Dragon Blood Trial & Error

Back on May 21, I racked my first batch of Dragon Blood and did a taste test.  My notes say everything that needs to be said:

"Taste Test:
Dry, slightly acidic, and the taste was like diesel.  There is something in it that doesn't taste right.  Perhaps one of the fruit components like pomegranate or cherry?"

It is early, and the taste may evolve over time.  However, I am now a little cautious about experimenting with out-of-the-ordinary frozen fruit mixes such as the one I used on this particular batch.  Dragon Blood is usually made with common triple berry mixes (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry).

With that cautionary lesson, I went ahead and purchased a frozen triple berry mix and used the same basic recipe as the previous batch:

Dragon Blood v.2

3 gallons distilled water
17 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp peptic enzyme
2 tsp yeast nutrient
1.5 tsp acid blend (tartaric, citric, malic acids)
3 campden tablets (crushed)
2 kg of "Triple Berry Blend", in a nylon mesh bag (tied-off)

(The only differences are in the slightly higher amount of sugar required to get to the same starting s.g., and the larger mass of berries - which is simply because that was the amount in the bag!)

I started this one week ago.  The starting specific gravity was 1.087.  It is now 1.048.  I'm going to wait a couple of days, check the s.g., and rack to a carboy.

"Dragon Blood"

One of the best things I have done related to wine making is to join the Home Made Wine Making Google+ Community.  Community members are always posting interesting things and there is a lot of recipe sharing that goes on.  One of the wine recipes that frequently pops up is known as "Dragon Blood" - a name that was coined by a home made winemaker known as DangerDave.  DangerDave's Dragon Blood recipe is a variation of berry wine recipes that are described, for example, in that little purple "Winemaker's Recipe Handbook".  DangerDave's innovation is to use a frozen triple berry mix, found in the frozen food section of just about every supermarket, as the fruit.  By all accounts, Dragon Blood is easy to make and it can be ready to drink in less than two weeks.  This seemed like something worth trying.

As it happened, one day I was shopping at Costco, and spotted a frozen organic fruit mix (blackberry, blueberry, cherry, pomegranate, and strawberry).  This was just the thing to use in a first attempt of a Dragon Blood variation.  This frozen fruit sat in my deep freeze for a few months and I recently decided to get on with it.

"Super Fruit Blend"

As it is with chemistry experiments, so it is with wine making: The first thing you do is spend some time planning what you will do.  In wine making, this means reading and comparing different recipes, and then coming up with your own.  On looking at DangerDave's recipe, I was little nervous about how much lemon juice (48 oz.!!) is added because that is just too much acidity for me.  My purple handbook has a number of berry wine recipes that include only small amounts of acid blend, to improve the balance.  I decided to opt for that approach rather than load it up with lemon juice.

Here's the recipe:

3 gallons distilled water
15 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp peptic enzyme
2 tsp yeast nutrient
1.5 tsp acid blend (tartaric, citric, malic acids)
3 campden tablets (crushed)
1.5 kg of "Super Fruit Blend", in a nylon mesh bag (tied-off)

The sugar, peptic enzyme, yeast nutrient, acid blend, and campden tablets were dissolved in 3 gallons of water, in the primary fermenter (white plastic bucket with lid).  The frozen fruit, in a tied-off nylon mesh bag was steeped in the mixture for the next 24 hours.  During that period, I wrung out the bag a few times to squeeze out the juices and infuse the fruit with peptic enzyme.

Fruit in nylon mesh bag.

Ready to steep.

After steeping, and prior to adding the yeast, I took a density measurement so I could estimate alcohol content later.  Specific gravity = 1.087.  I added the yeast (1 packet of sparkling wine yeast) to get the fermentation started.

Primary fermentation underway.

During the primary fermentation, there were nice, mild, fruity aromas in the room.  Every other day, I stirred the mixture to help draw out the fruit flavours.  By the sixth day, the specific gravity was 1.035.  This was low enough that I siphoned the must into a carboy for secondary fermentation.

Secondary fermentation (4 days after transfer)

So there it is.  Fermentation is still going.  My plan is to let it go right to dryness before bottling.