Cap and Cork

I started a 1/2 gallon batch of Jalapeno Wine last evening, and it should be ready to bottle on or around Christmas time.  It will be just what I will need to keep warm on our cold Pittsburgh evenings come January.  For once I actually stuck to the original recipe, of which all credit goes to Jack Keller.   Well, I only made a half batch…  But the proportions are spot on to his recipe.  I used 6 medium jalapenos I picked fresh from my garden just before I made the wine.  Some notes:

• I know jalapeno’s are low in SHUs but OH MAN…  My eyes were watering just from the smell!  They are potent!  Maybe it’s the MiracleGro?!  I’ll easily have another 12-18 peppers from that one plant so I may make another batch later on.  Maybe some Jalapeno Mead (capsicumel) or I’ve also seen Apple-Jalapeno recipes as well.
• I used Sunmaid Golden Raisins that I know had some preservatives in them.  I hope the yeast is OK to go.  I’ll be keeping an eye on that.  I pitch the yeast this evening, pursuant to the directions.  I am using Champagne yeast and will use at leasy 1/2 a packet so hopefully the fermentation takes off.
• The must itself is a crazy green color!  I can’t wait to see the finished wine!  I’ll post a pic on the recipe page later on.
• I used a throw-away primary.  It’s basically a 1 gallon Dannon water jug that I cut the top off of.  I didn’t want any of that potent pepper in my good primary buckets.  Not sure if I am being over-cautious or not?
• Check out the recipe page HERE.

Stay tuned for updates.  Also, I will be adding the recipe to the recipes page where all my later updates will be attached.  I also made some braggot last night…  A post on that will follow soon.

Yesterday, I posted a very basic recipe for a simple wine using Welch’s Frozen grape concentrate as a base.  In honor of that, I thought I would start a new batch using that very recipe and post updates and pictures.  If you are just starting out, this is a perfectly fine recipe to get your feet wet, per se.  The pictures will give you a good idea of what to expect as the process moves along.  Does it turn out like Chateau Mouton Rothschild?  Absolutely not!  It is however a very drinkable wine that will teach you the basics for a very reasonable amount of time, effort and money.  Head on over to the recipes page and check it out!  I will continually update with pics and a brief description of how it’s progressing.