any thoughts on making port wine at home ? 

 

my granddad (portuguese descent) used to make it. it was a bit of family tradition...which went with him sadly.

 

was only a small barrel we'd do every year... and we'd all get involved. I even remember as a little kid adding my own ingredient one year(my little rubber thong)... which we found when got to end of barrel  much to everyones surprise hehe

 

we have bunches of grapes - I let the birds have each year. thinking maybe giving it a shot at some stage. love to kick off that tradition again...

 

dont know where to start.... apart from picking the grapes ... and I know need to crush them and I need a barrel  

 

 

You would need brandy spirit and a Baume hydrometer for a starting point. What volume (kgs of grapes) are you looking at?

1 hour ago, DRC said:

You would need brandy spirit and a Baume hydrometer for a starting point. What volume (kgs of grapes) are you looking at?

thank you DRC, i'll explore both, got the brandy ... will get a hydrometer.

 

I havent picked the grapes but theres a stack there and birds havent got to them all yet. I'm looking at a small barrel 10-20L as end point, so what sort of grapes woudl that need ? my grand dad used  a small 20L glazed/enamelled earthenware/terracotta "pickling barrel" for want of better description...  probably have to get hold of something similar ! 

 

Edit it it could have been 50-60L too but too young to remember ....

The short and perhaps not comprehensive guide

• you would want to be picking at around the 13.5 to 14 Baume mark. At that sweetness the birds will possibly be getting to be a problem so netting may be in order
• work out what your desired barrel size is, preferably oak. I think the keg factory in Tanunda sell small barrels. These guys are real coopers and are agents for some very fine quality French oak and probably make their Port kegs from offcuts. If it is new, then fill with water and change every week or so for a few weeks. Sappy new wood is not good for Port.
• you'll need to pick the fruit, crush (removing the stems is a good idea) and then let the juice and skins ferment. Cooler is better (13-18C).
• at around 8 Baume try as best you can to press off the juice from the skins. A strainer and muslin cloth would do the job.
• Then fortify with brandy spirit ASAP (or Brandy as Brandy spirit is 77% Alc). That ain't a typo, you will need 9-10 bottles of 40% alc Brandy per 10 litres of pressed juice.
• As a rough guide, I've worked the calculations out per 10 litres of juice further down. Let it settled for a day or two (again, cooler the better), then decant/siphon off the clear Port. You will need to add a bit of SO2 (from home brew shops). It is usually sold as PMS and your target would be 100 parts per million (mg/L) of PMS. Dissolve in water as a 10% solution and add, mix gently. I gather you are an engineer so the calcs should be straightforward.
• Add to your barrel. It takes quite a while to be palatable.... Though a young Port and soda (or lemonade) spritzer isn't half bad.

• Volume of Juice	Target Baume (Sweetness)	Brandy Strength (alc/vol)	Initial Baume of Must/Juice	Target Final Alcohol	Baume to fortify	Brandy Addition Volume
  10.00	4.50	40.00	13.50	19.00	8.41	7.13

Thank you ! @DRC 

 

done stuff to digest, very much appreciate the detailed info

A Year In Port

http://www.ayearinport.com/the-film

 

< A SPIRITED JOURNEY INTO PORT WINES

Time. In modern life, it has become the greatest luxury. Yet no Port exists without it. It is woven into the wine as fundamentally as sun and rain.

A Year in Port is the climax of a trilogy of films beginning with A Year in Burgundy (2013) and A Year in Champagne (2015). With renowned wine importer Martine Saunier as our guide once more, we journey into the magical world of Port with four award-winning winemakers: Symington Family Estates, Taylor Fladgate, Ramos Pinto and Niepoort. And we discover a new family of table wines bursting out from the home of Port, Portugal’s spectacular Douro Valley. >

 

available to stream through Kanopy via your local library

 

https://www.kanopy.com/product/year-port

 

On 09/02/2019 at 10:16 AM, betty boop said:

any thoughts on making port wine at home ? 

