Plum wine easy recipe

Plums
There are so many plums available at this time of year it's a crime not to make some effort to use as many as possible. Besides strong-arming the family to take as many as possible and freezing loads for the winter, making plum wine and plum jam are quick and easy ways to gain from all that fruity goodness.

Here's the recipe for plum wine. No chemicals are used, just all natural ingredients other than Milton baby liquid to sterilise equipment. A great Summer wine to make. Why not try out some of the other Allotment Heaven easy recipes?

Besides the desire to not waste a single plum, I started making this wine because I was fed up trying to find wine in the shops that didn't have the 'contains sulphites' message hidden away on the back label. Sulphites can cause allergies and a headache.

The instructions below are to make one UK imperial gallon of wine, which will give you about six bottles. If you can make a batch of five gallons even better... it's simpler to make large batches of wine since it's easier to bottle without disturbing the sediment. Just multiply the ingredients by five apart from the wine, for which you should follow the instructions on the container.

The cost of equipment is pretty low... about £35 if you acquire the wine bottles by saving from bought white wine. Thereafter your only cost is for sugar, lemons and some wine yeast... so having made the initial investment in equipment, typically you're enjoying rather nice, strong wine with no sulphite content for well under 50p a bottle! Why wouldn't you want to do it?


Equipment needed
Something for stirring the contents
Long clear plastic tubing (available from DIY stores)
Funnel
A 1 gallon demijohn (cheaper if you buy several)
6 wine bottles (ideally clear glass)


Ingredients needed
5lbs (2.25 kilos) of healthy plums (including stones)
3lbs (1.35 kilos) of sugar
1 gallon of water
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Wine yeast


Method
1. Sterilise the fermentation barrel and lid using the Milton liquid.
2. Wash the plums, cut in half and remove the stones.
3. Place in fermentation barrel
4. Bring water to boil and pour in fermentation barrel.
5. Put the lid on and leave for four days, stirring twice daily.
6. Add the sugar and stir vigorously to dissolve.
7. Add lemon juice and wine yeast and put the lid on.
8. Store somewhere warm. After a few hours you'll notice something starting to happen... there'll be a froth on the surface as the yeast starts to ferment, turning the sugar into alcohol. Stir the contents twice a day.
9. After five days transfer the liquid to the demijohn using the plastic tubing and funnel. Make sure all the equipment has been sterilised with Milton liquid.
10. Avoiding disturbing any sediment, place the fermentation barrel at a higher level than the demijohn (e.g. put the barrel on a table and the demijohn on the floor), put one end of the plastic tubing in the barrel, and having placed the funnel in the neck of the demijohn give the other end of the tubing a strong suck to pull some of the wine in the tube up and over the edge of the barrel. Quickly remove your mouth and put the tube end into the funnel. The wine should start to drain.
11. Stop removing liquid when you get close to the bottom so you transfer as little of the sediment as possible. Once all the liquid is in the demijohn top up with water to bring to a gallon. Seal with the rubber bung and airlock, having put a small amount of diluted Milton liquid in the airlock.
12. You can now store the wine for months somewhere cool and frost free. At first the fermentation may start up again and you'll see bubbles going through the airlock. Gradually the wine will clear.
13. Once fully clear repeat the draining process, this time from the demijohn to sterilised wine bottles. Put a stopper in each bottle and store.
14. The wine will be ready to drink after twelve months.

170 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:35 am

    Hi,
    I like your recipe and have a couple of questions if you don\'t mind.
    Does the wine clear alright? Some recipes on the Internet suggest that it\'s better to put in the additives.

    Can I double the amount as I have a lot of plums to use, if so do I just follow the recipe and double the quantity.
    Thank you, kind regards, Liz

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Liz… The wine will clear, although plum wine is probably one of the fruit wines that take longer than average. You can use additives to clear the wine, their generic name is finings. If you do choose to use one, check carefully what it's contents are… some are made from animal protein for example and therefore may be from an unappetising source. I prefer to do the whole thing naturally, although it does take some patience and self control!

      Yes, just double the amounts if you have a lot more plums to use and a big enough container.

      Hope all goes well.

      Regards, John

      Delete
  2. Anonymous7:34 am

    Hi, followed your instructions and am on fifth day of ferment, should the fruit sink before I syphon into demijohn of should it be strained off first? I am new to this but every thing has worked as suggested....thanks...Ian

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ian… the aim is to transfer as little of the fruit pulp into the demijohns as possible. So if your fruit is floating on the top or sunk to the bottom that should enable you to siphon off the liquid and easily avoid getting any of the fruit plugged up against the tube mouth. You want to avoid having to strain out the fruit since this will get more of the soft pulp floating into the liquid.

      Regards, John

      Delete
  3. Anonymous2:29 pm

    hey john,
    i have a huge plum tree in the garden of our cottage, and this year is the first year i am attempting to make plum wine, after many years of crumbles and jams and chutneys!
    please could you tell me how much wine yeast you would add in your recipe?
    cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Emma… I use Young's wine yeast. Here's a link below showing an image of the container, and just about the lowest price I can find. If you're in the UK, Wilkson's stores stock this yeast. The instructions state one heaped teaspoon per gallon. Hope that helps.

      http://www.brew2bottle.co.uk/super-wine-yeast-compound-60g.html?gclid=CITB1orxzLkCFYqR3godH0YATA

      Regards, John

      Delete
    2. Would this be for the 5 gallons of water, or the 1 gallon that is used in the demijohn?

      Delete
    3. Hi Dan... Although the equipment list above mentions a five gallon fermentation barrel (because you don't get anything smaller), all the other instructions and ingredients are to make one gallon of wine to fit in one one gallon demijohn. To make five gallons just multiply the ingredients by five and have five demijohns.

      I think the instructions on the Wilkinson's yeast are for making one gallon of wine. Hope this explains things. Regards, John

      Delete
    4. Anonymous8:33 pm

      Hi, so can you make 5 gallons of wine in one 5 gallon fermentation barrel, simply by 5x the ingredients?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous6:08 am

      That's correct.

      Delete
  4. Hiya, I followed your recipe because it seems so simple. I'm new to winemaking. After making plum wine and leaving it in the demijohn for about 3 months, I siphoned it into bottles yesterday. I checked with a hydrometer that it had stopped fermenting beforehand. I had a sip of the test wine - it tasted horrible - quite sour in fact. What can I do to make it taste better? Or will be OK after a year or so in the bottle? Thanx. Please let me know what you think.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Crianza... I'm sorry to hear you're having problems. The most likely reasons for the sour taste is are...

