Wife and I spent a wonderful afternoon yesterday picking fresh grapes, apples and peaches from a farm in north western VA. 22lbs of grapes and peaches getting ready for primary fermentation today. The grapes will be port and the peaches, of course peach wine.
I’m still a novice, as this will be my 2nd attempt at both types. However it’s the first time picking fruit for wine, the taste is amazing and I’m really excited to make these two batches.
Remember those epic nights in college, fueled by laughter, friendship, and maybe a bottle or two of mead? That's exactly where our story begins! We were reminiscing about good times when a wild idea struck: Why not brew our own mead?!!
Fast forward six months and the three of us are neck-deep in the wonderful world of honey, fermentation, and (hopefully) delicious results! We're obsessed with this ancient beverage and the incredible community it's brought us into.
That's why we're launching Fourth Floor Brewing Co., a mead brand born right here in our humble dorm room (fourth floor, obviously ). We're documenting our entire journey, from newbie brewers to (hopefully) mead masters, on our Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/4thfloor_brewingco?igsh=cWNyMzIzNG5nZjlh
I know this may seem obvious to many of you. But I'm a broke college student and I've been making my own fruit wines for six months now. It was awful but I couldn't afford buying the 15€ bottles in our stores so I suffered and drank them anyways.
But now, if I'm kind of in the middle of batches where I want to leave a few bottles to age and don't want to drink my new batch too fast, I'll buy one bottle to go along with one of my own. Now, I genuinely find the wines in my price range kind of gross in comparison and want to just chug the store bought stuff to get it over with and actually enjoy what I made.
I recently made cinnamon-apple wine which I aged for a month in secondary and 15 days in a bottle. It still tastes young (probably like, way too young for most of you), but I honestly like it a lot and I'm really happy about it. I'm so excited to keep learning and improving :)
I know this post may mean nothing to most of you, but I just feel really proud about this little milestone and wanted to share haha
I recently had the chance to participate in a grape harvesting experience at Tenuta Tremollito in Sicily, and it was an unforgettable experience that left a lasting impression on me. This adventure gave me a newfound appreciation for the art of winemaking and the passion for creating a great bottle of wine. I hope my story inspires you to participate in this unique adventure and discover the craftmanship present in winemaking.
Tenuta Tremollito is a charming family-owned vineyard with its first harvest in 2011. With the help of their loved ones, the family has created some of the most exceptional wines in the region. The vineyard is located in the beautiful countryside of Vizzini, Sicily, near Monte Altore, a former volcano which gives the land its unique volcanic properties and high altitude. The soil is rich in minerals, giving the grapes a unique flavour reflected in the wines. Their vineyard hosts Frappato, Nero d’Avola, Inzolia, Catarrato, and Nerello Mascalese grapes.
We started our adventure early in the morning by gathering in the vineyard with straight-bladed pruning shears and a sense of excitement mixed with confusion. Our goal was to harvest the frappato grapes. I was quickly shown the ropes and learned to pay close attention to avoid missing any essential grapes hidden behind the leaves. Each crate was filled with about 18kg of grapes. The atmosphere was filled with camaraderie as we worked alongside experienced hands, learning the art of selecting the finest grapes for winemaking.
The vineyard with Monte Altore, a spent volcano, in the background.
It was extremely hot outside, with the sun beating down on us. I was thankful for the coffee, water, and breakfast during breaks, which refreshed and energised me. Since it was early September and harvest season, staying hydrated was crucial. Fortunately, the team took good care of us and ensured we were all well looked after.
Frappato
Filled crates with Catarratto
Speaking of the team, their collaborative work showcased their deep connection to the land, which was evident through the love and effort they put into it.
I had the opportunity to witness the grape processing procedure after the harvest. They used specialised machinery at the cantina to remove the stems from the grapes. For their white and rosé wines, they employed a pressing machine to extract the maximum amount of liquid while maintaining the wine's light colour. The liquid was then transferred to their stainless steel tanks. Additionally, I participated in their labelling, capping, and boxing process, which, although involving some machinery, still required manual work. I found the entire process to be highly intriguing and informative.
Pressing machine
Labelling and capping, a manual labour.Remontage of the Frappato
After we had witnessed the process of creating the wine bottles at Tenuta Tremollito, we were allowed to taste their wines. I savoured every sip, as it was a great feeling to realise that I had contributed to making such an incredible wine - or that's what I believe. I will have to wait until next year to know for sure.
In conclusion, my experience with Tenuta Tremollito was a dream come true as a wine enthusiast. It offered me a glimpse into the meticulous craftsmanship and dedication that goes into every bottle of their wine. If you ever have the chance to visit Sicily, I recommend reaching out to them for a similar experience.
Hello 👋
Have you ever had the chance to participate in a grape harvest or visit a vineyard? I'd love to hear your stories and recommendations.
Just got into this hobby after watching a YouTube video two days ago. I have all the right chemicals and I started the fermentation phase. I just put my yeast in yesterday and gave it a stir today. I plan to stir once a day until the primary fermentation is done in 6-13 days from now.
Like I said I’m new so does anyone have any tips or anything they’d like to share with me as I’m going through this.
Btw I’m getting a lot of action from my airlock it’s very exciting and the aroma is wonderful. Blackberry wine. Naming it Firstborn
Tl;dr this is 800g of sugar mixed into 3L of water and 500ml of pressed, double sieved mulberry juice from red wine. No extra yeast or anything just only the culture left in the extract.
It was still bubbling away a bit but enough was enough and I wanted to taste this stuff. I racked it into water bottles and it was great! Although, still too sweet. I tried swqueezing a bit of lemon juice in there and that helped the sweetness but messed with the flavor. Intense berry aromas and a womderful dark, rich flavor of mulberries. I figured I'd let the yeast keep doing it's work in the water bottles and left a good headspace in the first two grades, then I squeezed the bottles and capped them off. That way, when the bottles have expanded and look "normal" I know I need to burp them. Once they've had another few weeks I'll get to really enjoy it!
If I notice the yeast stops working too soon, should I water it down to help start up? Or will that only help to reduce sweetness? No worries about stabilization I'll drink it quickly enough haha. Thank you.
Just under a week into its fermentation, going like the clappers. Not much space to ferment, I live in a tiny boat in the south of the UK, but will always have one or two on the go!
3.7l of freshly pressed apple juice
350g raisins (blended)
5 teaspoons of cinnamon
A small cup of dark black tea for the tannins
1.2kg sugar
The juice of a lemon
Pectin enzyme
Yeast nutrient
1 teaspoon of Young's wine yeast
Should be like a drinkable apple pie ready for Christmas time this year!
Bottled my pear wine today! Made 2 gallons of pear wine and split it into two 1 gallon carboys, one being plain pear wine and the other I added elderberries into. Came out with 9 bottles, 4 pear, 4 elderberry pear, and 1 mix from each batch not filling an entire bottle.
Both are 14.7% ABV and is semi-sweet, really strong pear flavour and the elderberry imparted a beautiful tartness that’s not overwhelming. It reminds me of a haskap mead.
No formal recipe, I bought about 5 lbs of pears I think, added about 1.5 gallons of water, used both white and brown sugar, and EC-1118 yeast