Wines for Christmas 09

So who else out there is starting wines/meads now for Christmas 09? Or at least thinking about what they make so they can plan ahead. Of course, since my wines and meads need more aging time than my beers, decided I better start working on this now.

Current plans are:

Spiced holiday mead (will find the recipe later today) that I started last night. clover with coffee, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and raisins. Cloves at first racking.
Cranberry wine from juice. Made this one before, it's a bone dry wine, and everyone loved it. Just found my old recipe this weekend while cleaning the house, so will start that once the mead moves to carboy (currently only have one fermenter).

Anyone else planning anything special for the holidays?

I'd really like to see that cranberry wine recipe if you get a chance to post it.

Started all my wine back in Septmeber as I do every year. By Christmas it's pretty good, I bottle age all my beer for at least 5 weeks before digging in, Ken

+1 on the cranberry wine! I have 6 extra one gallon carboys and I would love to try that one!

Will dig up the recipe sometime this week (or more likely, will forget and due it sunday night ). Rather simple recipe though. Off top of my head, was something along lines of 2 qts juice, 2 qts water, sugar to get up to 12% or so PA, and maybe some tannin. But it's been a few years, so will get fullr ecipe from the book

It's good you brought this to my attention because having something for next Christmas would be an incredible idea. I currently have something in my primary but making a few bottles of wine for Christmas and new years '10 would be a grand idea.

I guess I'll start reading up again!

I have a Syrah and a Multi-berry Mead for Christmas '09.
They are sitting in their bottles...locked away... waiting.

kinda like Cthulu.
just not as evil.

Recipe is courtesy of Winemaker's Recipe Handbook. I don't thinkn I took it verbatim, believe I tweaked a bit, but haven't found those notes yet, so here's recipe.

2 qts Juice
2 qts water
1 3/4 lb Sugar (Adjust as needed, SG should be 1.095-1.100)
2 1/2 tsp Acid Blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/2 tsp yeast energizer
1 campden tablet crushed
1 pkg Wine Yeast

Makes 1 gallon.

Recipe has you rack at 1.030 (around 5 days according to author), and rack into clean secondary at 1.000 (around 3 weeks). rack every 2 months until clear, adding potmeta as needed. I believe I consulted Jack Keller's site to find yeast he used for cranberry, but I might have just used whatever I had leftover in fridge from something else.

Oh, and for those wondering, I used RW Knuddsen's "Just Cranberry" juice, or something similar that I got at organic foods store in OKC. Wasn't their organic product, but was pure juice.

sweet! I will need to try this one out this week. Sounds really good! I will make 2 gallons though. what if you were to get them whole and crush them? I think that would be really good too. I might try one gallon like that.

Everyone loved this last time I made it, so actually going to do a full 6 gallon batch this time. Might actually let some last more than a year that way too.


From Same page/section:

3 lbs Fresh cranberries (though I expect frozen will work too)
1/2 pint Red Grape concentrate or 1lb Dark Raisins
7 pints Water
2 1/2 lbs sugar (adjust as needed to hit 1.100 SG)
1/2 tsp pectic Enzyme
1/2 tsp Energizer
1 Campden Tablet
1 pkg Yeast


Use only well-ripened but sound fruit. Wash and place fruit in nylon straining bag. Press, crush and strain out juice into primary fermenter. Keeping all pulp in bag (add chopped raisins, if used), tiie top and place in primary. 2. Stir in all other ingredients EXCEPT yeast. Cover primary. 3. After 24 hrs, add yeast. Cover primary. 4. Stir daily, checking SG and press pulp lightly to aid extraction. 5. When ferment reaches 1.030 (about 5 days), strain juice lightly from bag. Syphon wine off sediment into glass jug secondary. Attach airlock. 6. When ferment is complete (SG has dropped to 1.000 -- about 3 weeks), syphon off sediment into clean secondary. Reattach Lock. 7. Syphon again in 2 months and again if necessary until clear before bottling.

Courtesy of Raymond Massaccesi

Here is a recipe that I have tried in a one gallon batch that I am going to do in a 6 gallon batch next week.

1lb fresh cranberries frozen and thawed
2 cans Old Orchard cranberry concentrate
3 cups sugar
1 lb honey
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 campden tablet
1 tsp acid blend
water to 1 gallon
SG was 1.081
Preimer Curvee yeast
9 days later sg at .995 rack to secondary with airlock and now settling nicely. Tastes a bit hot but the cranberry tartness is noticeable. I like wines that are dry and not to sweet.

Last falls batches should be ready for Christmas '09:

8/26/08 mulitberry melomel, OG 1.130
10/5/08 Cayuga White, 1.090
10/7/08 mead, 1.127
10/?/08 vanilla cinnamon methoglyn, 1.120+
10/19/08 Reisling
10/20/08 Traminette Pyment, 1.126

And a few others that are still waiting to be bottled.

I think I'll give wine as gifts again this year.

ooo, the methoglyn sounds relaly good.

Heh, I know everyoner eally appreciated wine in the past when I gave it. Err, well, mstly. c ouple weren't appreciated, but they were ones I didn't like either.

Im really thinking about a few gallons of candy cane wine especially with the post x-mas cane prices.