Method:-
1 - Remember to sterilise all equipment before use.
2 - Pop the sloes in a bucket and pour on 1 gallon of boiling water.
3 - Give them a good stir and pop the top on firmly.
4 - Place the bucket somewhere warm (approx 20°C) for 2 months to allow a mould to grow on the top.
5 - The mould will add lots of amazing flavours and give it a natural spice, while the hints of almond will start to seep out of the stones and add extra flavour.
6 - After 2 months there should be a thick mould, carefully remove this (in 1 go if possible). Do this by loosening the mould from the side of the bucket and getting your hands in and under and lift it all in one go.
Yes it looks and feels yucky, but just get in there!
7 - Pop the mould on your compost heap!
8 - Prepare your 2nd fermenting bucket by stretching the muslin bag over the top. I find using clothes pegs every few inches around the top of the bucket holds the muslin in place and stops it dropping into the bucket - leave a little gap of a few pegs to allow you to pour in the sloe infusion.
9 - Carefully pour in the sloe infusion, being careful not to splash it everywhere.
10 - Once you have poured it all in, leave it in the muslin for a little while to allow any remaining liquid to drip into the bucket.
11 - Now remove the muslin bag and the sloes.
12 - Stir the sugar and stir until it is all dissolved.
13 - Take a hydrometer reading and save this for later.
14 - Stir in the yeast nutrient and the yeast.
15 - Put the lid on loosely and transfer to somewhere warm (approx 20°C) for 7 days, Stirring daily.
16 - After 7 days, strain again through muslin into another bucket to catch any remaining bits of sloe and then transfer into a demi-john. Fit a bung and airlock (half filled with water) and transfer to a cool corner in the house, ideally around 16° to 20°C to allow for the the fermentation to complete. This can take up to 4 weeks but can take longer. Fermentation is complete when no more bubbles pass through the airlock.
17 - When you think the fermentation has finished, check the Specific Gravity with you hydrometer. It should be under 1.000 and ideally around 0.995. If not leave it for another week and test again.
18 - Once the fermentation has completed, rack the wine off the sediment into a clean, sterilised demi-john. Add 1 crushed Campden tablet and 1 teaspoon of pectolase - this will help break down any pectin and help the wine to clear. Stir. Refit the airlock and leave to clear.
19 - Once clear, take the final hydrometer reading. This will tell you the proof of your finished wine.
20 - Bottle and leave for 6 months - ideally longer.
Tip: Hide a bottle away for a few years, the resulting maturity will blow you away!!!
