Distilling old wine
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- Rumrunner
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Distilling old wine
Whenever I can I sample moonshine made by other local folks around here. The last two I've tasted (from two different fellas) have had a distinctive sweet taste to them (not the same taste as too much heads or tails). So I asked about them further, and turns out they were both made from "old wine." Just thought it was interesting that that's what both of these folks used. Not sure why they both happened to have enough old wine sitting around to distill (definitely not cheaper than making your own wash). I know folks use cheap wine when they're just starting out and don't want to mess with a mash.
Flavor was interesting, different from my sour mashes and rums for sure. Didn't like it as much. To each his own, distill what ya got, I guess. Anyone else mess with old/cheap wine?
I do have a case of very bad champagne in the basement I plan to recycle sometime, because I sure ain't drinking it as is.
Flavor was interesting, different from my sour mashes and rums for sure. Didn't like it as much. To each his own, distill what ya got, I guess. Anyone else mess with old/cheap wine?
I do have a case of very bad champagne in the basement I plan to recycle sometime, because I sure ain't drinking it as is.
Lord preserve and protect us, we've been drinkin' whiskey 'fore breakfast.
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- Swill Maker
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Re: Distilling old wine
By all means do.. I'm quite sure it turns into a very nice Cognac-style brandy.Virginia Gentleman wrote: I do have a case of very bad champagne in the basement I plan to recycle sometime, because I sure ain't drinking it as is.
As for distilling old or bad wines, i've done that too. And if a wine i make turns out not that tasty at all i will distill it immediatly.
I have some nice brandies aging which you couldn't drink with a straight face when they were still wines.
KJH
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I think leftlane had the important point--what you were tasting from these guys wasn't "moonshine" at all, but brandy.
Also, when doing pot distillation, the product from the first (often incorrectly called "stripping" sometimes--from a technical sense, stripping is removing all the congeners from the ethanol) distillation is called "low wines".
Also, when doing pot distillation, the product from the first (often incorrectly called "stripping" sometimes--from a technical sense, stripping is removing all the congeners from the ethanol) distillation is called "low wines".
Purposeful motion, for one so insane...
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I will distill the champagne for sure, LeftLane. Not doing any good settin' in the basement. Will let ya'll know how it turns out. I forgot that congacs are basically made from champagne grapes.
Brett, that's mighty adventuresome of you, cucumber and mint wine! Sounds like something I would try. One of these days I hope to mess with a mint bourbon, you know, mint julep style. I think Early Times makes one, but probably adds the mint after distillation.
Off to the Graves Mountain Bluegrass Fest to hear music all day and play some in the parking lot.
Brett, that's mighty adventuresome of you, cucumber and mint wine! Sounds like something I would try. One of these days I hope to mess with a mint bourbon, you know, mint julep style. I think Early Times makes one, but probably adds the mint after distillation.
Off to the Graves Mountain Bluegrass Fest to hear music all day and play some in the parking lot.
Lord preserve and protect us, we've been drinkin' whiskey 'fore breakfast.
I have used quite a few batches of home made wine that didn't turn out quite that good. So far, the strawberry was the best after it was distilled. mBlueberry was good...(especially after using the tater method and adding some syrup) But....my favorite was the water mellon, if ya make the syrup by simmerin' the water mellon juice on the stove for a while to evaporate alot of the water before adding it to the spirit and sugar....DAMN!! it taste like a jolly rancher. Takes a couple batches to get it right.
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Used banana in fruit recipe once. didnt care for it either.Had to much banana taste. almost like the peels to me at least. Had a friend who liked it.So it wasnt wasted.Made some mango other day I liked its taste
Last edited by Tater on Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I use a pot still.Sometimes with a thumper
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Re: Distilling old wine
So I ran the champagne last weekend, and it turned out pretty well. It's a 100 proof brandy/cognac that I put on oak (some charred, some not) and has already taken on a nice pale brown color and smoothed out a bit.LeftLaneCruiser wrote:By all means do.. I'm quite sure it turns into a very nice Cognac-style brandy.Virginia Gentleman wrote: I do have a case of very bad champagne in the basement I plan to recycle sometime, because I sure ain't drinking it as is.
One neophytic question I have is re: methanol and congeners in a run like this. Do less of these compounds come across when you're running champagne or wine versus a regular grain or sugar wash? Thanks.
Lord preserve and protect us, we've been drinkin' whiskey 'fore breakfast.
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Right, fruits in general will make more methanol than grain or sugar. Agave, though, takes the prize! Some Central/South American countries, notably Costa Rica, don't allow tequila sales because of the methanol content.LeftLaneCruiser wrote:Unfortunately: no
Wines, and especially red wines, are the drinks with relatively the most methanol in them. Due to the pulpy parts in the must / mash when fermenting (the skins etc.).