      1. Bacteria has got into the mix and has turned the wine into vinegar. If this is the case, it's likely it will get even more sour over time.

      2. It just might be that, being a young wine, the taste will improve and you just may have to slowly add some sugar to sweeten to your taste.

      Since it isn't really ready for drinking until 12 months old, I suggest having another taste in 3 months time. If it's even more sour then, it'll be from reason no. 1 and you'll have to throw the lot away and try again next year, being especially careful over sterilisation and ensuring no damaged plums are used. If the wine taste a little better, leave it for a further 6 months and then judge if you need to add more sugar for taste when it's 12 months old.

      Hope this helps, John

      Delete
  5. Hi, Crianza here again. Just wanted to say the we've had another taste of the plum wine and it seems to be improving. We think it was just a bit young. Thanks for your advice. By the way, we also did your apple wine recipe and just bottled it up today. We had a taste and it was gorgeous - we even felt a tad tipsy after a few sips. After a year or two it should be really nice. Thanks again. Crianza

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's great news Crianza...phew! The apple wine turns out lovely and golden, both in colour and taste, so well worth the wait!

      Regards, John

      Delete
  6. Anonymous7:34 pm

    Hi. If I use frozen plums, should I defrost them first before starting to make the wine?
    Thanks, Mo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mo... I suspect when you add boiling water to the plums this will defrost them anyway Mo, so go for it. Regards, John

      Delete
    2. Thanks John. Will have a go and let you know the result.

      Delete
    3. I have followed this recipe with frozen plums. Works fine.

      Delete
    4. Appreciate the feedback, Ben.

      Delete
  7. Hello,

    I've stumbled across this recipe today, and I like the look of it (minimal ingredients, minimal hassle). Just one question for you though.

    I've got a fruit press at home, so I was wondering if I cut and stone the plums and then press them, can I just add the juice and skins (wrapped in muslin) to the fermentation barrel? I'm hoping that will reduce the amount of sediment as I can just remove the muslin bag with all the skins when I transfer the liquid.

    Regards,
    Martin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Martin... Yes, that would be a fine way to ensure the wine cleared more quickly.

      Good luck, and thank you for the positive comments about the recipe.

      Regards, John

      Delete
  8. Anonymous5:24 pm

    hello you mention that you need a large strainer when do you actually need a strainer during the wine making process as you don't state it anywhere in the method. thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooops! Sorry, that but was copied from the apple wine recipe, where you do need a strainer. For the plums you don't. I've corrected the 'Equipment needed' list. Thanks for spotting that.

      Regards, John

      Delete
  9. Anonymous7:00 pm

    Hi. I have a lot of red cherry plums the are very sweet when left on the tree until they drop. Some of them have natural yeast already forming on the skins so I squashed them and put the whole plums including stones into the fermentation barrel and only added an equal amount of water by volume as i didn't want to dilute the yeast and plum sugar. Within a couple of hours the fermentation started. Been going really strong for 5 days now and smells wonderfull. Going to transfer the wine to demijohns tomorrow. Will update if successful or a disaster later. Stuart

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for that Stuart. I'll be interested to hear how it turns out. I've always ducked using the natural yeast on fruit to do the fermentation in case I end up with a form of cider (though that might not be too bad anyway). Hence the recommendation under 'Ingredients' to use wine yeast.

      Best of luck! John

      Delete
  10. Anonymous9:09 pm

    Hi John
    I made your plum wine recipe in Sept 13. It is in a non see through 25L container with an airlock fitted. I have racked it twice. The airlock is still blipping about once every 4-6 hours. Someone has told me I should have bottled it months ago and I thought if it was still blipping it was fermenting and so not yet ready. What do you think? Should I bottle it or leave it longer? I am patient if needed!
    Many Thanks

    Tracy

    When I tasted it last - around 4 months old it tasted reasonable although was very cloudy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tracy… If the airlock is still blipping it IS still fermenting. Sounds like its nearly finished, though, if it’s happening only every 4 to 6 hours in this warm weather. I'm fascinated to discover how you know that… have you been doing a bit of airlock-watching?. Trouble is, if you bottle now you may pop the corks.

      Wait a little longer. Should be OK to bottle once the weather cools.

      Regards, John

      Delete
  11. Anonymous12:58 pm

    I have just followed the recipie and would like to know what sort of % the wine will be?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi... although you're supposed to measure this with an hydrometer, I've never done this. Prefer the anticipation of that first drink. But you'll find it's pretty strong ~:0)

      Delete
  12. I have a question on your method steps:
    5. Put the lid on and leave for four days, stirring twice daily.
    6. Add the sugar and stir vigorously to dissolve.

    Is that step 6 after four days, or add the sugar and stir at the same time within the step 5 four days?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Teresa... all steps are sequential, so only add the sugar for step 6 onwards after four days. Regards, John

      Delete
  13. Anonymous4:45 pm

    hi John, I have not ried the recipe yet but it sounds more do-able than some of the more complicated versions on the net (which I am glad of!) My question is could I use this same recipe for other fruits?

    Many thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You certainly can as a general principle. You might want to have a look at the other Allotment Heaven alcohol recipes at http://allotmentheaven.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/allotment-heaven-easy-recipes.html

      Delete
  14. Anonymous11:25 pm

    Hi john
    I bottled my wine today. It has been fermenting for almost one year. I sweetened it slightly and it is beautiful. It has a very slight cloud but I prefer that to using finings. Also, it is incredibly strong! Thank you so much for the recipe, I am looking forward to sharing with friends at a BBQ tomorrow and then saving some until next year.
    Best regards
    Tracy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you like it Tracy. Sounds like the BBQ will go with a swing! Regards, John

      Delete
  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Room temperature is just fine, Brian. Regards, John

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  16. Anonymous1:39 pm

    I have just bought the kit needed and im wondering healthy plums.. can i cut out the maggoty bit or do all of them need to be untouched by insects lol ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you were absolutely sure of being left with unaffected plum, you can cut out the affected bit. But if you've got plenty of plums it's a lot faster to go for unaffected fruit. Hope this helps. Regards, John

      Delete
    2. Anonymous1:34 pm

      Thanks and can i check is it 9 days before i transfer to the demijohn ?

