RUBY PORT STYLE - 25 Litres

Freeze fresh ripe fruit when picked.

Thaw plums, brambles & pears. Stone plums & crush. Hand crush brambles & cut pears in half. Liquidise canned peaches. Do not overdo this or you will create a puree which will clog up the press. Mix all fruit together and pour on 4 Kg. Sugar. Stir well and stand for 2/4 hours. Add 12 teaspsoons chalk , stir well again to ensure that all of the sugar has been dissolved, then check the S.G. This should not exceed 1.130 or you may have problems with slow or sticking fermentation. Add 6 teasps. Pectolase, 1 teasp each of amylase & nutrient & the crushed Vit. B1 Tablets. Make up the yeast as per instructions & add. Ferment on pulp for 9 days. Press. Discard pulp. Measure the volume of must obtained.

Add  sufficient grape conc. diluted to a gravity of not more than 1.130  to bring the total volume up to 23 litres (approx.) and stir well.  If the S.G. drops below 1.00 you may feed with sugar syrup to get max. alcohol. 20/21% is possible.

Rack about 8 weeks after fermentation has stopped and add 100 ppm 10% Sod. Metabisulphite solution or 10 Campden tablets. Add sugar to give an S.G. of around 1.025. You may then add chalk in stages to lower the acid, to give a balance similar to that of commercial Port - high tannin, low acid & 19% alcohol (approx.) . You may need more than 7 teasps. of chalk/gallon.

You may rack again about 4 weeks after the last chalk addition & add the oak chips. Port character should be developing at about 1 year. You decide when to drink it!

Ruby_Port.rec        15 November 2008 , Jim Shanks , Denny Wine Club.