I have finally bottled my first batch of raspberry wine!
We probably should have racked the wine one more time into another secondary fermenter (we used gallon apple cider jugs), but we never did. It was a busy summer and then it was fall and school was starting, and then I brought home five baby chicks so I never took the time. It turns out that our wine cleared on its own and the sediment was pretty solid at the bottom of the jugs.
Bottling is definitely a two person job. I held the tubing in the jug while trying to stay out of the sediment and The Hubs filled the bottles.
I had already prepped some empty wine bottles by cleaning them thoroughly, removing the labels and then used campden tablets in warm water to sterilize everything. Inevitably, there was some spillage, but it was minor. I put some of the wine in the flip top bottle you see here mainly so I could keep tasting it as it ages. I think this wine needs at least another six months.
Reminder - this is the house I grew up in. I did not choose the flooring or the wall paper you see here. We have plans for this room, trust me. (No offense, mom, love you! xo)
Finished product:
My three gallons of wine turned into eleven bottles! I was expecting half that many, but no complaints here. The color is beautiful, a deep pink-red color and it smells like raspberries! It does not taste like wine yet however...it is a bit more on the straight alcohol side....hopefully by June it will be lovely.
Raspberry wine--yum! You are adventurous to make wine. Can't wait to hear how it turns out!
ReplyDeleteWhat's with the flooring and wallpaper?
ReplyDeleteLove you too Pat! :)
Hmm… well, from the sound of it, I think raspberry wine tastes good! ^_^ Anyway, I like the idea of sterilizing the wine bottles. Actually, it’s really a must for every vintner to practice proper hygiene in winemaking. This is to ensure that every wine that they produce is clean and free from contamination.
ReplyDeleteRob Feckler