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hi all
I have made some of the ribena wine, it has finished all the bubbley type thing and now all is quiet on the western front.
but i have tested it and its at the level that says start off wine ? so has my wine come to a halt ?????
Also every one is talking about recipes on the go but i have looked thru about 5pages of posts and list of ingrdiants, where can i find them ??
Many thanks,
Mike....

I just wait til it's stopped bubbling then drink it - pretty much. No idea about these tests thing, I'm sure someone who does will be along soon though.

Are you looking for particular recipes or the what I'm brewing thread?

What did you test it with, Snackman?

I'll wait for your answer with bated breath. Meanwhile, try tasting the wine. If it's sickly sweet, something's gone wrong and it needs to be restarted. If it's not sweet at all, it's finished. Bottom's up

Mike

I had a friend of mine bring me some ribina wine about 18 years ago - he worked at the factory where they made the cartons of it - it was amazing - can someone point me in the direction of the recipe ????

Much appreciated

The standard recipe uses 12 fluid ozs of Ribena cordial and a kilo of sugar. Apart from that, yeast nutrient, half a level teaspoon of citric acid (or juice of half a lemon) and, of course, yeast. Make up with water to one gallon. Demijohn ... airlock ... you know the rest, I'm sure.

Most people boil the Ribena for 15 minutes or so to drive of the preservatives. I've made it without bothering with the boiling, and it ferments perfectly well.

Mike

MKG wrote:Most people boil the Ribena for 15 minutes or so to drive of the preservatives. I've made it without bothering with the boiling, and it ferments perfectly well.

Aye, we're in the middle of making vimto wine - didn't read about boiling it so just started it straight off - took a while to start but is still popping now (I think we started it before Xmas sometime (although much slower now!)

MKG wrote:. Demijohn ... airlock ... you know the rest, I'm sure.

Mike

I havnt got a clue about the rest - Im only making my first drink right now :-D I put the airlocks in the cork and just filled them with a little bit of water - I hope thats right - its just that when I read this forum - and people talk about different tablets/chemicals/nutrients etc I wonder why - the elderflower stuff (which you are up to speed with in another subject :-D ) seems so simple and needs none of these other things - or does it?????

Thanks for the Ribina recipe though Mike - Im def going to try it when my bucket becomes available

Ian

Ah - the additives Yes, it can be confusing.

OK - crash course.

Citric acid (obtainable from just about anywhere) is just a more convenient version of lemon or orange juice. If you want to use those, the usual method is to squeeze a half or a whole lemon/orange as the equivalent to a half or full teaspoon of citric acid (that's a half or full LEVEL teaspoon).

Yeast nutrient is not absolutely necessary. If you're making wine from real fruit, it shouldn't be necessary at all. But if you're making wine from juices then there's not a lot in there to keep a yeast cell going. You can still do it, but the fermentation is likely to be slow. A level teaspoon of nutrient is worth using for that purpose.

Campden tablets are just a convenient form of sodium metabisulphite, which is an anti-bacterial and anti-oxidising agent. If you're careful and clean, it isn't necessary. If you're slapdash like me, it's probably a good idea.

Pectic enzyme is useful if you're making wine from high-pectin fruits such as apples (or even from jam). As you might expect, it destroys pectin cells and so prevents pectin hazes developing in your wine. Having said that, pectin hazes are not that common and, even if they do occur, are harmless.

Marmite is a brilliant source of Vitamin B1, which is a "yeast booster" which will speed up the entire fermentation process. I use B1 tablets for everything, but Marmite will do - but be careful with the amount as it does have a very distinctive taste.

Have I missed anything?

Mike

MKG wrote: but Marmite will do - but be careful with the amount as it does have a very distinctive taste.

Does that mean to much and we would have Marmite wine to dip our toast in