Got my first batch of plum wine on the go right now. Never made wine before (or brewed beer for that matter). Local chap selling 1g demijohns for £2 each, seemed mad not to grab a few.
Sweet victoria plums falling off the trees at the moment so 2 gallons on it's way.
Damsons next.
Any tips?
I did my first batch (of wine) last year, had two gallons of plums and 4 of rhubarb!
The plums were a bit rubbish really, very little taste and even after 12 months of conditioning it was only really good for cleaning stuff. The rhubarb on the other hand was great, tasted a bit like some dodgy German plonk, Hock or similar. Drinkable though!
You'll probably fair better with your Victoria plums though, the books say if you're going down the plum route choose the strong flavoured ones (I used some pretty bland yellow jobs). Damsons are pretty similar to plums really. My Dad made excellent damson wine so that should be good.
No tips really, other than the usual for brewing: make sure everything is clean, very clean. Try and leave the wine/beer as long as possible before drinking, I tend to leave beer for 12 weeks and wine for 12 months (if I can!). Keep checking the airlocks on your demijohns as they can dry out if you forget about them for too long, and try not to let your wine sit on dead yeast for too long, rack it a couple of times in the first month or so then leave it for a while and see how it looks before final bottling.
cheers peyote.
had heard about plum wine lacking body so have added half a pound of raisins/sultanas to the mash and will not water it down too much. Got 8.5lbs in 1.5 gallons.
If you've got room in your demijohns, add a litre of red grape juice, the pure stuff with no preservatives. 😉
is it available in supermarkets graeme?
Yes, no problem it's with the orange juice and that stuff, don't get the stuff with a long shelf life, that'll have nasties in it. I put a litre in each jar if possible.
Also, you can use it for topping up with, when the fermentation starts to calm down.
HTH..
cheers graeme. nice tip.
You're welcome :-). If possible when it's bottled, store it somewhere dark/out of sunlight, if not you'll find it can loose a bit of colour, doesn't impact on the taste though.
If possible when it's bottled, store it somewhere dark/out of sunlight, if not you'll find it can loose a bit of colour, doesn't impact on the taste though.
You have seen the threads about 'The Shed' (TM), haven't you?? 😉
But you can't class that as a shed, it's better built than most of the new builds that have gone up around here in the last 5 years! 😯
fill'er'up! 😉
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There's potential for some hangovers there 😆 . If you've got any near to you, Elderberries and blackberries make good partners, then add in some apple juice.
If you google Chritleton Wine, that's a nice easy one, and comes out not too dissimilar from a lighter Port.
Im definitely going to have a go at an elderberry wine this year.
Mine at the bottom of the garden are about a week or so away from ripe yet, the hardest part is getting to them before the birds.
If you do any, the easiest way to get the berries of the stalks is with a fork, just work away from you, and try to aim them in a big bucket.If not they ping off all over the place, and when you inadvertently tread on some, the resulting stain is a right pig to get out of your flooring 😳
That is one hell of a rack you have there Stoner.
Looks an amazing year for grapes this year! (I have 7 vines down my allotment)
Must have at least double the crop, compared to last year, just hope we get some more sun, otherwise it will be all in vain!
Good advice about keeping it in the dark, noticed the difference with wine I have made in the past.
Never made plum wine, have made plum jam though, which is very easy and morish btw, worth getting some sugar and jars.
Never tried plums
think Ill get the damsons in this weekend. The plums can come out of the bucket on Sunday and into the demijohns.
Just a word of warning, when you stone the Damsons, be prepared for the change of skin colour to your hands! 😀
do you stone with a knife or squeeze them (like I did with the softer plums)?
It is easier with a knife, can still be a messy job though, but just think of the fruits of your labours to come . 😉
I'm waiting for the blackberries, although I have a couple of kit wines on at the moment - both by Beaverdale, one a Shiraz the other a Semillon-Chardonnay, around £12 for a 1 gallon kit and very palatable indeed
You can soon tell when the berries are getting ripe , the bird pooh that gets on your washing and your van is a purple colour ! 😕
Stoner fill it up lad that is quite some wine rack 
As for plum wine it is chuffing horrible, but bottle it and leave it for at least a couple of years Bootiful 😉
Im planning on letting the plum wine mature for at least a year.