Thai Basil Wine

started 9/16/2000
bottled 11/25/2001

Alcohol 10.7%
Initial SG 1.102
Final SG 1.023
pH 3.12 TA 0.62

Tasting Notes

11/25/2001 Color is nude but has an unusual irridescent quality. The nose is very aromatic reminiscent of spice and licorice. The taste is sweet and anisey with an almost spicy mint flavor.

9/14/2003 This wine has not changed much in the last two years. The flavor has diminished slightly, but it still has a terrific floral herbal nose and the flavor is unmistakenly thai basil. It is sweet and best served well chilled.

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Ingredients

Adapted from Jack Keller’s Mint Wine recipe.

1.73 lb thai basil leaves and stems
3 lemons
12.5 lbs sugar
70 cups + more water
4 tsp yeast energizer
6 nutrient tablets
1 1/4 tsp tannin
4 tsp acid blend
Champagne wine yeast

9/16/2000 Thai basil on the stem was cut into 1-2 inch lengths and placed in a 5 gal bucket with the zest and juice of 3 large lemons and the acid blend. 23 cups of boiling water was poured over and allowed to steep for 1.5 hours. A total of 47 more cups of water was heated to boiling and the sugar was dissolved in it. It was poured into a bucket to cool. The basil was strained into a 6 gal carboy and the sugar water was added. The nutrient, energizer, and tannin was added. Additional water (~0.5 gal) was added to top up to approx. 5 gallons total. After the mixture had cooled to room temperature (or slightly higher), the sg was measured at 1.102. The yeast, which had been hydrated for 4 hours in water with sugar, citric acid, and a pinch of energizer. Note, no obvious bubbling. The yeast was pitched. Must is a red-purple color.

9/17/2000 No fermentation after ~20 hours. A small amount (25 mL) of working apple-cranberry lees from the bottom of the carboy was added. (6:00 pm)

9/18/2000 6:00 pm – no fermentation. About 2/3 of the must was poured into a 5-gal bucket and poured back and forth between buckets a few times to aerate it. It was poured back into the carboy. About a cup was kept out to prepare another yeast starter. To the cup was added ~1 cup of warm water. Another package of dry pasteur champagne yeast was sprinkled over the top. After a couple hours, the yeast is beginning to hydrate and bubbly foam is noticed on the top. Another cup of the must was added. The aerated must shows no signs of bubbles, however the airlock appears to be moving very very slowly.

9/19/2000 7:00 am beginning to ferment. Will check later to see if it is more vigorous. The yeast starter may or may not be added.

9/20/2000 7:00 am Seems to be fermenting strong. Starter not added.

10/22/2000 Still fermenting very slowly. Racked into 5 gal carboy. SG measures 1.025. TA measures 6.3 g/L. One nutrient tablet was added.

11/2/2000 SG measured at 1.023. Still very slowly fermenting. Tastes sweet. Light pink color.

12/27/2000 Racked into a clean 5 gallon carboy. 2 g potassium metabisulfite added. SG measures 1.025. The nice pink color turned yellow on contact with bisulfite. Tastes sweet and delicately basil flavored. Wonderful floral spicy nose. ~10.5% alcohol.

5/27/2001 Racked. SG 1.023, pH 3.12, TA 0.62 Bubbles in the wine. Fermenting again?

11/18/2001 Filtered through #2 pads. 2.5 g sulfite and 5 g potassium sorbate added. Taste is delicious. Not quite as sweet. Has smoothed a lot. 10.7% alcohol