Chili Pepper Wine and safety

[prushik]

I'm currently fermenting a couple of garden weed based wines, Dandelion Wine and a Mint Wine, and I am very excited about them (they look and smell so good). I'm so excited in fact that I am planning a whole series of experimental wines based on stuff from my garden. Nothing is ready yet except the weeds, so right now I'm just in the planning ahead stages of everything.
Last year, a coworker gave me a bottle of lacto-fermented hot sauce that was really great. I'm going to have a ton of chili peppers this year, and was thinking of returning the bottle she gave me last year, but filled with my own homemade hot sauce. However, I don't do lacto-fermentation stuff normally, and I'm honestly not really interested in that. I am, however, very interested in wine.
So, I got the idea to make a chili pepper wine, that was so strong it could be used as a hot sauce.

Does this sound like a good idea? I know chili pepper and jalapeno wines have been made before, but is there a reason that it wouldn't work as wine and hot sauce would be mutually exclusive?

Also, in doing my research, I found people worried about ph levels in lacto-fermentations, saying that if the ph level got too high, it could cause botulism to start to grow (or other bad stuff). However, if I'm making wine, my ph levels will be much higher anyway. Am I going to end up poisoning myself? I would like to avoid that, if possible.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I found people worried about ph levels in lacto-fermentations, saying that if the ph level got too high, it could cause botulism to start to grow (or other bad stuff). However, if I'm making wine, my ph levels will be much higher anyway. Am I going to end up poisoning myself?

With yeast fermentation, the alcohol and competition for nutrients will inhibit Clostridium.
Also, I can't speak for whatever unusual experiments you have planned, but usually either the fruit in wine and/or the yeast fermentation will drop pH below 4.5, which alone makes it safe from Clostridium growth.

Sulfite is commonly used in wine for microbe suppression.

 

[michael deatherage]

So, thought I would share some insight. I currently grow 10 of the world's hottest chili peppers for hot sauce making. I make a local organic hot sauce that I supply here on the Big Island. Anyway, I was thinking of the same concept, especially for chefs around here to use for cooking with when the recipe calls for wine.
I am going to try some wines that I'm starting up and I'm going to insert some chili juices. Currently thinking of Hawaiian chilis. They have a smoky and insanely hot heat to them. I'm thinking that 10 mL of juice will be enough to heat up 5 gallons of mango wine. I'll let you know how it goes. If you start this yourself, maybe we can collaborate and share data? I'd be more than super willing to share what I've learned with you.
For specifics, it is a mango wine that will be fermented no more than 8 weeks. I'm looking for a bit cloudy.

 

[michael deatherage]

With yeast fermentation, the alcohol and competition for nutrients will inhibit Clostridium.
Also, I can't speak for whatever unusual experiments you have planned, but usually either the fruit in wine and/or the yeast fermentation will drop pH below 4.5, which alone makes it safe from Clostridium growth.

Sulfite is commonly used in wine for microbe suppression.

I'm super new at reading ph and other measurements. Can you elaborate as to how creating any type of fermented product inhibits the "bad" growth? I'm sure I can find find the answers on here, but the forum posts are a bit hard to navigate!

 

[RPh_Guy]

I'm super new at reading ph and other measurements. Can you elaborate as to how creating any type of fermented product inhibits the "bad" growth? I'm sure I can find find the answers on here, but the forum posts are a bit hard to navigate!

The microbes we pitch will out-compete or otherwise inhibit pathogenic bacteria through one or more of the following:
Alcohol production
Acid production
Sugar depletion
Nutrient depletion
Oxygen depletion

Plus our practices: sanitation, sterilization, stabilization, and temperature control.

Following basic standard practices will mean you won't get sick from a beer or wine.

Clostridium is the most feared food product contaminant. It's inhibited by pH under 4.5.

Hope this answers your questions

 

[michael deatherage]

Thank you! That makes a lot of sense now. I new maintaining ph was important, but I actually had not thought about it being to control bacteria. Awesome way of putting it.

 

[hamiltonkiler]

Thistle medow winery in NC mountains has a hot pepper cooking wine that is great. I like to drink it and eat chocolate. Great idea trying a batch.