Something is brewing! Apple Wine!

So I thought I would take the opportunity to build on my site by adding a bit of blogging fun! With this space it has been so laced with column work over the past couple of years I have not taken the opportunity to grow on the opportunities a blog presents. Don’t get me wrong I love the column work and really enjoy writing with the Brandon Sun. I just thought this would be a chance to grow my love for the written word by using the blog as it should be!

For those of you who do not know I have been making wine for a few years now albeit I took a bit of a hiatus for the last couple years as kids, moves, career changes and the formation of a new business have kept me away from it. I have over the years brewed a number of wines and beers and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Most of my brewing has been in the kit variety and I must admit I truly enjoy the Niagra Mist line of kits available at many brew stores. They are quick and easy and for the most part pretty foolproof.

With my latest incarnation though I thought I would try something completely different. How does one go about making a wine completely from scratch? This would without a doubt be a challenge for me and would take some trial, error and time to get used to.

I really thought for my first go around I would try something along the lines of an apple wine. Apple wine or appfelwein as it is dubbed in Germany is a crisp, sweet tasting wine with a unique flavour and bouquet resembling apple pie! For the recipe I wanted something that would take some time and be a labour of love, so after a quick internet search I came across this organic recipe on a site called Allotment Heaven. This recipe calls for very few ingredients and plenty of time to hone a nice tasting wine. With the kits through the use of chemical agents this process is expedited but through this process I hope to take my time in crafting a nice, drinkable, from scratch wine.

I will keep you posted as the process goes along but thought for today at least I would post a couple of photos and brief introduction to a process that may, when it is all said and done be a couple of years in the making.

Below is a group of photos. All the apples were harvested locally in our yard in Brandon Manitoba Canada.

Happy wine-making! To check out the recipe click the link here. To follow the brewing as it happens I will post the articles to this link.