We cut and de-stoned each plum, discarding those with the horrid plum caterpillar and carefully cutting out any bad bits. By the time we finished we only had just about enough plum to make a mere gallon of wine.
The plum was then mashed before we added dissolved sugar and hot water. When this was cooled the other ingredients were added. Yeast will be added in about 36 hours' time. It will then be left for a week to ferment before being siphoned off into a demi-john.
Seems like a lot of work for six bottles of wine!
If you put all the manky ones in a tub, by Christmas they should have become semi liquid and alcoholic. Paul could then make a simple still with an old pressure cooker, and you could make your own Plum Eau de Vie.
ReplyDeleteI always think making your own wine is a very brave thing! I don't think I'd ever try it. Have you done it with anything besides plums? -Jenn
ReplyDeleteDecades ago, when we were young and poor, we made elderberry wine and a delicious banana wine. The banana wine didn't taste of bananas, curiously, but made a nice, crisp white wine. We used to live near a banana warehouse so we would get all the overripe bananas for free.
DeleteBanana wine!?! Who would have thought!
DeleteWas that the infamous SPAC?
DeleteDefinitely not! The SPAC was made from English grapes (ours and the Hassams) and was undrinkable.
DeleteWhether it has been a lot of work will depend on how good it tastes! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWe will have to wait for several months to find out Pat!
DeleteThe best wine that I ever made was Morello Cherry wine. Another good one is tea wine, it can taste like a half decent sherry.
ReplyDeleteCherry wine sounds nice. I still have some home brandied cherries that I brought back from France.
DeleteIt may be a lot of work, but six bottles of your very own plum wine sounds like a good reward to me! I've never had plum wine but I'll bet it's delicious. I used to get a very nice pomegranate wine at one of our local grocery stores. I have a pomegranate tree that's about 7 feet tall now, and just got its first flowers (but no fruit) this year. I'm hoping to add another one and maybe one day in the future I can try making pom wine.
ReplyDeleteHow marvellous to have your own pomegranate tree. I don't think they are easily grown in the UK.
DeleteDoes the plum wine taste like the fruit? I was surprised to hear your banana wine did not taste of bananas. I can envision you having a nice glass of plum wine on your patio while looking over the garden.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time we've made it so I'm not sure. I'm hoping it won't be too sweet.
DeleteWe have a cider house (pub) here that apart from cider also specialises in fruit wines. They are very fruity, as one would expect, and they do taste of the individual fruits named on the bottle, and they are recommended to be drunk only in small amounts, not like supping back quick on your standard red/white wines. P and I used to go and I nearly always had too much, failed to listen to advice and was often sick and would always end up with a hangover. I don't normally get hangovers. I hope your plum wine turns out ok but watch out with it.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to drinking a bit too much when a fruity taste is involved. It really does sneak up on you! It's happened to me as well.
DeleteReminds me of a pub in Somerset where my friend and I drank far too much cider.
DeleteWell, six bottles is better than none!
ReplyDeleteIndeed! I think we will probably manage a second batch in a week or two.
DeleteIt will be worth it. I have never made any wine myself but it must be splendid to sup your own alcoholic creation. What will you call it? "Chateau de Rick"?
ReplyDeleteLa Plum de ma Tante
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