The Red Currants are ripe here in upstate Ny & I still have some in
the freezer from last year. So I decide that, after 30 yrs since my
last wine, I'd make some currant wine. [Probably from fresh
Currants-- but I might throw some frozen in if I need the juice.]

So I googled for recipes-- read the r.c.w FAQ & started lurking here.
Looks like, as with so much of Usenet, there is a wealth of info and
some real helpful folks passing it out here. Thanks in advance.

The first recipe I googled was
http://www.kitchengardeners.org/bernard.html
In a nutshell-
Using proportions of;
1 litre juice, 1 kilo sugar, 2 litres of water
Place in a carboy. Stir regularly; Bottle at the end of December or
January. Let age for 2 yrs.

The next recipe I found was one of Jack Keller's
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques63.asp
In addition to the juice, sugar and water, Jack adds pectic enzyme,
yeast nutrient, and wine yeast.

He goes from a primary fermenter to a secondary-- then racks it at 6
months, then 3 months later.


A third recipe was similar to Jacks, but used Campden tablets at
racking- and said "let it age for as long as possible before
bottling."

OK-- I'm essentially a newbie, but I've been reading the FAQ and this
group for a week or so. I like keeping things simple, so the
first recipe sounds like my cup of tea. Should I avoid it, or
will it give my a drinkable wine? I'm far from a wine connoisseur,
but I can appreciate a decent wine on occasion.

And the comment in the 3d recipe- "let it age for as long as possible
before bottling."- How long is that? Until your patience wears thin?
You need the carboy for a new batch? Or it reaches some stage that
can be objectively tested?

Thanks,
Jim

It's hard to go wrong with Jack Keller's recipes.
Steve
"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
...
The Red Currants are ripe here in upstate Ny & I still have some in
the freezer from last year. So I decide that, after 30 yrs since my
last wine, I'd make some currant wine. [Probably from fresh
Currants-- but I might throw some frozen in if I need the juice.]

So I googled for recipes-- read the r.c.w FAQ & started lurking here.
Looks like, as with so much of Usenet, there is a wealth of info and
some real helpful folks passing it out here. Thanks in advance.

The first recipe I googled was
http://www.kitchengardeners.org/bernard.html
In a nutshell-
Using proportions of;
1 litre juice, 1 kilo sugar, 2 litres of water
Place in a carboy. Stir regularly; Bottle at the end of December or
January. Let age for 2 yrs.

The next recipe I found was one of Jack Keller's
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques63.asp
In addition to the juice, sugar and water, Jack adds pectic enzyme,
yeast nutrient, and wine yeast.

He goes from a primary fermenter to a secondary-- then racks it at 6
months, then 3 months later.


A third recipe was similar to Jacks, but used Campden tablets at
racking- and said "let it age for as long as possible before
bottling."

OK-- I'm essentially a newbie, but I've been reading the FAQ and this
group for a week or so. I like keeping things simple, so the
first recipe sounds like my cup of tea. Should I avoid it, or
will it give my a drinkable wine? I'm far from a wine connoisseur,
but I can appreciate a decent wine on occasion.

And the comment in the 3d recipe- "let it age for as long as possible
before bottling."- How long is that? Until your patience wears thin?
You need the carboy for a new batch? Or it reaches some stage that
can be objectively tested?

Thanks,
Jim

"Steve Peek" wrote:

It's hard to go wrong with Jack Keller's recipes.
Steve

Thanks. I gather that from reading here--- but I'm curious about the
absolute simplicity of the other recipe. 3 ingredients, one
container, stir, wait, bottle, wait.

Is it just slower, or is it vastly inferior, or is it likely to fail?

Jim

Of coarse that will work, but wild yeast can give unpredictable results. If
you use that recipe, I suggest getting a good wine yeast. I use Lalvin
K1V-1116 almost exclusively, but I like dry wines & mead.
Steve
"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
...
"Steve Peek" wrote:

It's hard to go wrong with Jack Keller's recipes.
Steve

Thanks. I gather that from reading here--- but I'm curious about the
absolute simplicity of the other recipe. 3 ingredients, one
container, stir, wait, bottle, wait.

Is it just slower, or is it vastly inferior, or is it likely to fail?

Jim

Jim,
I made a red current wine out in the Pacific NW a few years ago. It wa
very acidic. I recommend finding another complimentary fruit with less
acid, to help balance the acidity. You may want to add a pinch of
tannin to the gal, again, for balance. Perhaps a grape, golden
raisins, apricots. or try a combo of blueberry and current - eat a
couple of each to see if they appeal to you. Mine are getting ripe
again, and I plan to try a couple of these. Most yeasts need nutrient
(especially the Lalvin) and when you wine any fruit with pectin, I
recommend using pectase to help the clarity of the wine - it Good
Luck.


Jim Elbrecht wrote:
The Red Currants are ripe here in upstate Ny & I still have some in
the freezer from last year. So I decide that, after 30 yrs since my
last wine, I'd make some currant wine. [Probably from fresh
Currants-- but I might throw some frozen in if I need the juice.]

So I googled for recipes-- read the r.c.w FAQ & started lurking here.
Looks like, as with so much of Usenet, there is a wealth of info and
some real helpful folks passing it out here. Thanks in advance.

The first recipe I googled was
http://www.kitchengardeners.org/bernard.html
In a nutshell-
Using proportions of;
1 litre juice, 1 kilo sugar, 2 litres of water
Place in a carboy. Stir regularly; Bottle at the end of December or
January. Let age for 2 yrs.

The next recipe I found was one of Jack Keller's
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques63.asp
In addition to the juice, sugar and water, Jack adds pectic enzyme,
yeast nutrient, and wine yeast.

He goes from a primary fermenter to a secondary-- then racks it at 6
months, then 3 months later.


A third recipe was similar to Jacks, but used Campden tablets at
racking- and said "let it age for as long as possible before
bottling."

OK-- I'm essentially a newbie, but I've been reading the FAQ and this
group for a week or so. I like keeping things simple, so the
first recipe sounds like my cup of tea. Should I avoid it, or
will it give my a drinkable wine? I'm far from a wine connoisseur,
but I can appreciate a decent wine on occasion.

And the comment in the 3d recipe- "let it age for as long as possible
before bottling."- How long is that? Until your patience wears thin?
You need the carboy for a new batch? Or it reaches some stage that
can be objectively tested?

Thanks,
Jim

Jim Elbrecht wrote:
snip
Is it just slower, or is it vastly inferior, or is it likely to fail?

Jim

Jim -
The simpler recipe relies on wild yeasts, and assumes that there
will be enough nutrients in your juice to support the required yeast
growth, and not too much pectin to interfere with clearing. It's
possible that this will work out just fine. However, it's also very
possible that you will run into problems this way - the wild yeasts may
not get established soon enough to prevent other spoilage, or they may
produce unpleasant flavors, or you might be low on nutrients, or you
might have enough pectin to produce a very persistent haze. Some of
those problems are fixable, some really not. The few additional
ingredients in Jack Keller's recipe are available for at most a few
dollars at any decent homebrew supply store, and eliminate most of
those risks. Personally, I think it makes sense to invest a few
dollars to avoid those issues. On the other hand, if it won't bother
you much to pour the stuff down the drain, or if the "simplicity" of
the process interests you more than the quality of the end result, use
the simpler recipe.


Doug