I continue my three act beverage tour for Valentine's Day in
the second installment this week. I'll be honest right away and say that this
week didn't go as planned (this being posted on Friday instead of Wednesday to start) and
the post had its own twist even before that because the drink I am sharing
isn't ready!
Most guys at least consider getting their significant other
flowers on Valentine's Day. Some actually follow through and well, I wish
everyone involved well no matter what. I've bought my share of flowers for my wife,
but this year I also incorporated flowers into by home fermentation projects. I
made a rose petal wine.
I was inspired to do this by my friend in winemaking Alan
from Montana. He and I ferment offbeat wines and love doing it. We've both made
fruit wines, strawberry in particular, fruit/grape blends, and wines made from flowers, plants and herbs
aren't at all strange to us! I had Alan's rose petal wine in 2012 and it blew
my mind. A rose colored wine with huge rose aromatics, the few sips I had were
sweet with good tannic structure. I knew I would eventually try my own hand at
this wine.
The wine is pretty simple to make, dried rose petals
(organic, untreated) are steeped in hot water to release color, aromas, flavors
and tannins. The hot water is strained and combined with sugar and acid to
create a simple rose-infused batch of sugar water. The fermentation went slowly
and smoothly and the aromatics and flavors stayed strong through completion.
And that's about as far as we have gotten. There is a
considerable amount of trapped gas in the wine and I am trying to not intervene
so I don't destroy this delicate wine. I did however have a small amount of
overflow that I stored in the fridge so I can give you an early taste.
Sweetened, iced, rose tea. That is what it tastes like. I captured
and retained enough tannins for it to be very tea-like in texture. When it is clear I expect the color to be dark
reddish purple. The nose is flowers all the way. This wine is a delightful sipper which can
easily put you and your significant other in a romantic mood.
Since this wine isn't done yet, it will be interesting to
see exactly where I end up. If I had to guess I would say that I will end up
sweetening this wine just a tad. It has plenty of acid and tannin so I doubt
I'll need to do anything there. I plan to make a small batch of a mead blend
with it, something that might be one of my big "offbeat" winners!
Cheers!
Jason
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