      Delete
    3. No, it's 14 days...

      In step 5 it's 4 days
      In step 7 it's 5 days
      In step 9 it's 5 days

      Thanks, John

      Delete
    4. Anonymous5:46 pm

      Confused about this - is step nine an extra five days of stirring after step 7?

      Delete
    5. Hmmm.... you're right! The steps are a bit confusing so I've tidied the timing explanation up. And having confused myself, it is 9 days before transferring to the demijohn. It won't be any problem if you've left it for 14 days before transferring to the demijohn... it's all fermenting time anyway.

      Thanks for spotting that. Regards, John

      Delete
    6. Anonymous9:48 am

      I feel like im being a pain but ive never made wine or any kind of brewing before and im stuck again , im on day 10 and have just seen your reply and havent yet bought the plastic tubing to siphon off the wine , i have googled and it seems it comes in different sizes........ now i have no idea what size i need and it seems b&q etc dont have any so im going to have to order online . any help appreciated.

      Delete
    7. No problem... here's a link to the type of tubing at a good price. You need a minimum of two metres. The length depends on how high you're going to put the barrel and how far you're going to stretch. Generally you have to be able to adjust the depth of the tube in the barrel as it empties at the same time as getting ready to stick your finger over the other end once the demijohn is full, so the flow down the tube is maintained ready for the next demijohn.

      Hope this helps... here's the link:

      http://www.dorsethomebrew.co.uk/shop/straining-and-filtering/313-pvc-tube-1-point-5-metre-three-eighths-inch-bore-5021954099129.html

      Regards, John

      Delete
    8. Anonymous12:46 pm

      Hello its Caroline again, i have bought the tube and i have just transferred to the demijohn, as i was sucking the tube i got a taste of the wine and i would describe it as a very dry cider , not very nice. Is this normal at this stage ? Thanks for all the help.

      Delete
    9. It won't taste all that great at this stage, Caroline. You'll still have quite a bit of yeast floating around in the liquid. You've still got a settling period to go through in the demijohn, then further months in the bottles. Although you can drink after 12 months, the wine is at its best after two years. Thanks, John

      Delete
    10. Anonymous1:44 pm

      Thats great , i have even started the apple wine today to give that a try :)

      Delete
  17. Hi John,

    Could I use this recipe for other fruits such as blackberry or elderberry (same quantities)?

    Cheers :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Andy... Yes, you could use the same recipe for fruit with a similar moisture content. Regards, John

      Delete
  18. I have just got home to find that my wine is not fermenting 24 hours after adding the yeast. It is room temperature, thermometer on the side says 22deg so just don't know where I have gone wrong. Can you please help, I have followed directions to the 'T'. Thanks
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lisa... That's happened to me occasionally too. Sometimes the yeast needs a bit of a kick start, so use some yeast nutrient. It's available from Wilkinsons, here's the link...

      http://www.wilko.com/homebrew-accessories+equipment/wilko-yeast-nutrient-50g/invt/0022654

      Regards, John

      Delete
  19. Hello. Do we really have to remove the stones if they are unlikely to split? Also, if I do have to, my wine books say cut in half and take out the stones.Mine are so ripe I could just squash the plums by hand and pull out the stones, does that cause the fruit to become too mashed up? I see somebody else wanted to use their press.I also have a press, but I worry that pressing them causes too much haze to the wine because of pectin and it will struggle to clear.I personally will be using a pectic enzyme anyway, I'm sure the achohol will cause me more damage than a bit of pectolayze.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Neil... Many fruit stones and seeds contain toxins such as arsenic, although it's in such small quantities it's unlikely to hurt you. I've always preferred to remove the plum stones, but I'd be interested int he end result if you leave them in.

      It's best if you use firm fruit and don't mash them up, otherwise you'll have too much soft pulp in the mix and it will be difficult to clear. Pressing apples is fine, but plums cause more problems.

      Although pectic enzyme is extracted from fruit and fungus, and therefore you could say is from a natural source, I try to stay away from anything subjected to a manufacturing process. Yes, I know the sugar and yeast ingredients have been through this process, but it's all about reducing that type of content as much as possible for me.

      Hope this helps, Regards, John

      Delete
  20. Anonymous5:37 pm

    Hi John,

    I'm just starting my 2nd year of winemaking. Last year's batches were all pretty successful and for one batch of plum wine, excellent (sadly only 1 gall was made)
    Most batches were made from thawed out previous years' frozen stewed apple and blackberry as most of the new crop was commandeered by the wife for either eating or freezing. I didn't notice any difference between batches made from stewed and those from fresh.

    This year I'm experimenting with some different methods and your no added chemicals principal is the same as mine (I only use boiling water to sterilise, but Milton looks a safe alternative and all organically grown fruit), so I'm giving the plum recipe a try.

    My method last year was similar to yours, adding boiling water to the fresh or frozen fruit in a 1 gal fermenting bin and gently pulping (unlike your advice to avoid pulping, but I had no problem clearing), but the main difference is, I only added the boiling water to about halfway, then heated the other half in a large pan and added the sugar and kept heating until all dissolved. In your method, getting it all to disolve in only lukewarm water takes ages. I then added this to the bin without the 4 day wait as in your recipe. I wonder what exactly is the purpose of the 4 day wait, does it extract more flavour? The boiling water will have killed off any wild yeast, so it won't have started fermenting.

    As a final note, all my bottles were definitely drinkable by Xmas, and those that survived a couple more months didn't seem very different. I'm going to try and be more patient with this year's!

    Regards,
    Bill

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Bill... Yes, the four day wait is to allow maximum seepage of the juices from the plums. I accept it does make it more difficult to then dissolve the sugar, but I suspect if you put the sugar in too early it will inhibit the juices fully coming out.

      Yes, having patience is difficult when the full bottles of lovely coloured wine look ready. But I suspect the flavour is enhanced on a similar scale to that of the apple wine... have a look at the comments for that, one of which from Chris gives a scale which indicates a 3yr old wine is at best flavour. You can read that at the link slow. Regards, John

      http://allotmentheaven.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/apple-wine-easy-recipe.html

      Delete
  21. Hi John,

    Which is better, brewing sugar or granulated?

