Sugared Plum Wine Recipe 2015

Plum wine #2 2015

Just having made plum wine a few days ago I didn't expect to be thinking about making this wine again so soon. I found plums on sale at Aldi and couldn't pass them up. They were selling Sugared Plums which I had never seen before. So I snatched them up along with a can of frozen apple juice.

Sugared Plum Wine 2015

Brewing day: June 20, 2015, 10 a.m.

4 lbs. Sugared Plums

1 can frozen apple juice

2 lbs. Sugar

Acid

Tannin

Yeast nutrient

Pectic enzyme

Wine yeast

Notes: 

Pitched yeast on Sunday morning June 21 at 10 am.

Specific gravity: 1.122, a bit high but not a full gallon of liquid so a bit off. I will top up to a gallon when racking.

June 29, 1st racking

July 19, 2nd racking, Gravity 0.993, beautiful ruby color.

No noticeable fermentation.

August 29, wine is clearing nicely and is a much richer color than plum wine number one.

September 13, removed wine from cold storage. Carboy has been in the garage fridge for two weeks to clarify and stabilize.

November 27, 2015: Bottled wine. Added stabilizer and three ounces of sugar syrup

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.