Some thoughts about country wines being 'hit or miss'
There is some truth in this. tho with a little care and observation you can greatly increase your chances of a hit and reduce the odds of a miss.
The quality of the fruit/veg you use will have a big impact on your product. So avoid rotten or diseased stuff.
- Pick your fruit at the right time, when its properly ripe most often, and if recipes have a specific detail like say to gather immediately after the first frost then stick to that tried and tested method.
Steer clear of gathering fruits next to busy roads.
Steer clear of gathering fruits from near fields when farmers have sprayed recently.
Take care with removing unwanted stuff before you start, twigs, leaves, insects etc.
Natural yeasts could sometimes be a problem, tho i've never experienced this personally, so use campden tablets etc unless you want to go the way of using natural yeasts of course. that would be pretty adventurous tho!
There are some things which increase your odds of a miss that are way beyond your control.
- The weather being one thing. An unusually cool, cloudy, hot, wet or dry summer or autumn will have some effect on your ingredients. Some conditions will affect your fruit more than others. Ripening, size, sugar contents, natural yeasts and molds etc. Most of the time these things are not a disaster, tho you will accept that you can't get your brew started exactly when you want to, and/or the quantity of wine you make may be reduced. The quality will also be affected to some degree. tho for me this is one of the joys, its a glass half empty/half full thing. rejoice in the good years, be satisfied with the normal years and roll with the bad ones.
The media .... river cottage doing a elderflower champagne lead to a distinct lack of berries last year for example. Both weather and media are things that affect commercial brewers too, so don't let it put you off.
If you won't stoop to drinking a wine that costs less than £10 a bottle then perhaps country wines are not for you. But if you are happy drinking wine for a few quid a bottle then country wines will put a smile on your face.
Finally, one of the great joys of making country wine is gathering your ingredients. And if this appeals to you then giving country wines a go is a must. As the right time comes around for gathering for a particular recipe you'll find your attention frequently and often directed to the hedgerows, especially when you are taking those country lane short-cuts. You'll find yourself exploring leafy lanes that you never would have gone down otherwise, likewise checking our river-banks, parks and railway tracks - there's many a good bush/tree/bramble in all these places. Carefully inspecting brambles, bushes and trees and making a note (mental or otherwise) about the size etc of fruits on them (we are lucky to have a VERY pruned blackberry at the bottom of the garden which makes enormous sweet juicy berries - probably responsible for making the wine so very good). You'll find all sorts of people stopping for a chat or greeting you in brewer/jam-maker talk. The 'something for nothing' element is a great joy too as is the feeling of being more in touch with the seasons, and your local countryside.
i've never had an undrinkable wine, never had one go bad or be cooking/vinegar quality only. Tho i know it could happen, it happens to most of us at some time. i did a beer once that went bad, tho it didn't put me off doing more.
