I have not felt like wine making for a long time following serious accident and bereavement.  But I am starting  a new rosé today, the same one that I did before.  The kit appears to have been updated, so we will see how it comes out.  I felt that the OG was a little low, but it could be rubbish stirring.

The only other thing I have done in the last six months is bottle the elderberry and blackberry, and the quince.  The latter ended in disaster as fermentation appeared to restart and the cork popped off, pouring the contents in to the cellar floor.  I don’t know how long it took me to notice.

http://thomas.w-p.me.uk/brew/temp.php for status

The rosé has had a little more than its allotted time, and finished bubbling some days ago, but this can only  be good.  The photo shows the wine before the chitosan but after the fermentation stopper.  I was interested to see how clear it was, and the answer was “pretty clear”.  But not quite clear enough, so in goes the chitosan and in a few more days I will bottle.  I have splashed out on real bottles that need corks, together with shrink wrap lids for the final touch from the lovely people at ballihoo. who were extremely helpful on the phone.

The gravity is as expected at this stage and it is already pretty drinkable.  It looks and tastes as it should, so all is well.  A few days to clarify then bottling begins.  I am pondering sterilising the bottles in the oven; there will be about 40 and washing is so time consuming and messy.  I guess you put them in at 80 degrees for 20 minutes or so then bottle as they cool down.