Rose Petal Wine 2015 - The Making Of ...

Our rose bush has been splendid this year. It is the last year that we will see it in bloom and this has been its parting gift. Of all the plants in our garden that I would like to take with us, this rose is at the top of the list. It was a wedding present from Betty Rumsby. But it is unmoveable and no cuttings have taken root. I hope future owners will continue to enjoy its summer display.

Throughout June I have been collecting  roses as they wilt and putting them in the freezer. I gave strict instructions to my parents to do the same in their garden. Mom's roses are mostly pink and red, whereas ours are white (apart from one red rose that puts out one flower a year. I snipped this as soon as it was polite to do so.) Therefore, we have an attractive mix.

Mom and Pop came over yesterday, bringing their roses with them. I measured them today (19th July) and between us we picked 12 pints of petals - enough for a triple batch. I put these in my bucket and added 7 lbs 12 oz sugar, 1 litre white grape juice (thanks Waitrose), 500 g of minced sultanas, the juice of 3 oranges and 18 pints of boiling water. The sultanas are a grape juice substitute, but I think will work. The whole mix smells divine.

I put in the yeast late on Sunday evening and I have been worrying all week that this was too soon and there would be no fermentation. However, it all seems to be okay. I also added two teaspoons of nutrient and tannin and one of pectolase. Over the days the petals have been getting increasingly brown, and they have leached their brown into the liquid. I was hoping for something pink and have ended up with dun.

I put the wine into its demijohns on Friday 24th July. It took a while and there was nothing good on the radio to keep me company. I had far too little water - there could easily have been another four pints in the recipe.

If you want to see how this wine turned out, click here