Plum wines

This year I’ve made plum wine again, and as last year done so in too different levels of fruitiness (one dark and one light). Both recipes can be found by following the links below:

Light

Dark variation

Bullace Wine

Bullaces, it was told to me, are ‘sloes with attitude’. Think small plums that are the some colour as sloes, and very tannic, and you’re there. They aren’t nice to eat, but apparently make a reasonable wine.

1.8kg Bullace
1.2kg sugar
225g chopped raisins
pectic enzyme
yeast and nutrient
water to 4.5 litres

Crush bullaces and pour 3 litres of boiling water over them. When cooled add the pectic enzyme, cover closely and allow to stand for a week on the fruit. Strain the juice into a pan and boil. Pour boiled juice over chopped raisins and sugar and mix. When cooled, add yeast and nutrient. Fement for ten days in bucket, then strain into demijohn.

Bottling a sweet plum

One of my demijohns of the more fruity of the plum wines I made this year has reached the end of fermentation.  Checking the specific gravity of the wine, I have a sweetish, approximately 14% wine.  I’m going to bottle it as it is, and let it age into next year, by which time it should be a wonderful, flavourful desert wine.

OG: 1.125
FG: 1.030

Plum wine 2

The glut of plums has really hit, and I had a huge quantity dropped on my doorstep to make wine with.  I made 20 litres with what I had, and it’s looking like it’ll be really strong!

I used 2.75 kg of plums, and 1.5 kg sugar per 5 litres and a high alcohol/dessert wine yeast.

O.G: 1.125

Plum Wine

The plums where I live have just become ripe, so I’m going to make some plum wine.

I’m told that plum wine can be a little thin, but that the addition of wheat or barley helps (at the rate of 500g per 4.5 litres), and that it can be very slow to clear.

The recipe (for a medium wine):

1.8 kg plums
1.3kg sugar
water to 4.5 litres
pectic enzyme
yeast and nutrient

Wash and cut up plums.  Boil 3 litres of water and pour over the plums and clover closely.  When cooled, add the pectic enzyme  and leave covered for four days.  Strain onto sugar, add yeast and nutrient.  Cover again and leave for two more days, then pour into fermenting jar and fit airlock.  Siphon off the lees of the yeast when clear, keep for 3 months and bottle.

OG: 1.113