Wine Making: Loquat (Japanese Plum) Zinfandel Recipe

One of my favorite fruits to eat straight off the tree’s as a kid was Loquats (aka Japanese Plums). I used it as inspiration in this wine blend.

This wine has an amazingly fragrant aroma a beautiful color. It already taste sooo good, but needs a little more aging  because it’s really strong (16% Alc Vol).

Loquat Zinfandel Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4lbs Loquats (aka Japanese Plums)
• 1/2 Can (23 fl oz) Zinfandel Blush Concentrate
• 50 fl oz Apple Juice
• 54 fl oz Water
• 24 oz Sugar (3 cups)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Pectic Enzyme
• 1 Teaspoon Acid Blend
• 1/4 Teaspoon Grape Tannin
• 1/2 Teaspoon Super Nutrient
• 1 Camden Tablet
• 1 Packet of Yeast

Directions:

• Pit and Mash Loquats
• Create a Simple Syrup with the water and sugar
• Add all ingredients (except Yeast) to Primary Fermenter and cover
• Let sit for 24 hrs
• Sprinkle Yeast on Ingredients and cover
• Let sit for 7 days
• Transfer to Secondary Fermenter
• Rack as needed until clear
• Age at least 4 months
• Back sweeten as desired

Wine Making: Peach Reisling

With this batch of wine I’m making Peach Reisling 😍

Peach Reisling Recipe:

• 1 Can (23 fl oz) – Alexander Reisling Grape Concentrate
• 2 Can (11.5 oz) – Welch’s White Grape Peach Concentrate (Save 1 Can for sweetening before bottling)
• 93 fl oz – Water
• 16 oz – Sugar
• 1/2 tsp – Super Ferment
• 1 tsp – Acid Blend
• 1/4 tsp Tannin
• 1 Campden Tablet (Crushed)
• 1/2 pkg – Yeast ( I used Red Star Pasteur Champagne)

Directions:

• Add the Reisling Grape & White Grape Peach Grape Concentrate to your primary fermentor and stir.
• Create a simple syrup mixture with the water and sugar (Heat the water on the stove and stir in sugar until completely dissolved). Set the simple syrup mixture aside for cooling until room temperature.
• Add all remaining ingredients except Yeast to the primary fermentor. Cover and let ingredients sit for 24hrs
• Sprinkle yeast and leave in primary fermentor for 3 to 5 days
• Transfer to secondary fermentor for the remaining fermenting and bulk aging
• Rack as needed (i.e., transfer wine off yeast and other sediment to another fermentor)

So now we wait….Here’s my three batches in the works:

From Left to Right:

Blueberry Port, Ari’s Country Wine & Peach Reisling

Wine Making: Blueberry Port

When I purchased my wine making kit, I also received the Winemaker’s recipe handbook by Raymond Massaccesi. One recipe stood out to my husband immediately, the Blueberry Port. Both of us are Port fanatics, so it was only right to make it.

Blueberry Port Recipe:

• 6 lbs Blueberries
• 1/2 pt Red grape concentrate (for later at bottling)
• 1/2 cup LT Dry Malt
• 4 pts Water
• 1 3/4 lbs Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Acid blend
• 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
• 1/2 Energizer
• 1 Campden tablet, crushed
• 1 pkg Sherry or Port Yeast ( I used the Lalvin EC-118)

Directions:

Now, this is the first time I have used fresh fruit. The directions tell you to use a nylon straining bag to mash and strain out the juice into the primary fermentor. I found this to be a little weird and messy, so I placed the remaining berries on the stove with water and extracted the juice by boiling them. Then I dissolved my sugar in the hot berry juice.

Once the juice cooled to room temperature, I poured the juice and berries into the nylon straining bag over my primary fermentor (This allows you to strain all your juice into the primary fermentor and leave the blueberry pulp in the bag). I then removed the straining bag and stirred  all my ingredients EXCEPT yeast and added back my tied nylon straining bag of blueberry pulp. After the ingredients set in the primary covered for 24 hours, I added the package of yeast.

A week later, this is what I have

Even with the nylon straining bag, some of the pulp makes it into the primary fermentor. So, I siphoned it through a strainer and then transferred it to my secondary.

I’ll rack in 4 weeks, and again in 2 months. Then it’s time for bottling, when I will add 1/2 tsp Stabilizer and 1/2 pint Red Grape Concentrate.

 Alcohol Content: 

I used my hydrometer to check my S.G., which was 1.110 when I started. When I transferred from my primary to secondary it was already at 1.000 S.G., that is approximately, 14.9% alcohol volume.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m use to my Port’s ranging from 18%-20%, so I’m not too sure this recipe could be considered a Port. Normally, Port’s are fortified with a distilled alcohol containing between 30-60%, but this recipe used a Lt Dry Malt.

Nevertheless, I’m sure the recipe will make for a great wine!

Next in the Pipeline:

My next wine will be a white wine, I’m thinking muscadines grape, peach, and apple.

Wine Making: Getting Started Making My First Batch of Wine

After ton’s of research via various blogs and Youtube videos, I finally decided to make make my own wine at home and join the multitude of home wine makers.

I purchased a 1 Gallon Kit, from my local Home Wine & Beer supply store in Houston (DeFalco’s), which included the following:

• Primary Fermenter (2 Gallon Bucket w/lid)
• Secondary Fermenter (1 Gallon Glass Carboy)
• 4″ Siphon Hose
• Shutoff Clamp
• Hydrometer
• 3 Pc Airlock and Stopper
• Sanitizer and campden tablets
• Wine Yeast, yeast nutrient, pectic enzyme, acid blend, and grape tannin
• Stringing Bag
• 5 corks
• Handcraft Winemaking Guide

I also purchased an additional Secondary Fermenter & Airlock, so that I could start another batch of wine once I moved the 1st from the primary fermenter.

Ari’s Country Wine Recipe

• 50.7 fl. oz – 100% Apple Juice (I used Martinelli’s Gold Medal)
• 32 fl. oz – 100% Cherry Juice (I used R.W. Knudsen)
• 33.8 fl. oz – 100% Mango Juice (I used Ceres)
• 12 fl. oz – Spring Water
• 3 cups 5 oz – Sugar (Heated on stove with the water listed above)
• 1 tsp – Acid Blend
• 1/4 tsp – Grape Tannin
• 1 Campden Tablet
• 1 tsp – Super Ferment
• 1 pkg – Red Star Pasteur Champagne Yeast

I mixed all my ingredients (excluding the the package of yeast) into my primary fermenter and let it sit for 24 hrs. Then it was time to add the yeast.

So, now I’m 2 week’s into the process and have transitioned my must from the primary to the secondary fermenter. The wine smells so good!!! I can’t wait until it’s ready to drink, but fine wine takes time.

Since my primary is free, I already started my next batch, which is a Blueberry Port.

Update: Bottling & Labeling My First Batch of Wine