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Cook Prairie Wines Home My Wines and Label Gallery Photos Winemaking Links North Dakota Wineries Minnesota Wineries Wine Links The Valley Vine Podcast Web Blog Podcast RSS FEED Podcast iTunes Link Red River Valley American Wine Society Wine Clubs Vote for us! I have been nominated as one of the Top 100 Wine Sites. Currently #7. Please vote for my web site here! Thanks a bunch! Contact Us Greg Cook email iChat/AOL	Pretty Good Port Started 11/28/2001 Bottled 9/20/2003 Alcohol 19% Initial SG 1.101 Final SG 1.005 - then fortified and sweetened pH ND TA ND Tasting Notes Caramelly oakey and sweet. This lives up to its name. 11/28/2001 12 12 Oz bags of fresh cranberries, mostly thawed after being stored in the freezer. Chopped in food processor 3.75 lb dark raisins, chopped 4 lb chopped dates 0.25 pound grated coconut 5 lb sugar Fruits chopped in food processor. Placed in 5 gallon bucket. About 1.5-2.0 gallons boiling water added. Total must up to about 3.5 gallon mark. May need to add more. Pectic enzyme added. Some of the must was taken and diluted to make a starter with Montrachet yeast. 11/29/2001 SG measured at over 1.300. Starter is bubbling madly. The must was diluted to a gravity of 1.101 which brought the total volume to about 4 gallons. The flavor is intense and delicious. The yeast was poured on the top of the must. 12/9/2001 SG 1.038. The must was strained and the pulp squeezed by hand to give about 4 gallons of wine. The flavor is intense and complex. 4 tsp cocoa powder added and the port was transferred to a 5 gallon carboy to finish fermenting. 1/27/2002 Racked into a 3 gallon carboy. SG 1.005 (12.7% alcohol). The carboy was not completely filled. 3 cups of everclear (95%) were added to bring the volume to 3 gallons. The final alcohol is 17.8. Not,e bring this up to 19 later. 2/24/2002 Racked into another 3 gal carboy. 10 Oz carmelized sugar added. 1 g sulfite added. 1 cup 95% alcohol added. Alcohol ~19.4% 7/6/03 Taste is good but lacks some body. 2.5 oz toasted American oak beans added. 7/10/03 The oak has penetrated very strongly. It tastes harsh like burnt wood. The port was transferred to a new carboy leaving the oak behind. I hope it mellows out. 8/5/03 More caramel was added – Unfortunately I don’t remember how much I added – maybe 8 oz. 8/31/03 Taste is really good --- oak has mellowed a bit and marries well with the flavor of the port. The extra sugar gave it a nice body and not overly sweet – but definitely port-sweet. There is a hint of tartness that I think comes from the cranberry, although you can’t really taste fruit in this at all. The color is tawny brown and a little light. 9/20/03 Port was divided into a 1 gallon jug, two 750 mL ceramic bottles, and twelve 375 mL tall port bottles. A little was left over about 400 mL which was reserved for immediate drinking.
	© 2003-2005, Greg Cook Cook Prairie Wines Fargo, North Dakota

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I have been nominated as one of the Top 100 Wine Sites. Currently #7. Please vote for my web site here! Thanks a bunch!

Greg Cook
email
iChat/AOL

Pretty Good Port

Started 11/28/2001
Bottled 9/20/2003

Alcohol 19%
Initial SG 1.101
Final SG 1.005 - then fortified and sweetened
pH ND TA ND

Tasting Notes

Caramelly oakey and sweet. This lives up to its name.

11/28/2001

12 12 Oz bags of fresh cranberries, mostly thawed after being stored in the freezer. Chopped in food processor
3.75 lb dark raisins, chopped
4 lb chopped dates
0.25 pound grated coconut
5 lb sugar

Fruits chopped in food processor. Placed in 5 gallon bucket. About 1.5-2.0 gallons boiling water added. Total must up to about 3.5 gallon mark. May need to add more. Pectic enzyme added. Some of the must was taken and diluted to make a starter with Montrachet yeast.

11/29/2001

SG measured at over 1.300. Starter is bubbling madly. The must was diluted to a gravity of 1.101 which brought the total volume to about 4 gallons. The flavor is intense and delicious. The yeast was poured on the top of the must.

12/9/2001

SG 1.038. The must was strained and the pulp squeezed by hand to give about 4 gallons of wine. The flavor is intense and complex. 4 tsp cocoa powder added and the port was transferred to a 5 gallon carboy to finish fermenting.

1/27/2002

Racked into a 3 gallon carboy. SG 1.005 (12.7% alcohol). The carboy was not completely filled. 3 cups of everclear (95%) were added to bring the volume to 3 gallons. The final alcohol is 17.8. Not,e bring this up to 19 later.

2/24/2002

Racked into another 3 gal carboy. 10 Oz carmelized sugar added. 1 g sulfite added. 1 cup 95% alcohol added. Alcohol ~19.4%

7/6/03

Taste is good but lacks some body. 2.5 oz toasted American oak beans added.

7/10/03

The oak has penetrated very strongly. It tastes harsh like burnt wood. The port was transferred to a new carboy leaving the oak behind. I hope it mellows out.

8/5/03

More caramel was added – Unfortunately I don’t remember how much I added – maybe 8 oz.

8/31/03

Taste is really good --- oak has mellowed a bit and marries well with the flavor of the port. The extra sugar gave it a nice body and not overly sweet – but definitely port-sweet. There is a hint of tartness that I think comes from the cranberry, although you can’t really taste fruit in this at all. The color is tawny brown and a little light.

9/20/03

Port was divided into a 1 gallon jug, two 750 mL ceramic bottles, and twelve 375 mL tall port bottles. A little was left over about 400 mL which was reserved for immediate drinking.