michaelbelt
Member
Hey folks,
For Christmas this year, my wife and I decided to make wine for our families, as gifts. We followed the recipe for Ethiopian T'ej, in the "Wild Fermentation" book. As the title of the book implies, we were going for natural fermentation, so we didn't add yeast. We simply mixed up local raw honey and purified water, and let the concoction sit out (though covered) for a couple days. Then we added fruit (blueberries), and let it sit for another day or two, then tranferred everything to the primary container.
The recipe said the wine would be ready in two weeks, so we bottled it then....and gave our family members wine grenades.
So, I've let the concoction sit since then, racking it once in the middle. I've tested it periodically, and every time, it was still too fizzy. However, when I tested it the other night, it had changed; it now tasted STRONG. Not "bad," just strong; like a fortified liquor or something. So, my question is:
a) Did I ruin my wine somehow
b) If not, can I sweeten it by adding some more honey and/or fruit?
c) If I can, I'm assuming that will re-start fermentation, so....
d) After a week or so, will simply adding potassium sorbate stop the fermentation, so we can give our families their long-overdue presents?
Thanks for any advice you can give! I'm looking forward to participating in the community. I think I'll probably focus on country wines, unless I can find a local organic vineyard here in the Baltimore area.
For Christmas this year, my wife and I decided to make wine for our families, as gifts. We followed the recipe for Ethiopian T'ej, in the "Wild Fermentation" book. As the title of the book implies, we were going for natural fermentation, so we didn't add yeast. We simply mixed up local raw honey and purified water, and let the concoction sit out (though covered) for a couple days. Then we added fruit (blueberries), and let it sit for another day or two, then tranferred everything to the primary container.
The recipe said the wine would be ready in two weeks, so we bottled it then....and gave our family members wine grenades.
So, I've let the concoction sit since then, racking it once in the middle. I've tested it periodically, and every time, it was still too fizzy. However, when I tested it the other night, it had changed; it now tasted STRONG. Not "bad," just strong; like a fortified liquor or something. So, my question is:
a) Did I ruin my wine somehow
b) If not, can I sweeten it by adding some more honey and/or fruit?
c) If I can, I'm assuming that will re-start fermentation, so....
d) After a week or so, will simply adding potassium sorbate stop the fermentation, so we can give our families their long-overdue presents?
Thanks for any advice you can give! I'm looking forward to participating in the community. I think I'll probably focus on country wines, unless I can find a local organic vineyard here in the Baltimore area.