RGJ Wine, tea tannin and fresh lemons

The Homebrew Forum

Help Support The Homebrew Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

GDog

Regular.
Joined
Oct 31, 2016
Messages
344
Reaction score
61
Location
Sunderland
Evening,

I've got x2 DJ's of Blackberry, and x2 DJ's of Elderberry (plus 1.5 litres for top-ups and tasting) bulk ageing for Christmas 2017, so I'm going to start a RGJ red, after reading Vinotino's post and the link he kindly provided for 'Richard's red'

I have got/can get everything I need to start a ten litre batch tomorrow, except tannin and citric acid.

I can get into town at the weekend (wilko, and home brew shop), but would really like to crack on tomorrow night when the kids are out. Can I use black brewed tea, and fresh lemons instead of powders - and if so, how much?

Thanks in advance!
Al
 
I use black tea all the time (i found powdered tannin a right PITA to use) a mug with 3 bags to each DJ (4.5 litres) will be fine, i have also used lemons in the past with no problems. (one lemon per DJ)
 
I use black tea all the time (i found powdered tannin a right PITA to use) a mug with 3 bags to each DJ (4.5 litres) will be fine, i have also used lemons in the past with no problems. (one lemon per DJ)

great stuff - thanks mate

planning on using:
x8 litres of RGJ,
x2 bottles of wilkos grape concentrate
x2 tsp glycerine
x2 tsp pectolase
citric
tannin
nutrient and youngs bergundy yeast
x2 litres boiled water, dissolving sugar (amount depending on what SG i want).. Maybe 1kg, I like my wines c13%
 
great stuff - thanks mate

planning on using:
x8 litres of RGJ,
x2 bottles of wilkos grape concentrate
x2 tsp glycerine
x2 tsp pectolase
citric
tannin
nutrient and youngs bergundy yeast
x2 litres boiled water, dissolving sugar (amount depending on what SG i want).. Maybe 1kg, I like my wines c13%

I wouldn't have added this, you might get a slight metal taste and tea wine is better light without much body. Besides if you use kwick clear then this will be added to the wine anyway.
 
I stopped using glycerine a while ago not because of taste but because we didn't really notice the difference when we tried a wine made without it. (we ran out one day when i was putting a wine together so i made it without)
 
I wouldn't have added this, you might get a slight metal taste and tea wine is better light without much body. Besides if you use kwick clear then this will be added to the wine anyway.

ah ****, well it's done now. Maybe 1.5 tsp max, and that's in 11 litres of wine, hope its not to bad.
Will it soften with age, and can I clear with a non glycerine product? I was going to buy some kwick clear, but I haven'd done so yet so perhaps there are alternatives.
To be honest I didn't use anything at all with my blackberry or elderberry, and they are crystal clear.. BUT this batch was supposed to be a quick and cheap table wine (not actually that cheap as it turned out)

ps what do you mean tea wine?
 
Opps misread title with tea. 1.5 tsp in 11 lts not to bad should be ok.
 
Dont worry so much about the acid it will need to be adjusted at racking ,add it if you have it lemons are fine, but your wine needs the tanins during fermentation and afterwards for aging , yes tea bags , loose tea etc are fine.
 
Opps misread title with tea. 1.5 tsp in 11 lts not to bad should be ok.

Phew, thanks for taking the time to reply. I'll sack it off completely next time

I've just noticed you are making wine out of tea actually, I only drink red but it sounds interesting!

I've got about 40 bottles worth on the go, and have still had to drive to Sainsbury's tonight to buy a mixed case of very nice reds (25% off). This winemaking is a slow burner at first !

Al
 
Kwick Clear does not contain glycerine, but does contain gelatine, which actually removes some tannin. RGJ is rather low in tannin but elderberries contain rather a lot. Powdered grape tannin is fine, but needs to be dissolved before adding. Adding it after fermentation can cause problems with clearing. I find that glycerine only makes a difference at 5 ml per bottle.
 
Kwick Clear does not contain glycerine, but does contain gelatine, which actually removes some tannin.

Your right, that's what you get when I drink what I make :) I notice glycerine and gelatine in wines at much lower levels. The quick wine kits more so, although it might be adding body it's certainly noticable. Everyones palate is different I suppose.
 
Your right, that's what you get when I drink what I make :) I notice glycerine and gelatine in wines at much lower levels. The quick wine kits more so, although it might be adding body it's certainly noticable. Everyones palate is different I suppose.

The winebuddy Merlot that got me started on all of this had an awful metallic taste - perhaps accidentally brewing it short at 5 bottles instead of 6 didn't help :doh:
 
I've currently got this bubbling away in a 13L bucket in me airing cupboard, the lid sitting loosely on top.
Checked this morning, and oh s**t what a mess - it's gone crackers, pushed the lid up , and red grape froth has gone all over our white towels, the Mrs's Jeans which were drying in there for work this morning.
May be in the dog house.

:whistle:
 
I've currently got this bubbling away in a 13L bucket in me airing cupboard, the lid sitting loosely on top.

Checked this morning, and oh s**t what a mess - it's gone crackers, pushed the lid up , and red grape froth has gone all over our white towels, the Mrs's Jeans which were drying in there for work this morning.

May be in the dog house.



:whistle:



It was nice knowing you. ☠️


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Well you'll learn not to overfill during the initial fermentation week. Move it to somewhere cooler for bit.
 
Its not going to get you out of the dog house this time but as Tau says don't overfill, I fill to the bottom of the shoulder and have never had one escape.
 
didn't brew in a DJ, as they don't fit in me airing cupboard - hoped a 13L bucket would be OK, but clearly not, it's like a volcano going off...

I'll shift it somewhere cooler, as Tau suggested, the airing cupboard is a toasty 25-28 degrees so the yeast must love all that warm and sugar a bit much :oops:

Rest of the house is maybe 18-21 depending on if heating is on - that may be better until after degassing . Clearing I do in me garage, which is freezing!

What do I do with all the froth on the top, will it dissipate? I keep reading about leaving stuff alone, and patience, so I havent touched it (other than to clean he outside of the lid and bucket with boiling water)
 
I've currently got this bubbling away in a 13L bucket in me airing cupboard, the lid sitting loosely on top.

Checked this morning, and oh s**t what a mess - it's gone crackers, pushed the lid up , and red grape froth has gone all over our white towels, the Mrs's Jeans which were drying in there for work this morning.

May be in the dog house.



:whistle:



I feel your pain - I've been doing this for two months now and learned the same lesson the hard way. I had a wall splattered ! Mrs AK has since forgiven though with my generous offerings of tasty home brew !

I always leave space now and then top up after a week !

Good luck !!....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top