Selfsufficientish.com

This recipe is based loosely on CJJ Berry's (First Steps In Winemaking). Please note that this is a bit of an experiment, and comments/observations are very welcome.

Ingredients
2 tinned peaches in syrup (411g cans)
Chilli peppers (finely chopped) - I used about 1/2 tea cup (strength at your discretion)
1.2 Kg caster sugar
1 teaspoon (5g) high alcohol wine yeast
200ml orange juice
Tip teaspoon of Epsom Salts (optional)
1/2 teaspoon marmite
Yeast Food (as directed on packet)
water
Campden tablet
2 teaspoons Pectolyse
2 teaspoons Citric acid or the juice of two lemons
1 teaspoon of strong black tea

Equipment

3 demijohns (not all at the same time, though!)
stainless steel spoon (or ladel)
nylon sieve
long-handled plastic spoon (or similar)
Teatowels
Airlock and bung
large Stainless steel pot(s)
small saucepan (not copper or aluminium)
milk bottle (or similar)
Cotton wool
large funnel

This recipe makes 1 gallon of wine.

Method

Sterilize everything you use thoroughly

Prepare the yeast at least 20 min before required but I find 24 hours gives the wine a flying start. Make up the orange juice to 1 pint with water and transfer to a saucepan. Add the marmite and the Epsom salts (if used). Heat the mixture to boiling to drive off preservatives and then pour off contents into milk bottle. Add yeast nutient. Agitate. Leave liquid to cool (cheat by standing bottle in cold water if you're too impatient). When about 21 deg c, introduce the yeast, and plug the bottle with cotton wool.


PLace five pints of water in a large stainless steel pot and bring to the boil. When the water is boiling add 800 g of the caster sugar and stir to dissolve. Open cans of fruit and discard the syrup into the demijohn. Plug demijohn with cotton wool. Dump the fruit and the chillies into a fermentation bucket and bash with a stainless spoon (or ladel, like me). Pour the boiling syrup over the fruit and leave to cool to about 21 deg c. Introduce the citric acid, the campden tablet, the pectic enzyme and the tea to the contents of the bucket and stir. Cover with a teatowel.

The following day transfer the must to the demijohn containing the syrup. Pour in the yeast starter. Agitate the demijohn well and cover the mouth of the vessel with a teatowel. Leave for 24 hours and then fit an airlock.

Thoroughly shake the must every day to disperse the fruit through the liquid.

After ten days, remove airlock, and strain the must through the nylon sieve (balanced on the funnel). At this stage the fruit and chillies are discarded, and the wine is made up to the gallon with a syrup made from 400g of sugar dissolved in 2 1/2 pints of water (cooled). Give a stir and refit airlock.

Leave to ferment in a warm place until wine has cleared (about a month) and then rack into a fresh demijohn, top up with syrup to the strength of 1 oz per 1/2 pint (cool). Leave to continue ferment out for at least two months. Then rack for the third time, this time topping up with water, or bottle.

You'll notice from the ingredients that this wine isn't exactly organic. Feel free to omit evil.

I've racked the first batch a week ago. There is a strong pepper taste to it but it's drinkable, and IMHO, not that hot. It's got a reasonable body. The colour is interesting. There's not much of a peach taste, though, and I'll be looking to remedy this in the future.


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No eye of newt?

Are you serious? Marmite, strong black tea, Epsom salts, orange juice chillies...?

Actually I have a pretty good crop of chillies for the first time ever, wondered about chilli wine and thought of consulting you but this sounds complicated ... and really rather odd.

When I see recipes like this I wonder how on earth someone came up with them. Either an incredible amount of experiment and failure ("hmm... I think a tin of pilchards would add a little piquancy, body, crunchiness and give people something to think about") or after an overindulgent "tasting session" of the last batch has reduced common sense to a minimum, decide as a personal challenge to make wine from whatever is in that cupboard you don't use much, resulting in something that surprisingly doesn't actually cause immediate vomiting and you're too scared to change the recipe. Or maybe somewhere in between.

Yes, it's for real (sad but true ...)

Marmite's full of vit B which is needed at cellular level to aid in "combustion" (turning food into energy in biochemistry). Epsom salt (Magnesium sulphate, well not organic but a magnesium is a component of enzymes found in mitochondria -the part of the cell responsible for energy production). Oh yes, strong black tea = tannin (but feel free to pay through the nose for it) = stuff that gives wine its "zest".

I didn't come up with the concept of tinned fruit wine (I think I pointed that out) and it's an experiment. Perhaps I was a little too perscriptive (in a science teacher sort of way) but actually I posted this in response to a request on another thread ...)

You are welcome to improve ... in fact, I'd love it, Elfcurry, if you'd help me develop a similar wine with a more pronounced peach flavour. Except you might have to resort to the:

"Either an incredible amount of experiment and failure ("hmm... I think a tin of pilchards would add a little piquancy, body, crunchiness and give people something to think about") or after an overindulgent "tasting session" of the last batch has reduced common sense to a minimum, decide as a personal challenge to make wine from whatever is in that cupboard you don't use much, resulting in something that surprisingly doesn't actually cause immediate vomiting and you're too scared to change the recipe. Or maybe somewhere in between."

I feel the same way sometimes ... usually at pub kicking-out time.

Then again, I was just playing about, seeing what might happen ...

Ta for the recipe.

I'm going to save it until i've grown some chillis next year.

Sounds yummy!!

I've made chilli wine for the first time this year, but no peaches, just chillies. Tastes just as you would expect - hot, but quite nice, pleasant surprise. Should be nice in the winter.

Yes, it's not an unpleasant taste, although I was somewhat naively trying to get a peach taste followed by a fiery kick.

Luath... would you mind sharing your recipe with us PLEASE :)

Oh dear...............

I'll get back to you later. I need to have a trawl round and see if I've posted the recipe/method anywhere. Damn sure I can't remeber, I made it up It may have been based on one I found ont he net, though. Will try my hardest for you.

Well I never.....................

http://mrsl.forumsplace.com/post-64223. ... illi#64223

Last time I tasted it , it was really quite chilli-hot, but not unpleasant. It's about ready for bottling, so will try and remember to post an update.

Good luck.................

Now THAT is what I call service... wow... hidden in the depths of your memory and you find it that quickly... YAY.

I might just wait until you've done the bottling before I try it...

Thanks Luath..

I'll report back after bottling - I'm bound to get a mouthful fromt eh siphoning tube
I hope to get some bottling done today, if only to stop me falling voer the empty bottles sitting about in the kitchen

Luath wrote:I'll report back after bottling - I'm bound to get a mouthful fromt eh siphoning tube
I hope to get some bottling done today, if only to stop me falling voer the empty bottles sitting about in the kitchen

Yeah... of course... let's hope it is palatable then!!

I completely understand the falling over the empty bottles in the kitchen problem

Yes, but that's when I'm sober............ Wouldn't mind so much if I wasn't