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On 3/30/2006 5:57 PM, wrote:
> I've been thinking about making a cranberry wine but I wasn't thinking
> about doing it straight from 100% cranberries and sugar. I was
> thinking about using a Pinot Grigio wine kit and racking it off to the
> secondary with some cranberries in it. I don't know if this is a good
> way to make cranberry wine and I also don't know how many pounds of
> cranberries to use. I am assuming that I relish the cranberries before
> racking off on to them. Any suggestions? Thanks

benshomebrew,

I've made cranberry mead using 2 12oz bags of fresh berries for a 5
gallon total volume. This gives a good level of tartness and a warm
red-orange color. I blend the cranberries in the blender and use a
nylon mesh bag to hold the blended fruit during fermentation. This
allows for easy disposal of the fruit after fermentation has completed.
Since I was inspired by my mother-in-law's cranberry relish recipe, I
also add the zest and fruit of 2 navel oranges.
Some have said that cranberries inhibit fermentation, but I always pitch
a liter starter and have never had any issues getting a ferment going.

Cheers,
Ken Taborek