 

my granddad (portuguese descent) used to make it. it was a bit of family tradition...which went with him sadly.

 

was only a small barrel we'd do every year... and we'd all get involved. I even remember as a little kid adding my own ingredient one year(my little rubber thong)... which we found when got to end of barrel  much to everyones surprise hehe

 

we have bunches of grapes - I let the birds have each year. thinking maybe giving it a shot at some stage. love to kick off that tradition again...

 

dont know where to start.... apart from picking the grapes ... and I know need to crush them and I need a barrel  

 

 

Good luck! We've still got about 9 gallons of vino cotto that Mrs CE's dad made back in 1979. It's in gallon carboys and sealed with cork and required a bit of filtering as there's a lot of sediment after 40 years. Worth a little pain for amazing gain. Dark as sin and amazingly complex.

Vino cotto can't be called wine or port, simply because it's made with cooked grapes instead of fresh ones. And the addition of brandy to stop fermentation is also accompanied by some more of the unfermented, cooked, grape juice.

Call me lazy but I buy my 10-15yo tokay and muscat from Seppeltsfield in 5L containers and put them in my Seppeltsfield made 4L barrel. (not sure if they still make that size). Done me great service over the last 8 or so years.

 

https://seppeltsfield.com.au/product/seppeltsfield-10---15-year-old-muscat-5l

 

 

On ‎8‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 2:26 PM, Rockford said:

Call me lazy but I buy my 10-15yo tokay and muscat from Seppeltsfield in 5L containers and put them in my Seppeltsfield made 4L barrel. (not sure if they still make that size). Done me great service over the last 8 or so years.

 

https://seppeltsfield.com.au/product/seppeltsfield-10---15-year-old-muscat-5l

 

 

I've got some 12 YO Touriga Nacional tawny base maturing in barrel. It will be the closest thing to a Taylors Tawny this side of the equator and I'm really excited about how it will look as a 15 YO.

1 hour ago, DRC said:

I've got some 12 YO Touriga Nacional tawny base maturing in barrel. It will be the closest thing to a Taylors Tawny this side of the equator and I'm really excited about how it will look as a 15 YO.

How big a barrel? ?

 

Here is my little muscat one...any excuse to pour one.

 

 

 

 

Stop it you guys  you are making me want to cut to the chase and just get a barrel of the stuff... my entire crop went to the birds again this year.... and we had a bumper I can tell you. just was way too busy and not setup... perhaps next year... my grand dad's tradition must go on...  

dragged this home in a recent visit to Daylesford. found it at the convent there...  what a lovely drop ! gosh love it 🙂 

 

Had to google it ... found it thank goodness... if i get back there, will be sure to grab another bottle  

https://www.herballoreliqueurs.com/product-page/tawny-brandy

 

the blurb... gives some more clues... 

Eight-year-old tawny aged in Brandy barrels

This is perhaps our lightest in flavour with a special little zing in the heart of your palate. It is very easy to enjoy any time of the year, and any time of the day!

 

Aged in a brandy barrel and influenced by Brandy spirit, this light flavoured tawny (no added sugar!) is rich, smooth, and easy to enjoy - pure, simple delight! 

 

The brandy barrels used to age our tawny from Gilbey’s Distillery in Moorabin originally arrived from Gilbey’s Distillery in England. Roger was able to secure these and many other old English oak barrels. Working closely with his cooper, he created the perfect storehouse for our fine, smooth Brandy Tawny.

 

 

On 10/08/2020 at 4:55 PM, DRC said:

I've got some 12 YO Touriga Nacional tawny base maturing in barrel. It will be the closest thing to a Taylors Tawny this side of the equator and I'm really excited about how it will look as a 15 YO.

Just saw this DC.

 

How do we get some amigo? 🙏🙏

8 hours ago, Mendes said:

Just saw this DC.

 

How do we get some amigo? 🙏🙏

I'm letting this one age to 20 YO, so bottling and release in 2028. Apologies for the wait.