h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Are you aware that good quality, grape-based wines are readily available at a reaonable price, pre-bottled, from many retail outlets?

The Apprentice

My uncle used to make this and OOOFFT it had kick! I can't wait to give it a try. What a great article, fun AND practical.

Must find some demijohns now. Where did I leave them??

Pow*

Really, Edward? Damn. Once again, I've written something completely useless...

Ah, but they are totally NOT available when living in Certain Parts of The World; Ed! I used to make red, white, rosé & , also Martini type stuff in buckets containing 28 litres. We had a Wine Appreciation Society in Kuwait & my HDR (Heavy Duty Red) won quite a few prizes.



zdt

well...needs must, I suppose. In a similar vein:
http://blacktable.com/gillin030901.htm

Although why anyone with access to a branch of Oddbins would want to bother escapes me.

Well, fruit wines are quite different, Edward. This method doesn't make gutrot; it's surprisingly good wine. There's also the cost. If you catch a supermarket an hour before closing time you can get short-dated juice for 10-20p a litre sometimes. Add in the cost of the yeast and you're talking less than £2 for six bottles - even Oddbins can't compete with that

Hmm; neither can France. The el cheapo stuff in plastic bottles works out at around 1 Euro per litre, ie: around 68p in Anglogeld. It must be said, it is pretty vile & requires the addition of el cheapo lemonade (23cents for 2 litres....it's a race to guess which vile liquid will kill you first) But it is at least made from grapes.

I tend to think that home made might actually be a better bet for the seriously poor would-be drinky person. Certainly the stuff that masquerades as fake has never seen a grape in its life & absolutely everyone who drinks it ends up with a hangover.

zdt

With a little more effort, you can make sparkling wine by this method. It works best with apple juice wine, and you just ferment it a second time in a champagne bottle with an extra dab of sugar. I wanted to make this Entry as simple to follow as possible, though, so I haven't gone into it here.

Yes, indeed. I used to use bottles with those nice old-fashioned tops, like the Schlitz stoppers,or Grolsch; at least we all recycled them; not left them lying around:

http://indianabeer.com/NewsPics2004/News1222GrolschCrash2.jpg

zdt

Why is it that those large bottles are called demijohns in English? I thought they were called damejeannes? (Dame Jeanne - for looking like fat ladies presumably)

I drank somethin described as "chemical cider" once. It was very cheap and vile and worrying. Wine made from fruit juice has got to be better than that!

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