Topic: Organic Wine Making

[killerflies]

A wine making newbie with a new question.................................

Organic wine, outside of using organic grapes, how else can I do to make it Organic?

Taking Elderberry wine as an example,

Of what I know (and that is NOT much), After you have mushed your berries and added them to the demijohns with yeast there is an assortment of additives you can add. Pectalaze, Campton Tablets, Fermentation stopper, wine cleanzer, anti-oxidants et cetera

How do I avoid these? What can I use/do for example to stop fermentation without chemicals?

My plan is to compile a list of these pointers and post them all together on this forum. Please, for the good of us all send in your ideas!

For the life of me, I cannot find any resource online, nor can I find the name of any organic wine making books (outside of  "Natural Way with Wines -- $200rrp").


Thanks in advance!

[killerflies]

UPDATE:

How to stop fermentation "Organically/Naturally"

1. Add Brandy. The high alcoholic content will put an end to the yeast.

[killerflies]

Anybody??

This section of the forum seems quite quiet.

[Biscombe]

I wish it was more active too!  looking for 'organic' wine making tips too, got lots of lemons, grapes and figs coming so wine making is my next hobby!!  If I see anything on the web I'll post..............

[gwynleg]

Yes I look at this bit of the site regularly too - havent made any wine yet (dont think elderflower champagne counts) but am very keen to start. Elderberry wine I hope - perhaps blackberry, but currently dont have a clue how to start. Hope there are some experts who can advise us all
Gwynleg

[Marymary]

I'm planning on having a go some time soon - need to get the equipment together first.  Any suggestions would be gratefully received here too.

[pg]

I've been making my own wine for a while now (on and off) and I've realised you can be 100% organic in your ingredients (pick your own organic fruits and use organic sugar - this will probably be light brown so will affect your wine colour, or replace with organic honey/sugar or organic jam), put organic wine chemicals are a bit of a contradiction.

Although organic (commercial too) wine makers want to use zero chemicals they all use some form of sterilzer and Campden tablets. You could steriize with boiling water, but it won't get rid of all the bugs that could turn all that hard work to vinegar or gloop. (This is heart breaking believe me).

A chap at in my Winecircle doesn't add any Campden tablets at the end of the winemaking (as is advised in many books) but he always keeps his equipment very clean, adding Campden tablets at the start of fermentation (to kill any bugs on the fruit outer) and always always uses fresh corks every time in his bottles.

As for fermentation stopper chemicals. I've never used them. Just let nature take its course and the sugar will eventually turn to alcohol. One of my ginger, Seville orange and wheat wines took 4 months to ferment to completeness. As long as there is the merest hint of a bubble through the airlock, fermentation is going on.

I keep referring back to my winemaking 'bible' (still in print on Amazon) First Steps in Winemaking by C J J Berry.

Hope this helps

[weedin project]

There are several finings that can be used - http://www.bcawa.ca/winemaking/fining.htm - including egg whites - you can get organic eggs very readily, so they might be a starting point.

I'm with PG on allowing a brew to ferment dry or at least come to a natural end.  My grapes etc. have never got to a sugar level that give me alcohol PLUS sweetness!

To add to the library, try "Growing Vines to Make Wines" by Nick Poulter.

[pg]

Of course! I forgot about egg whites as fining agents.

Another organic food product you could use in winemaking, well adulteration actually, is milk. I've read that butlers used to use milk to decolour their masters red wines into white when necessary. I've seen the modern equivalent of milk powder being suggested. I haven't tried this myself.

[killerflies]

Now thats the type of info I am looking for!

Thanks a million!

Ive a book arriving in the coming days and once Ive reviewed it, Ill let you all know how it is.

It offers alternatives to sugar (i.e. using honey) etc.

[Country Eye]

Hi all,

I have been making wine for quite a while now and all I use is water, seasonal fruit, sugar and yeast.

At the moment I have elderberry, apple and rhubarb on the 'go'

Mind you I never get to drink much of it, the wife takes care of that part of the process.....  ;D

[sue.dyer]

I see there is a book about to be published on just this subject - I found it on Amazon when looking for the others quoted here.  The book is: Wild Wines: Creating Organic Wines from Nature's Garden (Paperback)
by Dawn Marie (Author).  Might get this one myself. :)