Orange and Ginger wine (Helga's Kick)

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4menter

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I just spent the evening making Orange and Ginger wine my own Recipe, and ive got to say I had a lovely time of it. whether it will be good or not time can only tell but if the Must is anything to go by, it will be (I hope?) . I should explain here that wine tastes like vinegar to me! Bear with me!! While I explain. When I go to dinner at a friends, (for instance) they offer me a glass of wine and I think to myself 4menter (as this is my true Kinborn name:roll:) could this be it? You see there has been some rare occasions in my life - the first being a Holiday in wales when I was a teenager I was offered wine and it was delicious even to my young pallet, Oh and it was a white! Thats all I know, that and it was one of those bags with a tap, in a box. This and very few other occasions in my life, except that is for Homebrewed wine, I often really like it, I don't know if it makes sense to anyone else but for me its true. Anyway on with the how and the what. Here's how it went down:
I poured 2 litres of cartoned orange juice (Morrisons) into a Large Stainless steel saucepan
heated then I added 75 grams grated Ginger root (peeled) and stirred in for a few minutes to integrate flavours then added the Zest of 1 large organic Orange and squeezed in the juice. Stirred again and dropped in 1 Yorkshire Teabag stirring again for 1 minute, gently squeezed it and took it out.
My Finnish bride arrived to help still wearing her yolk harness. She tried to stir gently whilst I added 3 table spoons of Rowan's squeezy Honey, my sweet Helga wanted to do this part but she does not know her own strength. I then added the final 600grams of Tate and Lyle toward sugar quota while holding the saucepan lid in front of me like a shield with my left hand for fear of scolding again ( let me just have a quick sip, bear with me. Ahh), I made a game of it and wrestled the wooden spoon away from her, im ok now my prides hurt more than my shoulder.
I hand wafted those magnificent aroma's towards me and I realized this is fantastic!!! I am making Must for what I hope will be a wonderful wine. I have my equipment that ive been slowly collecting, it wasn't much at first but ive built on it bit by bit and im getting somewhere and it's a really good feeling , you must know!
Even Helga was smiling and she doesn't do that much, its her teeth you see, its the one part of herself she doesn't like one bit believe me when I say that! It doesn't bother me ive seen worse on the telly (I love Horror films especially that 'The Hills Have Eyes', I digress.
All Together it was heated for about 25 minutes and it did briefly boil for about 1 minute. I turned gas off and left it for around ten minutes to cool a little whilst I made ready equipment but when I came back it was still very hot (no suprise) so I submerged the saucepan in sink halfway up in cold water until cooled but not to fast! When it was ready all that was left to do was to strain through a sieve, into the funnel placed in the Demi-john I then added the yeast nutrient 1 rounded teaspoon and swirled it. A few minutes later when the Must was still I sprinkled 1 packet Youngs wine yeast (Wilkinsons I think) left it in for 20 minutes and then shook. I put it by my ale fv and did my customery jig, Helga did not this time as she now understands the precarious nature of the floor boards, suffice it to say she thinks Finnish wood is much stronger.
I know this was quite long but if you read it all hopefully you didn't mind.
I will finish this now as im tired but I have to tell you before I end she is fermenting nicely as I sit here on Helga's lap writing this and glancing over by the radiator to watch the wine bubble from time to time. 4menter
 
4menter said:
Helga did not this time as she now understands the precarious nature of the floor boards, suffice it to say she thinks Finnish wood is much stronger.

That's because it is, relatively speaking. Finland's colder climate means their trees there grow much more slowly, resulting in tighter growth rings and denser, stronger wood. It varies from species to species of course, but softwoods like Scots pine or Douglas fir are structurally much stronger when grown in Finland than they would be if grown in England, although they do take much longer to grow.
 
It makes sense about the wood.
I have to admit red faced :oops: that I did not take the OG! by the time I realized it was in the DJ and I had already added the yeast, yeast nutrient and fitted bung and airlock and was more worried about contaminating the Must after all my hard effort. , I have learned lessons though, to create a check-list to be ticked as I go along and to be a little better prepared. 4menter
 
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