    Cheers Andy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Andy... there are no doubt some subtle differences between the two, but I doubt you could easily tell the difference at any stage in the brewing process or in the end result. I always use granulated sugar.

      Thanks, John

      Delete
  22. Anonymous9:00 pm

    Hi I am making wine for the first time and have made the plum wine I have followed the recipe but I had a lot of sediment at the bottom of my demijohn and some pulp floating on top it's only been in for a month but i have siphoned it into a clean demijohn, its only been in a month will it be ok its seems t8 off stopping fermenting though. Thanks sam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It would normally bubble away for a bit longer than a month, Sam. When you move it into a clean demijohn did it smell alcoholic? If so, you're probably OK.

      Yes, the plum wine does have a lot of sediment because the fruit is softer than, say, apples. It just takes longer to clear.

      Regards, John

      Delete
  23. Anonymous5:33 pm

    Hi John, just wanted a little advice, I've chopped the plumbs smaller so should only take 3 days & have only added half the water as I was thinking of dissolving the sugar in the other half before adding it after the 3 days. should I let it cool down before adding or will the boost in tempetature then help the yeast? I know it should be tepid. Great forum this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure if cutting the plums smaller will reduce the time for the juices to leach out. You could use billing water for the other half gallon and mix the sugar in with that; it will make dissolving the sugar easier. After pouring the additional half gallon into the barrel ensure it is warm, and not hot, before adding yeast. The slightly increased temperature should help get the yeast going.

      Thanks for the positive feedback.

      Delete
  24. James & Megan1:39 am

    Just wanted to say thank you for the time and effort you've put into making this blog and these recipes. Our first time of making wine and we've just finished transferring the batch into a couple of demijohns to mature over a few months. All looks good so far! As expected there's still some liquid in the fermentation bin but not enough to go for a third demijohn; At the moment the plan is to strain the leftovers through some muslin and then leave it in the fermentation bin a while longer before drinking. Perhaps we were lucky with our choice of yeast or plums but it's reasonably tasty as is!

    Thanks again,

    James & Megan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Megan, James... appreciate the positive comments. I'd recommend trying the sloe vodka recipe too... still just enough time to prepare for Christmas and New Year, and it's such a delicious fruity taste.

      Thanks John

      Delete
  25. Anonymous8:18 pm

    Hi john I have bottled my wine now, I had a taste and its quite nice, will it be ok to drink after a couple of month's or does it need the full twelve
    Thanks sam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sam... The sooner you drink the wine, the rougher it will be. Frustrating as it is, it's well worth the wait 'til the full 12 months or even longer. But if you get into the routine of making wine every year, it's only this first year that takes patience. If you make lots each year, by this time next year you'll be sipping your own year old wine whenever you want, keeping a few bottles back until they're at their best at about 3 years old, and bringing on the next batch. Regards, John

      Delete
  26. Anonymous5:32 pm

    Hello. and firstly thanks for a great tasting receipe which was easy to follow.
    I have a confession that i am a lot impatient and thought about using wine kit chemicals to accelerate the process.
    I started on the first of november, following the receipe. I syphoned off the liquid and added the yeast, but put a heat belt around it.After 2 weeks it had finished bubbling.I syphoned off, to leave some debris behind.
    i then put 2 teaspoons of wine stabiliser and 5 crushed campden tablets to the mixture (23 litres).I then put wine finings a & b into the brew.(all brought from wilko's).I mixed it all up after a couple of hours and syphoned into individual demijohns.
    approx 2 & half months latter being the 15th november, started on first september, wine is crystal clear and tastes great.have bottled got 6 bottles out of each demijohn(30 in total from 20lbs of plums)
    will let it continue to age, but i bet it will be gone by new year.
    regards
    chris

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad it's looking good Chris. It really is worth waiting, though I know it's such a temptation with your first batch to share it with friends. But when I did manage to hold off on my apple wine for two years, the result was hard to describe. So much more rounded a flavour.

      The trick is to make loads next time so you have enough to put away. You may also then be able to try the more natural recipe I've listed, though I accept this takes more patience. Then when you make a new batch the following year, you've got some year old wine to drink and won't be tempted so much to raid the newer stuff.

      Thanks, John

      Delete
  27. Anonymous8:21 am

    Hello john, im wondering if its normal to have condensation on the insides of my demijohns? im using plastic ones bought from amazon the airlocks are losing alot of water through evap and the demijohns are covered with condensation on the insides. as this is my first time winemaking im unsure if this is ok ?
    Thanks caz

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Caz... It would be unusual if you are losing a lot of water through the airlocks from evaporation, it's such a small surface area to lose water from. Also unusual to have condensation covering the inside of the demijohn. What temperature are you storing the demijohns at? Assuming you're at step 12 above, you should be storing in a cool, frost free environment. If you're storing in a centrally heated room this would be too warm.

      Hope this helps, but no problem if you want to come back for more help. Regards, John

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:10 am

      ahhh i have them in my kitchen which isnt usually too warm until dinner time . as it was ok to store at room temp when it was in my the ferm bin i didnt think to move them !! i will move them now. as for the airlocks they are a type i hadnt seen before not the s bend type i grew up seeing these come apart and i fill the middle bit with kettle water... hope its not ruined

      Delete
    3. Think that's the problem Caz... too warm. I've used the airlock type you mention and it worked OK for me. Keeping my fingers crossed all works out well. Thanks, John

      Delete
  28. Thanks for posting such an easy recipe. I'm at the stage of adding the sugar, yeast and lemon juice.
    Should the bucket have its lid on tightly for the fermentation process or should it be more loose?
    It's summertime here in Australia, so hopefully I can find a cool spot when the liquid goes into the demi-johns!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Phil... Keep the bucket lid on so it is airtight, otherwise bad bacteria may get into the mix and ruin it.

      Thanks for the note about your temperatures... flippin' freezing here in England on a winter's day. I'm dreaming of being in one of my places of fascination... the Northern Territory in Australia. Guess it may be a bit on the war side there, though ~:0)

      Regards, John

      Delete
    2. NT is a fairly constant 32 degrees C John. Its the humidity that gets you!
      Thanks for the advice.

      Delete
  29. Hi John,
    I think I'm about ready to rack from my demijohns, I have been studiously collecting wine bottles ready for this. I'm wondering if its OK to use the original screw tops or should I use fresh corks, also do I need to pre soak the corks?

