This wine was started in September of 2020, as another something we could do while quarantined, while hoping for better days with friends ahead.

Ingredients

• 1 packet Yeast – K1-V1116 Lavin
• 14 c. yellow plum juice w/pulp
• 11 lbs sugar
• 1 Tbs yeast nutrient
• Boiling water (enough to fill primary fermenter to 5.25 gallons)

Basic Steps

1. Sanitize all the items you will be using
2. Boil the Juice and add to the fermentation container
3. Boil water adding sugar as you go stirring continuously until all the sugar is dissolved into the water. I don’t have a pot large enough so I complete this step in batches.
4. Add water sugar mixture to the primary fermentation container (I use a bucket designed for this purpose)
5. Once the water / sugar mixture has cooled to about 97 degrees add the yeast nutrient, and yeast.
6. Cover & let the mixture sit for one week stirring daily
7. At one week move the mixture to a sanitized secondary fermenter (usually a carboy).
8. Place an air lock on the carboy and wait..and wait…and wait..
9. Approximately every 2 months rack the carboy to remove the sediment at the bottom
10. When the Specific Gravity is 1.0 and the liquid is clear it is ready to bottle. You can add potassium sorbate at this point to kill the liquid, but I like to add as little chemicals as possible to our drinks.
11. Transfer the the wine to bottles and then…more waiting!
12. I usually open a bottle at month 3 to test if it is ready yet with most wines ready at about 6 months and getting tasty starting at about 9 months.

Notes & Follow-up

This plum wine ended up being a good smooth wine which it good both chilled and room temperature, and did not require any back sweetening (maybe we are getting this down).

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