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Downsizer Forum Index -> Recipes, Preserving, Homebrewing

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sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 04 2:29 pm Post subject:
Thinking of grim northern places to grow grapes, isn't there evidence that the Romans planted vines up by Hadrian's wall?

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 04 2:41 pm Post subject:
During a warmer climatic period, yes, there's good evidence that grapes have been grown for wine that far North. And watch where you're calling grim

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 04 2:45 pm Post subject:
I believe that you have migrated south to Cambridge. Which I regard as grim anyway, though that's to do with unpleasant associations with work.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Nov 25, 04 3:54 pm Post subject:
You can diss Cambridge all you like. Any town where you can't buy a screwdriver or a hammer anywhere near the middle of deserves all it gets. But Gateshead is a different matter...

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28110
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 3:58 pm Post subject:
Thought I'd revisit this one: Clearing: 5 gallons beaverdale Vieux Chateau Du Roi 6 Gallons elderberry Port Fermenting 5 Gallons beaverdale Cabernet Soavignon 10 Gallons dried Elderberry boil extraction method. 5 Gallons on the pulp. 5 Gallons Orange Blossom 2.5 Gallons Carrot whiskey. Ferments seem to have survived the cold snap fairly well.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 9:39 pm Post subject:
What is on the pulp?

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28110
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 10:02 pm Post subject:

alison wrote:

What is on the pulp?

I am proably misusing the term, but when I normally do elderberry I normally just end up with juice in the fementer extracted with boiling water. This time I am fermenting in a bucket with all the fruit for about a week. This will I think extract more tannin and flavour, but lead to a wine that cannot be drunk so young.

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 3:25 pm Post subject:
What's an easy one for a novice to start off with? I have all the equipment in the cellar but it's never been a great success in the past. I could never find the right spot to keep it but I think I have now.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28110
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 3:59 pm Post subject:

moggins wrote:

What's an easy one for a novice to start off with? I have all the equipment in the cellar but it's never been a great success in the past. I could never find the right spot to keep it but I think I have now.

Tricky question that. I am still doing and would recommend you do a 5 gallon batch of a Beaverdale red. works out about £1.20 a bottle.

Now this sort of kit is not exactly in the downsizer tradition. But it does give you an almost instant cellar, and will convince you of the potential for good quality home wine.

Where you go from there is up to your desires and imagination, I have a carrot whiskey and an orange blossom on the go, but in the main I am being dead boring and i'm throwing on varying batches of elderberry, obviously dired fruit at this time of year.

Elderberry makes a damn good red wine, and can be done in various ways for a quick drinker or a wine with a lot of potential to mature. You are also very very unlikely in my experience to produce a bad elderberry wine.

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 4:11 pm Post subject:
jema is the Beaverdale a kit? I've never seen kits for sale lately, where did you buy it from? Elderberries I have no shortage of In the summer I would be hard pushed to find a use for all that I can find, there is only so much chutney a family can use.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28110
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 5:31 pm Post subject:

moggins wrote:

jema is the Beaverdale a kit? I've never seen kits for sale lately, where did you buy it from?

Elderberries I have no shortage of

In the summer I would be hard pushed to find a use for all that I can find, there is only so much chutney a family can use.

I get mine from

https://www.arkwrightshomebrew.com/

You can get far cheaper kits. But Beaverdale results are rather good.

We had an abundance of Elderberries in the summer which was what drew me back into the wine making game after a long absence.

I am looking forward to have the dried ones turn out though, as even with an abundance, the picking and especially the stripping is quite a long chore.

Blacksmith

Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 5025
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 5:48 pm Post subject:
All sounds good My first year( after a long lay off) 1 gal. Barley. 2 gals Apple 1 gal sloe(dried) 2 gals carrot. Bottled some elderberry i found in a couple of demi johns, about 3 years old tasted a little sweet........see if it improves with a few more years Arkwrights is a great site, i couldn't find a telephone number for them on it though ? Dave

mrsnesbitt

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1576

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 5:48 pm Post subject:
moggins if you are keen to start winemaking pm me and you can have a load of gear we could find somewhere between us to meet up. Dx

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28110
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 5:52 pm Post subject:

Blacksmith wrote:

All sounds good

My first year( after a long lay off)
1 gal. Barley.
2 gals Apple
1 gal sloe(dried)
2 gals carrot.
Bottled some elderberry i found in a couple of demi johns, about 3 years old

tasted a little sweet........see if it improves with a few more years

Arkwrights is a great site, i couldn't find a telephone number for them on it though ?
Dave

Under how to find us,

Arkwrights Homebrew
114 The Dormers
Highworth
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN6 7PE

Tel: 01793 765071

The owner is Ken, and he is very friendly.

Blacksmith

Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 5025
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 6:01 pm Post subject:
Ta , never thought of looking there

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