    Based on your recipe I have Plum, blackberry, elderberry and tea ready to rack :-)

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Andy... You're taking a risk with the original corks that bad bacteria may be introduced. Given new corks are so cheap, I always go for the new ones. I've used proper corks in the past and they don't need to be pre-soaked. They're already a tight fit when dry and you have to use a corking machine to get them in.

      In recent years I've used the plastic corks. Don't need a machine to get them in, just a wooden mallet and nimble thumbs!

      Regards, John

      Delete
    2. Thanks John,
      I have some natural corks and a hand corker so will do that. With regard to the original tops I clean the bottles out and then spray a little Starsan Sanitizer in them, shake them so every bit is covered then store waiting to fill (its a regime I use with my home brew that works).

      Cheers Andy

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    3. Sounds good to me Andy. Thanks, John

      Delete
  30. Anonymous12:00 am

    Hello John

    I'd just like to say a big thank you for this all natural recipe that doesn't use additives! I am making wine for the very first time using this recipe and so far its going great, its on the 3rd day of fermentation. I have tripled this recipe with no problems at all.

    I have one question though... Here in New Zealand, Blueberries and Blackberries are coming into season and I would like to know if I can use this same recipe to make wine out of different fruits! Thanks A lot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi... Glad the plum wine has gone so well.

      I've got blackberry vodka and blackberry jam recipes you might like to try. See them under Allotment Heaven easy recipes (http://allotmentheaven.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/allotment-heaven-easy-recipes.html).

      Sorry, no wine recipes for blueberries or blackberries at present ~:0(

      Delete
    2. Anonymous7:47 pm

      Hello again!

      So it is the fourth day of fermentation and I have a quick question.

      Should I still siphon the wine into the demijohn's if the airlock is still bubbling every 5 - 10 seconds, or shall I leave it till it slows right down?

      Thanks again!

      Delete
    3. Bit confused about 'if the airlock is bubbling away' bit. If you're in the first stage of fermentation (steps 8 & 9) above, there shouldn't be any airlock attached. The liquid should be in the fermentation barrel.

      After 5 days in the barrel follow step 9. The liquid will still be bubbling, and when you fit the air lock to the demijohn the bubbles will pop through for some weeks.

      Hope this makes sense. Regards, John

      Delete
    4. Anonymous8:05 pm

      The Fermentation barrel I bought came with a hole for an airlock, should I take out the airlock and plug it with a bung?

      Delete
    5. Since you've only got a day to go I'd leave it as is.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous8:13 pm

      So if I was to make another batch next year, should I take out the airlock?

      Delete
    7. I'd leave it in. Although it's never happened to me, I suppose there's a risk of the airtight seal on the fermentation barrel being breached if too much pressure builds up in the air space at the top, and the seal being broken. You then have a risk of bad bacteria begin introduced. All very remote risks, but with the airlock fitted all the risk is removed. It's also quite satisfying to see the bubbles popping through the airlock.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous7:47 pm

      Yes it is quite satisfying! Also, looking at the bucket now, it is quite thin flimsy plastic and you can see the lid "inflate" quite a bit, so I guess the airlock helps.

      Anyway, I have a small story to tell; So yesterday evening (which was the 16th of January for NZ) I decided to go out and have a search and scavenge through my old grandfathers shed of everything. He was a bit of a home-brewer back in his day so I thought he might have some stuff. Sure enough, he did! I found an old table with a few drawers in it. He had obviously used this to set his still on, and keep his equipment in the drawers. I went through the drawers and found a few Wine-making Hydrometers, glass siphon tube and a few other bits and bobs. He had a few brewing books as well, and as I went through them I found a promising book called "Home Made Wines & Beers - By Ben Turner." This book was first published in 1979 by Park Lane Press in London and has been reprinted in 1980 and 1981... but the cool thing in this book is the Wine Recipes! There's fruit wines, Vegetable Wines, Flower Leaf Wines, Herb Wines, its very cool! I can't wait to try these out. So thanks for kick-starting my wine making hobby john... I think I might have to start a blog as well!

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:42 am

      Just finished siphoning into a 15L Plastic Carboy/Demijohn... It's cloudy but it taste great (Couldn't help myself from taking a sneaky sip!) Very sweet and tart with a slight zing of alcohol, hopefully it gets a bit stronger and sharper from age.

      By Tripling the recipe I got a good 15 litres without adding water to top up which is amazing. Also, once the wine is fully clear, I'll probably siphon it to another demijohn for another few months before bottling... I'm pretty sure that's called racking but anyway... Can't wait to drink it!

      Delete
    10. That's a fantastic find. Bet it'll be all the more satisfying knowing you're using your grandfather's kit.

      Your right that clearing by siphoning into another vessel is called racking. Regards, John

      Delete
  31. Julie1:21 pm

    I doubled your recipe using frozen plums last November. This is now sitting in two demi johns under the stairs. Nearly three months later and one is still bubbling away while the other has stopped completely. Is this normal if they are both from the same mix. Do I bottle one now or wait for the other?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Julie... Sounds like you're currently at step 12 above.

      Although from the same mix, it may be that the one still bubbling was from the bottom half of the fermentation barrel. With more concentrated plum and yeast mix, that might explain why it's still bubbling away. It's taking a while, but I'd leave it as is.

      If the other demijohn is clear, go ahead and bottle. If still unclear, wait until it is clear. Just make sure where you're doing the storing is cool.

      Regards, John

      Delete
    2. Julie1:28 pm

      Thanks John

      Delete
  32. Anonymous11:36 pm

    Can you please post a picture of your equipment setup? Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi... I haven't got any snaps myself, but here's a link to a photo of the set up of demijohns and airlocks. Hope this is what you're after. Regards, John

      Delete
    2. Ooops... here is the link : http://winemakersacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/topping_up.jpg

      Delete
    3. Anonymous3:14 am

      Thank you!!

      Delete
  33. Anonymous1:33 pm

    Dear John
    Your site is inspirational, thank you!
    I made my first plum wine last September (2014) and 9 months on its still in the demijon (I transferred it to a second wine following your instructions). Although it seems to have stopped blipping, the wine tasted faintly fizzy when I tasted it ( it tasted quite pleasant though). Should I go ahead and bottle, or wait a bit longer. It's still pretty cloudy but that's not a problem for me. Is there something I could do to speed things up?
    Elaine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Elaine... Plum wine does take some time to clear because the plums are so pulpy. You can bottle is it if slightly cloudy and leave the remaining clearing process to take place in the bottles. But it sounds as though you need to leave in the demijohns for a bit longer if still pretty cloudy. It's better to clear in the demijohns if you can.

