Dessert Wines

Dessert wines are very heavily bodied, sweet and high in alcohol. They are consumed  after a meal and the commercial equivalants are Port, Cream Sherry and Madeira.

USE NORMAL WINE MAKING EQUIPMENT UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE

Red Dessert Wine

Golden Dessert Wine

Ingredients

Ingredients

-2kg(4 lb) ripe blackberries -500g(1 lb) ripe black elderberries -1kg(2 lb) cooking apples -500g(1 lb) ripe bananas -250g (half lb) grape juice (port style) -1.5kg (3 lb)white sugar -4 litres (7 pints) water -half tsp tannin(use a little cold tea if you haven't any) -2 tsp citric acid (you can use lemon juice.) -pectin enzyme -1 tsp yeast nutrient -1 tsp/pkt port yeast. -2 Campden tablets.

-1kg(2 lb) old potatoes -1kg(2 lb) raisins -500g(1 lb) crushed or flaked malted wheat -500g(1 lb) cooking apples -2 large lemons and 1 Seville orange -1kg (2 lb) brown sugar -4 litres (7 pints) water -pectin enzyme -1 tsp yeast nutrient -1 tsp/pkt cereal yeast. -1 tsp/pkt Madiera yeast. -2 Campden tablets.

Method

Method

-Sterilise all equipment and rinse well. -Dissolve pectin enzyme, acid and 1 campden tablet in the water in your sterilised fermenter. -Peel, stone, chop and mash fruit and add to fermenter. -Cover and leave for 24 hours. -Add grape juice, tannin, activated yeast, nutrient, and ferment, keeping the solids submerged for 5 days. -After 5 days, strain out and press fruit, add half the sugar and pour into clean glass secondary fermenter. -Fit airlock and ferment for 10 days. -After, add half the remaining sugar and ferment 5 days longer. -Then, add the rest of the sugar and ferment to dryness. -Move the glass fermenter to a cool place for 2 days. -Rack into a clean glass fermenter and top up with excess wine, add one campden tablet and bung tight, store until the wine is bright. -Rack again and age for at least 2 years then bottle and keep it for a further 6 months at least. THIS RECIPE CAN BE USED WITH OTHER BERRIES IN THE SAME WAY. ALWAYS AGE DESSERT WINES FOR AT LEAST 2-3 YEARS.

-Sterilise all equipment and rinse well. -Peel, stone, chop and mash fruit and add to fermenter. Pour over the water, boiling -When cool add pectin enzyme and one crushed campden tablet. -Cover and leave for 24 hours. -Add activated cereal yeast, and ferment, keeping the solids submerged for 5 days. -After 5 days, strain out and press fruit, add half the sugar, the Madiera yeast and nutrient and pour into clean glass secondary fermenter. -Fit airlock and ferment for 10 days. -After, add half the remaining sugar and ferment 5 days longer. -Then, add the rest of the sugar and ferment to dryness. -Move the glass fermenter to a cool place for 2 days .-Add sugar until the SG reaches 1.020 -Rack into a clean glass fermenter and top up with excess wine, add one campden tablet and bung tight, store until the wine is bright. -Rack again and age for at least 2 years then bottle and keep it for a further year at least. ALWAYS AGE THIS DESSERT WINE FOR AT LEAST 3 YEARS.

PORT

-Choose any wine reicpe. -Ferment until the SG is 1.045 -Rack and add five parts of wine to three parts brandy or vodka in a bottle or glass fermenter. -Seal tight, leaving a slightly larger airspace than usual and age for 1 year. -After that year, taste it, it is ready when it tastes nice and smooth.

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