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Merx

New Member
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Aug 29, 2012
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Location
Trowbridge
Hi All,

My last foray into brewing was in the mid 90's using kit wines. After varying degrees of success the demijohns were consigned to the loft.

On moving house I found the demijohns and although the plastic utensils and rubber bungs had seen better days the demijohns have now been pressed back into service! I'm expecting my first kit wines within a couple of weeks but would love to make proper country wines, or WoWs as I see they are called.

I've now got a range of stuff from my local homebrew shop but not yet taken the plunge into my first WoW. Any recommendations or tips would be gratefully received!

Over the next few months sites like these will be like my bible and I hope I can contribute in some small way myself.
 
Welcome to the forum - hopefully Moley will be able to advise regarding the wine :thumb:
Just watch out if he mentions tomatoes :sick: :lol:
 
The WOW How to the moley made is great. Check it out HERE

If you want it dry go for apple juice instead of orange. Other than that just experiment but always use 1L of grape juice (red or white).

As for contry wines, what are you planning on making? We are in/just entering blacknerry and elderberry season so they might be a good place to start. I also think oak leaf wine can be made in the autum but I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong on that one.

Other than that have fun :thumb: :cheers:

oh and welcome to the forum :oops:
 
Thanks for the welcomes everyone.

alanywiseman said:
As for contry wines, what are you planning on making? We are in/just entering blacknerry and elderberry season so they might be a good place to start. I also think oak leaf wine can be made in the autum but I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong on that one.
I don't know where I'll start, a relative has a bumper crop of pears but I also have a large blackberry bramble near my house, so I'll see how much I can harvest first.
 
Merx said:
would love to make proper country wines, or WoWs as I see they are called.

WOW is a bought-juice wine, not really a country wine - that implies a bit of foraging or gardening to me.
Country wines:
rassies/strawbs/brambles/blackcurrants/redcurrants: about 4lb per gallon. Strawb and bramble are fine alone, the rest really benefit from being mixed but will work alone if necessary
elderberries will be ready soon (maybe already where you are)
Parsnip can be very good. Carrot works.
Wrong time of year now but I really like dandelion and nettle wines.
Searches here or on google will find loads of recipes.
 
Welcome to the forum :cheers:

Wurzel's Orange and other juice wines following a similar theme are quick and easy to make, and although they will benefit considerably for keeping for a couple of months, they can be good to drink fairly young.

Country wines, on the other hand, need far more input from you, a bit more equipment and a lot more patience.

For example, depending on your location, blackberries may be ready now or should be within the next month. 3-4 lbs of fruit to the gallon, 4-5 days mashing the fruit in a bucket, starting the fermentation and extracting the juices, then a messy evening straining it into a demijohn or other closed fermenter and removing all the pulp and pips. 2-4 weeks for it to ferment out, racking at perhaps 1 and 3 months, and while it may be ready to bottle and fit to drink in 6 months, if you start it now you should be thinking towards next Christmas (2013) before it will be at its best.
 
Moley said:
if you start it now you should be thinking towards next Christmas (2013) before it will be at its best.

I have a large quantity of blackberries available, so I'd better start now for next Christmas! I think I'm going to like this forum!
 

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