      The key thing to do is ensure there's no fermentation still taking place before bottling. If you bottle while there's a risk of fermentation continuing or starting up again, you'll hear the sound of popping corks... and NOT in celebration!

      Regards, John

      Delete
  34. Anonymous8:55 pm

    Hello John

    My first attempt at home brew wine, I've got the cherry plums in fermenting bucket with water, now time to add yeast , but am unsure how much yeast to add, I've got 5.25 litres of water in my brew, just over a gallon, have got a pack Wilko's yeast. Please can you help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there... It should tell you on the Wilko yeast packet. If you've got Wilko Gervin Universal Wine Yeast, each packet is enough for one gallon, or 4.54 litres. Hope this helps. Regards, John

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:07 pm

      Thanks John, just gone to my fermenting bucket and it looks like fermentation has begun without the yeast, ..froth is appearing, is this good , should I add the yeast?

      Delete
    3. Yes, add the wine yeast. It's the natural yeast present on the plum skin that has started the fermentation, but this will just give you a cider version of plum. Thanks, John

      Delete
    4. Anonymous3:54 pm

      Hello again.. another question .. I used the recipe ratios above, however I have realised my weight of fruit was stoned, is this correct or should I now add more of all the ingredients, (The stones equate to approx 10% of the weight of fruit).
      Thanks.

      Delete
    5. Hi... No, you won't need to add extra plums since the weight of plums to use is with the stones in. Regards, John

      Delete
    6. Anonymous1:54 pm

      Hi John,

      Thank you for your help.....as I mistook the weight for stoned, (so I'm in theory that much short of the water.) can I add the extra 10% water to make the ratios all correct even though I added the yeast 4 days ago, or is it too late? Thanks for your patience :)

      Delete
    7. Won't cause a problem adding 10% more water to bring it up to correct amount. Regards, John

      Delete
  35. Anonymous4:22 pm

    Hi John, I've just transferred my wine into a demijohn, do you recommend I leave it in the demijohnfor 12 months then transfer to bottles. Regards, Toni.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Toni... You leave the wine in demijohns for as long as it takes to stop fermenting and clear. It does take longer with plum wine, so the liquid may be in the demijohn for some months, but doubt if it would be as long as 12 months.

      The 12 months refers to once you've transferred from demijohn to bottles. You can drink earlier, but the wine is much better left for the full twelve months. Over on the apple wine topic, someone experimented and found the peak taste was reached at three years in the bottle. I know this sounds a LONG time to wait, but if you start making wine every year and keep a few bottles back, you'll soon have a cellar full of varyingly aged wines.

      When you get to that stage, Toni, let me know and I'll help you drink it! Thanks, John

      Delete
  36. I've seen some recipes that leave the stones in, has anyone tried to make this without worrying about the stones or anything else such as the insects that get in the plums?

    I've got so many plums I'm trying to cut down the processing time! Is that just lazy? I can't imagine mass volumes of this being made in a distilery by checking each plum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mike... I'm guessing commercial operations have the machinery to remove the stones. There's some debate about whether leaving stones in introduces toxins into the wine, or affects the taste.

      Don't fancy wine with a plum moth bouquet (see https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=554). I wouldn't use anything but healthy looking plums with no holes in the skin. If you've got so many plums, it's pretty easy to just sort out the good looking ones for making your wine.

      Hope this helps. Regards, John

      Delete
  37. Hi John can this wine be aged in a oak barrel?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Perry.... Can't really comment since I've never tried it. Sounds like it's worth trying if yo have the right barrel. Please comment back on how it works out. Thanks, John

      Delete
    2. Hi John its Perry again I haven't made the plum wine yet. I plan on making it in a few days. I just
      purchased a brand New oak barrel made in France. i plan on agging the plum wine in plastic carboys for the most part and only age the wine in the barrel for a short time since the barrel is new. I wI'll defiantly let you know how it turns out.

      Delete
    3. Okay Perry... look forward ot the feedback. Thanks, John

      Delete
  38. Hi John,

    Do you know if there is anything I can do with the left over plums after I have syphoned the liquid from the fermenting bucket? My wine is currently in the demijohn still bubbling away. :)

    Gemma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing Gemba, other than putting them on the compost heap. The remaining plums will be far too yeasty for any type of consumption. Thanks, John

      Delete
  39. Hi John,

    I've transferred my wine into the demijohn now and it is very red and cloudy! Its still bubbling away, do you know roughly how long until I transfer it into the wine bottles?

    Also there is lots of plums left over in the bottom of the fermenting bucket, is there any use for them now or do they need to be thrown away?

    I assume I cant use them to make jam?

    Gemma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Certainly wouldn't recommend using the remaining plums for jam.

      It will take up to several months before you can transfer from demijohns to wine bottles. The bubbling will slow and then finish over a couple of months, but plum wine does take some time to clear.

      Delete
  40. Thanks john, I threw the left over plums away. Thinking of making the apple wine next :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anonymous6:03 pm

    when weighing plums is it with or without stones please

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The weight includes stones. Thanks for pointing out the lack of clarity in the 'Ingredients needed' section. I've updated the relevant part to make it clearer. Regards, John

      Delete
    2. Anonymous1:45 pm

      Hi John , i have transferred from fermentation plastic bucket to another one same , as i have 20 litres , my problem is after 2 hours not one pop or bubble has been produced from airlock , also wine was very cloudy can u help John .....thanks in advance Jim

      Delete
    3. Twenty litres is almost five gallons, so method should be the same. To help me understand a bit better, was the liquid still bubbling away before you transferred to the second fermentation barrel, and how long had it been in the first barrel? Thanks, John

      Delete
    4. Hi John, it had been bubbling albeit a lot slower on day i syphoned it actually 15 litres into new container it was in container for nine days , last five days it was bubbling ,at beginning it was going like train ....thanks again , still no action on airlock bubbles
      Jim

      Delete
    5. Hi James... Might well be fine if you've had a really active fermentation for just five days. The real test is... does it smell and taste of alcohol? If it does, all is fine and you now need to leave it to clear, which will take some time. Regards, John

      Delete
  42. I left my plums, sugar and water in the crock for three weeks. It tastes like strong liquor. Is it still safe to drink? I was thinking of transferring it to a sterile jar and putting it in the fridge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi William... I'm assuming you've also completed steps 7 & 8. If so, you can now transfer to demijohns as explained in steps 9 to 12. There's no need to put in a fridge, just a cool location such as a garage. Hope this helps. Regards, John

      Delete
  43. hi john me once again , the wine has not been active now for three days it does smell like alcohol . but taste like vinegar quite bitter , i was thinking of adding another kilo of sugar and some yeast again would that help ? thanks again Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi James... It's quite possible if you had a really active fermentation, that it's all over in 5 days.

