Sugared Plum Wine: First Impressions

April 6, 2016

It seemed like every time I went shopping last spring, the plums were ripe and could be had for a bargain. I purchased these at a local Aldi, where I almost never buy fruit for winemaking. They were so fresh, that I decided to give them a try. Finding good quality fruit is the hardest and most important thing when making wine. I've made enough plum wine to know. 

This Sugared Plum wine was brewed in June and bottled it in November.

Plum Wine is one of my favorite wines to make at home. When done right it can be a special treat. The key is to use enough fruit to add body and flavor only adding enough sugar to get the brix level to about 22 or 23. That gives me just the right amount of alcohol to volume so the wine doesn't taste thin or too hot.

First Tasting

The color is a nice ruby red. The wine is fruity and sweet, but not overly so with a tart, well rounded smooth finish. Sometimes Plum wine can taste thin like Cool Aid. However, this Sugared Plum Wine has a nice balance and a richness that makes it special. The alcohol level is probably around 12% even though the specific gravity was a bit high on brewing day. I did have to water the brew down a bit while racking off the sediment which accounts for the lower Alcohol percentage. 

I'll be looking for Sugared Plums to come out again this spring with the hope of making another successful batch.

Link to the Sugared Plum Recipe can be found here.