KJH
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I've often heard that pectin in fruits is what gets converted to methanol....One thing that I've been thinking about doing is dumping some pectin, used for canning fruits, into a small test wash just to see what happens.
The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. --John Conner
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Thanks LLC. Sounds tasty, Kato. I may steep some sliced apples in mine to play with the flavor a bit. Seems to be asking for some fruit.
I had no idea CR doesn't sell tequila. I was there a year ago and must not have ordered any. Mostly drank Imperial, smoked Derbys and carried around a bottle of a local Aguardente de Cana which I really like. Made from sugar cane, similar to rum.
I had no idea CR doesn't sell tequila. I was there a year ago and must not have ordered any. Mostly drank Imperial, smoked Derbys and carried around a bottle of a local Aguardente de Cana which I really like. Made from sugar cane, similar to rum.
Lord preserve and protect us, we've been drinkin' whiskey 'fore breakfast.
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The wife happened to have a bag of black currants in the cupboard so I threw a small handful into a quart of my brandy that's a nice light brown from the oak it's sitting on. Our fiddle player loves gin raisins (soak white raisins in gin and eat the raisins) so she'll be the first taste tester.
Lord preserve and protect us, we've been drinkin' whiskey 'fore breakfast.
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- Angel's Share
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Woe is me
Yesterday I bottled four litres of brandy. I filtered it through a coffee filter, added a smidgin of sherry and a little glycerin, shook it and put it in the shed full of high expectations.
Today I had a look at it and it has a sort of cotton woolish, cloudy haze floating about half way up both bottles. It actually looks like a thin cloud, but hard to describe. The rest of the brandy is perfectly clear. It has no nasty smell - I decided not to taste it - and otherwise is apparently perfectly OK. I aged it on pear wood and was fine until I bottled it.
Any ideas on what I may have done.
blanik
Yesterday I bottled four litres of brandy. I filtered it through a coffee filter, added a smidgin of sherry and a little glycerin, shook it and put it in the shed full of high expectations.
Today I had a look at it and it has a sort of cotton woolish, cloudy haze floating about half way up both bottles. It actually looks like a thin cloud, but hard to describe. The rest of the brandy is perfectly clear. It has no nasty smell - I decided not to taste it - and otherwise is apparently perfectly OK. I aged it on pear wood and was fine until I bottled it.
Any ideas on what I may have done.
blanik
Simple potstiller. Slow, single run.
(50 litre, propane heated pot still. Coil in bucket condenser - No thermometer, No carbon)
The Reading Lounge AND the Rules We Live By should be compulsory reading
Cumudgeon and loving it.
(50 litre, propane heated pot still. Coil in bucket condenser - No thermometer, No carbon)
The Reading Lounge AND the Rules We Live By should be compulsory reading
Cumudgeon and loving it.
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Thanks wineo. I thought it may have been tails, but it can't be as it was 65abv before I diluted it before bottling.
Simple potstiller. Slow, single run.
(50 litre, propane heated pot still. Coil in bucket condenser - No thermometer, No carbon)
The Reading Lounge AND the Rules We Live By should be compulsory reading
Cumudgeon and loving it.
(50 litre, propane heated pot still. Coil in bucket condenser - No thermometer, No carbon)
The Reading Lounge AND the Rules We Live By should be compulsory reading
Cumudgeon and loving it.
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- Angel's Share
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- Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2005 11:55 pm
- Location: Bullamakanka, Oztrailya
This brandy hasn't lost the jelly type sediment. I tried filtering it through coffee filters but to no avail. I then siphoned it into a couple of Mason type jars and disposed of the sediment. The Brandy tastes fine, but I have no idea what the sediment is.
The only difference from previous batches was that I used Pear wood for aging and I doubt that this could be the reason. Not a problem as I have a further two gallons which I aged on french oak - old barrel staves from local wineries - and it is absolutely delightful and has a gorgeous colour.
blanik
The only difference from previous batches was that I used Pear wood for aging and I doubt that this could be the reason. Not a problem as I have a further two gallons which I aged on french oak - old barrel staves from local wineries - and it is absolutely delightful and has a gorgeous colour.
blanik
Did you have any foaming when you were distilling?
I had something similiar happen to some malt whisky feints a while ago. I had a bit too much heat in the boiler and it foamed up and puked on me. After a couple of weeks this strange jelly stuff appeared, I filtered it out and reused them as usual with out any problems.
My theory is that it was proteins from the foam, then again wiser heads than mine may have a better take on it.
I had something similiar happen to some malt whisky feints a while ago. I had a bit too much heat in the boiler and it foamed up and puked on me. After a couple of weeks this strange jelly stuff appeared, I filtered it out and reused them as usual with out any problems.
My theory is that it was proteins from the foam, then again wiser heads than mine may have a better take on it.