      The more worrying point is, your wine is tasting like vinegar. That's a sign that bacteria has got into the mix and spoiled it. Ideally you should move from fermentation barrel to demijohns with airlocks, where there is little airspace for some of the bacteria that's all around us to interfere with the process. Sorry to bring you bad news. You may wish to hold off for a few days to see how the taste develops, but I fear you may have to start again.

      Keeping my fingers crossed for you, John

      Delete
  44. Hi there, I'm making your wine for the first time and now on Day 4. I was going to add the sugar, yeast & lemon juice this evening but last night I noticed the plums and water were bubbling away. It appears they've started fermenting before the wine yeast has been added. Is this bad? I don't want to waste so much sugar if I've already got a dud batch brewing! Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Picxie... It's th enatural yeast on the skins of the plums that has started the fermentation. But since this isn't wine yeast, you'd get a plum version of cider if you allowed it to continue. You should proceed as soon as possible with Step 6 onwards. Regards, John

      Delete
    2. Thank you. Is it worth continuing? Worst case I'll just get a cider/wine taste?! Or will the wine yeast take over?

      Delete
    3. It is well worth continuing. The wine yeast is stronger and will take over. It's happened to me when doing wine, and the final result was all okay.

      Delete
  45. Glad to hear that ... I went ahead anyway so fingers crossed!
    PS - It's Donna, not sure how to change the name!

    ReplyDelete
  46. I should also say (and it's probably the reason it was bubbling on Day 3) that we are experiencing 30C degree days at the moment (not sure where you are??). Should I continue to Day 9 as per the instructions, or transfer to a demijohn a bit earlier due to the heat?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Donna... Typically after five days of fermenting, the active bubbling starts to calm down and you then transfer to a demijohn. I'd leave for the five days in spite of your high temperatures. Should still be bubbling away still by that time.

      I'm guessing you're somewhere in the southern hemisphere, Donna. Australia? I'm a few miles west of Cambridge, England. Middle of winter, 11c ~:0(

      Delete
    2. Close ... New Zealand. Although I suppose there's not too many options down this way!
      So I'm now on Day 3 after putting the wine yeast in and while it is still bubbling a bit when I stir it, it's no-where near the activity it was before I put the wine yeast in. Should I be worried? It smells wine'y. And I had a small taste tonight and is tasting good albeit sweet. I'm quite excited! I do need to get another demijohn before I can transfer it all, I presume it will be okay to do on Day 10 rather than Day 9?

      Delete
    3. Either day 9 or 10 will do, Donna. It's not that scientific a process. The sweetness will give way to more alcohol over time. Sounds like it's going fine. Regards, John

      PS Please... no more weather forecasts until we get nearer to summer, you nearer to winter!

      Delete
    4. So I'm on Day 10 now and just transferred to the demijohns. I doubled the recipe and got two 5L demijohns full without needing extra water, and a bit excess as well. It's quite sweet and not very alcoholy - that will change over time I presume?
      You'll be pleased to know we've had a cold snap as well ;)

      Delete
    5. Hi Donna... The sugar that creates the sweetness should turn to alcohol over time. The fizzing bit is the yeast converting sugar to alcohol. If by 'cold snap' you mean a reduction from 30c to 25c, doesn't help. Though I shouldn't complain... we're having the mildest winter on record, with 15c recorded last week!

      Delete
  47. Well I have just added the yeast and its fermenting withing minutes...one small issue, decided to use up the plumbs fro last year that were still in the freezer, only they turned out to be apples! was about a Kilo of them to 2 of fresh plumbs so We'll see how that tastes. Thanks for the recipe. I'll be trying the apple wine too as there will not be enough apples at my parents for my usual cider making day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You might start a trend, with apple & plum wine. Please return with a comment to let everyone know how it tastes. Thanks, John

      Delete
  48. Hi John, when topping dj up with water does it need to be cooled, boiled water? Also, does the watering down effect the overall taste? My dj is about 4/5ths full. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kevin... When I say to top up the demijohn with additional water, the assumption is that you only have to add a small amount. This is the case when I've used 5 gallon plastic demijohns. Of course, if you're transferring from a 5 gallon fermentation barrel to 5 separate 1 gallon demijohns, the last demijohn filled is likely to have quite a gap. Don't fill such a large deficit with water, since this would overly dilute the taste. You can add a little water (say up to 5%). I've used unheated tap water in the past and this works okay. Regards, John

      Delete
  49. Hi. I'm about to go onto stage 9 - however my wine in the fermenting bin is still bubbling away very happily. Should I leave it a few more days for the fermentation to slow down even more before transferring it into a demi-john??
    Thanks
    Paul

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Paul... If the mix is still bubbling away merrily, yes, leave in the fermentation barrel a couple of days more. Ideally it should still be active but clearly towards the end of the first phase of fermentation before you transfer to demijohns. Once transferred, there'll be the pleasing vision of bubbles slowly popping through the airlock. Regards, John

      Delete
  50. Anonymous7:57 am

    Hi,
    I am at the stage of the wine having been in the demijohn for just over 2 months and I am struggling over whether it is clear or not. I can clearly see a sediment layer at the bottom of the demi-john and the liquid appears to be clear but I cannot see all the way through the demi-john to through the other side. Should I be able to when it is 'clear' and ready to be bottled?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Because of the nature of the fruit, plum wine does take longer to clear. If you can't see through the demijohn I'd leave it longer. May take four months to clear properly. Hope this helps. Regards, John

      Delete
  51. Anakei1:37 am

    Hi
    Thanks for the hard work and great site - now bookmarked.
    I stumbled here looking for a plum wine recipe and this sounds perfect. I can't drink wine because it gives me headache so here's hoping this one works for me.
    You don't specify the type of yeast you use. I went to our local home brew shop and got a red wine yeast. The owner was very affronted that I was not going to use campden tablets and predicted it would end in disaster. He printed out his recipe which calls for tannin, pectin, campden tablets etc etc and read like chemistry experiment. I want to go back with a sample and say I told you so!

