Maple Sap Wine

     Twenty-six quarts of maple syrup and Rick ran out of firewood.  It's all we need. (For friends, family, and ourselves.)  As he pulled the taps Tue., he collected 12 gallons of sap for me.  I want to try Maple Sap Wine.  I've never made it before.

12 gallons of maple sap cooked down to 1 gallon.  (What a mess in the house -- more wood next year!)
1 lemon sliced thin
1 campden tablet (I decided to use it this time, because they say this wine is better after 1 yr. -- it will help preserve it)
1 package of wine yeast

Put cooked down sap into primary fermentor.
(That has been rinsed with "One Step")
Add the sliced lemon and campden tablet.



Only "I" would pull out a fillet knife (for fish) to cut the lemon because
it's the sharpest knife in the house!
























It's a big bucket for 1 gallon of wine ( 5 bottles) :-)



















Cover with your plastic bag and rubber band string.
Let everything sit overnight.




























The next day, stir in the yeast.




This is the yeast the "wine shop guy" said to use for country wines.
I use his expertise.
















Stir daily for 5 -6 days.  Use a dishwasher sterilized wooden spoon.
(Your house now smells like a brewery :-)
Pull out the bag of fruit, and squeeze every bit of juice out.  Siphon into your secondary
fermentor - a gallon jug. (That has been rinsed in "One Step")
Add your airlock. (That has been rinsed in "One Step")

For a dry wine, rack it at 3 weeks, and every 3 months for one year.  Then bottle.

For a sweet wine, rack at 3 weeks.  Add 1/2 cup maple syrup mixed in
one cup of water, and add to the secondary fermentor.  Repeat the process every six
weeks until fermentation does not restart with the addition of maple syrup.  Rack
every 3 months until one year old.  Then bottle.

I usually like a dry wine, but, I think this one might be good sweet.
(I'm thinking maplely...not sure....we'll find out!)

                                                                      .....dr Momi