Winemaking

Over the last few weeks I’ve been collecting blackberries, usually I’d make some jam or a blackberry pie, but this year I thought I’d try something a little different. Yes my dear readers, I’m attempting to make wine.

I mean, how hard could it be? Very hard apparently. Every recipe I have looked at is amazingly time involved and complicated. Several ways of juicing the berries, steeping them, mashing them, fermenting them once, twice.. You get the picture.

So, not to be put off by this, I just went ahead and did it my way, what could possibly go wrong?

I gently warmed the blackberries in a pan and mashed them with a potato masher. All the juice came out, result! I also cheated a bit on the apple, I used Morrison’s own brand apple juice from a carton, two of those. A kilo of sugar and some yeast and water, all poured into my demijohn and voila, we have what I’m hoping will be some quaffable wine in three weeks or so.

It tasted quite nice, albeit a little on the sweet side at the moment, but hopefully those pesky little yeasty critters will sort that out. I have no idea how strong it will be, perhaps I’ll double ferment it for added potency :D 

Hope it works, I mean, what is the worst that can happen? Oh yeah, blindness, poisoning, death… Wish me luck :D