Plum Blueberry Apple Jasmine Tea Wine

OK ok, so you might be thinking, WHAT THE HECK? WHY?! and the answer to that is, because it is GOOD and I made up the recipe too!

This recipe makes a 3 gallon batch.

AS WITH ALL BREWING, STERILIZE, STERILIZE, STERLIZE!!

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Montrachet yeast
• 1 bottle (25.4 ounce) Bio-nautre Plum Nectar (Food-Co-op!)
• 2 gallons water
• 2 cups apple cider
• 2 teaspoons yeast nutrient
• 3 teaspoons acid blend
• 8 cups sugar, plain white - pour into primary fermenter
• 2 pounds frozen blueberries
• 18 tablespoons (~1/2 cup) loose jasmine tea (indochinese food store!)
• 3 campden tablets (if you so choose..)
• 1.25 cups lactose (non-fermentable milk sugar)
• 2 cups sugar (plain white)

Add first 5 ingredients to large pot (I use a stainless steel pot with stainless steel utensils). Do not allow must to boil. Add the blueberries and the jasmine tea to a rather large straining bag. If you have no straining bag, cheesecloth tied in a knot should work too (boiled first to kill nasties if you like). Add the strainer bag to the pot. Heat long enough to thaw the blueberries and extract color and flavor from the tea also (mixture will turn dark bluish/purple).

Take straining bag from must. Allow the mixture to cool to a siphon-able temperature (with lid on top of pot, gotta keep out those nasties or your wine may turn to vinegar!) Siphon the must into a carboy. Add 3 crushed campden tablets to the must if you prefer (if you don't like metabisulfite or have an allergy to it, please don't add the campden tablets!) Cap the carboy with an airlock. Shake vigorously to dissolve sugar into must.

12 hours later pitch the yeast. Shake (aireate) the must so the yeast gets some oxygen to do its thang.

In 3-4 weeks, rack (re-siphon) the baby wine to a secondary carboy. Add 2 cups plain white sugar and 1.25 cups lactose to warm water (heat until almost boiling, then take off heat and cool to tepid). Add quickly to secondary fermenter, secure the airlock and shake vigorously.

In another 3 or so weeks, the fermentation process (noted by lack of bubbling air coming up in the airlock) should have slowed to an almost stop if not complete stop. (At least it did when I made the wine!)

This wine can be enjoyed young, or aged. As with all wine, store in a dark, cool place, well sealed off from air in proper bottles or carboys until enjoyed!

You may add pectic enzyme if you are anticipating a pectin haze, or don't and just try your luck. I've never had problems, but I usually use it too. I just didn't in this recipe.

In enjoying a glass of this quite young wine at the moment, I am noticing nice body and slight effervescence, perhaps caused by the adding of extra sugar during the secondary fermentation process. Wow. This is ACTUALLY GOOD WINE! I gave some away for Christmas this year even. I serve it at room temperature, and even non-wine drinkers will drink it, so far.. except my future in-laws who are wine snobs who think that wine can only be made from grapes. I am going to make them Rhubarb wine this spring. :)