    I come from Bury St Edmunds - not far from your neck in the woods, so your posts make me feel a little homesick and nostalgic. I'm about as far away as you can get now, in New Zealand.
    Keep up the great work :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anakei... An English welcome to you! Couldn't be much further from home. If you'd like a touch of nostalgia for the Fens, head over to my Cambridgeshire Walks web site (http://cambswalks.blogspot.co.uk/) where you'll see lots of images walks.

      So long as you're very careful on cleanliness the wine should turn out okay. The plum wine recipe is the more difficult of my alcoholic recipes since it takes a long time to clear. The apple wine recipe (http://allotmentheaven.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/apple-wine-easy-recipe.html) is the easiest.

      Wishing you a headache-free, sulphite-free home made wine! Regards, John

      Delete
  52. First ever attempt at home brewing and I’m trying your recipe. I took the suggestion to make a 5 gallon batch but had mistakenly thought that would still all fit in the one 25l fermenting tub I bought and didn't realise it wouldn't till after I'd chopped up all the plums. I put all the plums in the one barrel anyway and topped it up with as much boiling water would fit, with another ordered since and I figure I could divide the existing mix between the two and then top back up with boiling water before I add the yeast. At around day 3 now I’m noticing there’s a fermenting smell and lots of bubbles on top despite me not adding the yeast yet. Did I manage not to fully sterilise the plums due to adding relatively less boiling water than prescribed? Please advise what should I do? Is the mix probably still ok to use or should I throw it in the compost and start again from scratch? (that would be disappointing but I’d much much rather get it right now than wait a year and find the wine is no good as that could put me off home brewing entirely). Thanks! Glyn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Glyn... The fermentation has started from the natural yeast that is on the skin of the plums. This is pretty common, so you haven't done anything wrong. So long as you can add the ingredients from step 6 onwards you're still on track. Regards, John

      Delete
  53. Hi John,
    Can I substitute the plums for peaches? We have an abundance of peaches and I would love to make some peach wine, but all of the recipes I can find have tannins, etc added. I am sensitive to tannins though. I am hoping that this recipe of yours for plum wine might work?
    Thank you,
    Tracy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tracy... Yes, I think peaches would be a good substitute for plums in this recipe. Hope it works well for you. John

      Delete
  54. Hi from New Zealand! Just opened my first bottle of plum wine after meticulously following your instructions and a year in the cupboard. It is ok but not very drinkable. Definitely wine not vinegar so hurrah. Will it improve with more storage? Many thanks from down under, Joanna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Joanna... Yes, taste will improve with age, reaching a peak after about three years. Hope this helps. John

      Delete
    2. Okay thanks. Will store for longer. Kia ora!

      Delete
  55. Simon9:48 pm

    Hi, I've got a brew going, just racked it into the denijohn after ten days as it was bubbling away happily in the bucket but I was worried about the fruit getting rotten or something.

    Thanks for the recipe – but could you clear something up for me? Is your "gallon" an imperial gallon? I have assumed so and converted to litres at 4.5 but I've been looking at some American recipes and of course their "gallon" is only 3.8 litres. That's a big difference, especially if you treble the recipe like I have.

    Thanks a lot.

    Simon

    ReplyDelete
  56. Anonymous10:47 am

    Hi John, I was about to buy a fermentation bin from Wilko's in order to try your recipe - but then spotted their wide=necked 25l vessel (for which you can buy an airlock) and wondered whether if I used that I could leave the liquid in there and not have to transfer to demijohns? Would this work do you think? Thanks for all your advice and the recipes! Sarah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi... If it's the one at £19, looks interesting. Got a tap at the bottom, presumably to use with beer. Wilkos say can be used for wine. No reason why you couldn't do the transfer explained in step 9 to this vessel before storing for months. You could then transfer to wine bottles, or even try decanting to another one of these 25 litre vessels to give you a massive version of the wine box. If you try out the latter suggestion, please return to let readers know how it turned out. Thanks, John

      Delete
  57. I don't have a scale and I don't think my plums can wait. I have a nearly full 5gal bucket of very ripe plums. About how full should the bucket be for 5lbs? Will my 5gal bucket be big enough to double the recipe?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tiffa... You should just about fit twice the recipe in the 5gallon bucket. Without scales you could use something to compare. For example, a bag of sugar is 2.2lbs, so two bags is almost 5 lbs. Regards, John

      Delete
  58. Hi ,
    I think I made a mistake. I have boiled whole plum and then mashed the fruit in the water. Now my plan was to pick the seed from boiled plum and will filter the whole juice. After that I will follow the fermentation process. But I have read that seed can cause cyanide. Please advise me accordingly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:55 am

      There is evidence you'd need to eat quite a few plum seeds to harm, that cooking negates the effect, and that if the plum seeds are still whole the cyanide won't have leaked out. But it all depends on your tolerance levels. If you want to play safe, start all over again.

      Delete
  59. Anonymous9:03 am

    Hi John, I'm surprised after following your initial steps that the boiling water didn't kill any wild yeast but as we approach the end of day four the pulp has been bubbling away for a couple of days. Should I still put in the wine yeast I've bought or leave it to its own devices for a few days and see what happens? Kind regards, Ian

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:23 pm

      Hi... If you rely on the wild yeast, if you're lucky you'll end up with plum cider... though maybe something else. You need to add the wine yeast to get a predictably wine outcome.

      Delete
    2. Thanks for that. I'll do that. Thanks for your excellent info about making wines, I like that you use the minimum (or no) additives. Have to have a go at the apple wine (or a cider) as there are loads of apples at our allotments and at my wife's work. And got to go for the blackberry vodka, sounds delicious. Ian

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:04 pm

      Having said that, the idea of a plum cider is starting to sound appealing. Maybe next time! Ian

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:05 pm

      I've added the yeast, thanks. Ian.

      Delete

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