Taking A Break

Tomorrow I'm heading off to Donegal for a couple of days so, as if I hadn't enough to be getting on with, I decided to start another wine before I left. I went to the freezer and pulled out a bag of raspberries and another of blackberries. Sugared and watered, campdened and nutriented, it will get yeasted when I return.

Getting It Wrong

This blog is not intended to be a show-off platform to shout about how good I am at making wine for I'm actually not that good. I am a beginner and there will be mistakes. If you are reading this and you are a beginner too, or maybe just thinking about making your own wine, then I'd like this blog to encourage you. I've only been doing it for less than eighteen months and I've produced some very drinkable wines. I've also made some wine that is never going to make the grade at the County Show.

I did bring out some of my better efforts at Christmas time - damson, blackberry & raspberry, rhubarb. And they were well received. So much so that I got rather big-headed. But that was friends. Siblings tend to be more direct with their opinions.

The youngest sister was here last weekend and just as she arrived I was racking this year's orange. I gave her a taster and she said it was horrible. I was actually thinking that myself. I'd played around with the recipe and used less sugar in hopes of a dry wine. It had also been left on the peel for too long. The result was dry and astringent. And I've two gallons of it!

To save face I brought out my raspberry wine later that evening. Sister said it tasted pleasant enough but far too sweet and strong. She did not finish her glass. I did not let it go to waste. Next day big hangover. Mind you we finished off three bottles of Mr Asda's finest between three of us as well as the raspberry. But it was the raspberry did the damage. So that was Nelly well chastened as to the glory of her country wines.

The 2011 orange came of age today and I'm drinking a glass as I write this. It is sweeter than I would like but compared to the 2012 lot it is nectar.

By the way – if anyone reading this has a bit of experience I would love to have your input. Together we can be great or, failing that, better.