Post date: Jan 04, 2013 2:56:6 AM
So the tail end of our winter farm share is starting to go over the hill. One thing we have a lot of is beets, which we do like, but not sure how many meals of them we want in the next few weeks. So it's a golden opportunity to try out a vegetable wine! Got this recipe out of "The Joy of Home Wine Making", page 150.
3 lbs. beets
1 gallon water
2-1/2 lbs. sugar
10 bruised peppercorns
zest and juice of 3 oranges
3 tsp. acid blend
1/8 tsp tannin
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 Campden tablet, crushed
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/2 packet Montrachet yeast
1/3/13 8PM
Scrubbed beets, cut off top and bottom, sliced thin into 1 gallon water with the peppercorns. Brought to a simmer for 45 minutes.
1/3/13 9:30PM
Put orange zest and juice into a nylon straining bag in a plastic fermenter. Put beets into bag with a slotted spoon. Stirred sugar into hot water to dissolve, and added to primary.
1/3/13 10PM
Added acid blend, tannin, and yeast nutrient.
1/3/13 11:30PM
Added crushed Campden tablet.
1/4/13 4PM
Added pectic enzyme, made yeast starter out of half cup must and 1/4 cup water. OG is 1.098 @ 68°F
1/4/13 5PM
Pitched yeast
1/9/13 8AM
Fermentation didn't start. Realized that the must had no oxygen (boiled for 45 minutes, went straight into primary). So I took out a half gallon and vigoriously aerated by shaking a carboy, and stirred and splashed the must.
1/10/13 5PM
Still hadn't started. Pitched two 1/2 packages of Cote de Blancs yeast (why did I have two open packages?).
1/11/13 5PM
Fermentation seems to be going.
1/17/13 8PM
Fermentation seems to have stopped - let fruit bag drain into must and racked into secondary. Got a full gallon, up into the neck of the carboy. You have to be careful - this stuff immediately stains everything it touches (my hands included!). Pretty dry - didn't check the gravity yet, but I'll bet it's 1.000 or below. Flavor is nice - beety. I think the name of this wine will be "Beets by Dr. Frederick".
1/27/13 12PM
Racked and stabilized. FG is 0.993 -> 14.2% alcohol. Still a bit cloudy. You can definitely taste the beets!
3/11/13 8PM
Racked. Tastes nice. It dropped a LOT of sediment - much clearer now, has that sort of fluorescent pink color that beet juice can get.
5/4/13 8AM
Racked and bottled. 4 750s and 3-1/4 375s. Still very beety - nice though. Not sure how it will change with aging, but will probably be nice.
8/24/13 3PM
I'd call this wine one of my surprise successes. I really like it - it has a clean wine taste, with a strong, but not at all unpleasant beet taste. It would be really good with a hearty stew, I think.