! I'm definitely not THAT advanced, I usually use whatever fruit is in season and locally available.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Yes, there are subtle differences in taste depending on which fruit or combination of fruits you use. For example, you could do a blindfolded tasting of hard apple cider vs perry cider and easily be able to tell which one was made from pears. Some vinegar connoisseurs can pick out nuances from individual types of apples!! I'm definitely not THAT advanced, I usually use whatever fruit is in season and locally available.

So you use your vinegars to put on your salads? What else do you use them for?